It’s probably been years, decades, even, since we’ve had to flip an audio cassette to hear the songs on the ‘B’ side, or spend hours mixing a tape for a loved one. But when Dutch engineer Lou Ottens, the inventor of the audio cassette, passed away last week, music enthusiasts across the world hit rewind, reminiscing about Walkman days when the pocket-sized piece of music empowered us with a private listening experience, and how pencils were used to re-spool unravelled tapes. In a world now dominated by digital playlists, three cassette collectors from the city, who never let the dust settle on their prized collections, share how they’ve stayed tuned in to this hobby.

Lou Ottens. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons