While rummaging through some old stuff, look what I just stumbled upon… a brand new TDK D90 audio cassette…!!!

Growing up, this was our playlist. Not curated by algorithms, but by patience. You’d walk into the neighbourhood music shop with a handwritten list of songs. The shopkeeper would nod, load the cassette, and start recording. Side A. Then Side B. You waited. You listened. Part excitement. Part pride. And when you finally walked out with an extra spring in your step, it felt like you’d just unearthed a small treasure.

And piracy? The word didn’t even exist.

Music was shared, copied, and cherished without guilt or shame. Owning a cassette meant something. You remembered every song on it, in sequence. You played it start to finish. Over and over again. And when the tape got stubborn, you rewound it with a pencil.

If a friend or classmate had a cassette recorder at home, that became the hangout spot. Free recordings. Endless swaps. Music was a shared nirvana.

And the cool folks? They carried their music with them… on a Walkman.

Those were the days, my friends, when music lived on tape.

How many of you recognise this?
And if you do… does it bring back memories? Any favourite genres or bands?