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The first compact cassette recorder was launched at the Funkausstellung (Radio Exhibition) in Berlin, Germany, on the 30th of August 1963; and in the sixty years since, this humble format has helped to shape how we make, record, listen to, share and preserve music. Across a month of programmes, Late Junction offers a celebration of the impact of the cassette tape on audio culture and music. Introducing: Casseptember!

Hiss, decay, memories warped: Casseptember will feature specially-commissioned works from an array of artists whose work makes use of the particular qualities unique to the cassette tape. And, throughout the month, we’ll also hear from dedicated collectors and artists with a soft spot for the format. In this first programme, Verity Sharp is joined by Marc Masters - music journalist and author of High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape (out in October 2023) - who offers an overview of the tape’s colourful history arguing that it never really went away.

The arrival of the cassette was a watershed moment in the democratisation of audio culture, making possible the documentation of local and underground scenes and genres. It paved the way for lo-fi aesthetics and DIY music. And, for those of a certain generation, the lovingly-crafted mixtape became a vital tool of connection and personal creativity. Across the world, meanwhile, there remain treasure troves of cassette-only releases, whole archives of musical genres catalogued in this unique way. And - in an age of digital intangibility and queues at vinyl pressing plants - the cassette tape is making a comeback for many labels and independent artists around the world.

Produced by Gabriel Francis and Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3