002 The Story Behind Flashtape

Last year, we launched Flashtape and Flashtape EP, a project deeply rooted in nostalgia. Growing up in the 1980s, we witnessed the golden era of cassette tapes—a time when discovering music was an adventure, and tapes were our version of YouTube. Unlike vinyl, cassettes were affordable, accessible, and, most importantly, customizable. Blank tapes let us create our own playlists—our greatest hits—what we now call mixtapes.

Cassettes weren’t just about storing music; they were an essential part of life. They were our old-school iPods, always with us, playing music on Walkmans. Back then, choosing a song wasn’t as simple as tapping a screen. We listened to one side all the way through before flipping to the B-side, immersing ourselves in full albums and their conceptual storytelling.

Music consumption today is different—streaming makes songs feel disposable, stripping away the packaging, inserts, and physical connection that once made albums special. We were deeply inspired by the design of cassettes—their uniform size creating an aesthetic music wall, neatly arranged on shelves. Unlike CDs, which later came in chaotic shapes and sizes that were impossible to organize, cassettes brought a sense of order and beauty.

Like many, we eventually abandoned cassettes for CDs. They were more convenient and, at times, just as beautiful. We even threw away our old tapes, replacing them with CDs as we grew up. The last cassettes we bought were Oasis’ "What’s the Story Morning Glory?" and "Be Here Now," along with iconic Britpop singles like "Wonderwall" and "Roll With It"—true relics of the era.

Then, a few years ago, cassette culture made a comeback. We found ourselves drawn back to it, buying tapes again—Billie Eilish, Tatsuro Yamashita, and others. This revival reignited something in us. As a brand specializing in gadgets like power banks and phone cases, we wanted to create something truly fun, blending nostalgia with modern tech.

That’s how Flashtape was born. It looks and feels like a real cassette, but with a contemporary twist—bringing back the magic of mixtapes in a way that fits today’s world.

This is the story of Flashtape—our way of keeping the soul of cassettes alive.