Rewinding the past
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE CULTURE LIVES ON IN OUT-OF-THE-WAY SHOPS IN SOME SMALL CORNERS OF THE UAE, BUT IT’S USUALLY UNDER WRAPS
Cassette tape culture lives on in the UAE in out-of-the-way shops in small corners
The cassettes on display are part of old stock. Some have barely moved since they were first acquired by the stores in the 1980s, and sit on shelves until the odd customer like Megallaa comes in.
With the advent of digital downloads, the prominence of CDs and even a vinyl resurgence, cassette tapes have all but vanished from mainstream culture despite their popularity in the 1980s. Shadi Megallaa, a musician in the UAE, is rewinding the tape and hoping cassettes make a comeback.
The 38-year-old Egyptian DJ recently collaborated with Freeze Flow Media and Dubai based music label Bastakiya Tapes on a short documentary film dedicated to raising general awareness of cassette tape culture in the UAE and Middle East. The film, Magnetic Fossils: Cassette Archaeology , is a nostalgic ode to the medium in black and white.
In what may surprise many in the UAE, there is no shortage of shops supplying cassette tapes. “I’ve found a strip on the way to Hatta where there are lots of shops on both sides of the road. Shops like Al Freej Recordings, Al Masah al Wardiya Recording and Al Symphonia Recording,” Megallaa says. “Other than that I’ve found one in Satwa called Al Shabab Recording and heard of more in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman. I’m sure there are lots more in remote areas,” he adds.
Out of town
The shops in the cities are usually very small and lined wall to wall with cassette tapes, while those that are further out of town offer the same aesthetic but a bigger range. They are all but deserted, however, and the people who work in them don’t seem to know much about tapes, according to Megallaa.
“When we went in they were laughing at us,” Megallaa says.
While cassette tapes themselves no longer bring in foot traffic, the shops have remained open due to their ability to adapt to contemporary demand. Now, they mainly thrive by selling CDs, USB sticks and SD cards containing popular music compilations.
The cassettes that remain on display are part of old stock. Some have barely moved since they were first acquired by the stores in the 1980s, and sit on shelves until the odd customer like Magallaa comes to enquire after them.
But these tapes are also a vivid portal into history and culture. As an Egyptian who’s never lived in Egypt, Megallaa’s fascination with tapes began with the music rather than the medium.
‘Distant memories’
“I found a way to connect to my roots. We have so much history and culture, especially in music,” he says. “The UAE’s also part of my roots. I’m not from the UAE, but I’ve lived here all my life. So I wanted to find these sounds that I used to hear that are distant memories.”
Megallaa’s exploration of cassette tape culture in the UAE rekindled his love for the medium, and he has begun cultivating a collection of his own. “For me personally it’s to try and relive childhood memories of hearing this music from my formative years,” says Megallaa, “but I would really love for these artists to get more attention.”
He has also learned more about local music in the process. “I’ve discovered that, especially in the UAE, they love singing,” he says.
“What I was looking for was more percussive stuff [and] I found more tapes like that in Kuwait. So I think it’s regional. Here they just love singing. It’s amazing, you know. Especially the older recordings. It’s just one mic in the room and all the people drumming and singing. I mean the quality’s quite bad, but it gives it soul.”
“I’d also like to emphasise that this is my own personal experience,” he adds.”I would highly recommend people go out and investigate and draw their own conclusions.”
Megallaa reminisces about the times he would jump into the back of a taxi in Dubai and hand the driver a tape to play. As cassette players have been phased out of cars completely, Megallaa’s memory is no longer a reality.
He senses a renaissance just over the horizon, not necessarily for the format but for the music itself. He believes some ambient or percussive music sounds best on cassette, while tape is the only medium to listen to older music that was never released on CD or MP3.
Cheaper for new artists
“It can also be cheaper and easier for new artists to produce music on tape,” he says.
As for the prospect of a resurgence in the medium; the relative obscurity of the cassette tapes themselves may not be the biggest obstacle to attracting new listeners. “Finding tapes is easier than finding a tape player,” says Megallaa.
“For that, you’ve got to go to the dark side of town.”