I definitely do not need this, but goddamn it I want one! The Cassette Tayble is handcrafted with birch hardwood and a “vinyl label that is sealed and protected with a clear epoxy coating.” There are two stainless steel cup holders and the “tape-run folds down to offer a practical storage space for remotes and magazines while amping up the nostalgic look of the cassette tape.”

...we offer custom options to fit your personal style and decor. Be your own furniture DJ and choose from different stains, colors, labels, graphics and legs. If you want a Cassette Tayble built into a bar cart or just want your Tayble to say “Larry’s Jams ‘98”, you name it and we’ll work with you to see your vision through.

I can’t find the pricing for these lovelies, but I bet they ain’t cheap. You can contact the makers of Taybles here to ask them directly.

Update: Here are the prices.
 

 

 

 
Via WFMU

 
I adore these images of cassette tape spines lovingly labeled and decorated from the caveman days.

I don’t miss cassette tapes at all, but the bespoke folk art aspect of these is kind of funky fresh, you have to admit…
 

 

 
More mixtapes after the jump…
 

 
There are those of us who love music for the emotional, the cerebral, and the intellectual passions that exist without any tangibility, and there are those of us who also fall in love with the pure physical medium. Vinyl collectors are the obvious example, but as International Cassette Store Day approaches, it may prove rewarding to shed a little light on the eccentric musical medium enthusiasts that opt for the other analog.

Cassette collector Micke describes himself as a “kock,” (don’t giggle, you nerds, it’s Swedish for “cook.”) The documentary below translates “kock” as “chef,” which, according to my (very) rudimentary Swedish, would actually be “köksmästare,” (I said quit giggling!) I make the distinction not out of pedantry, but because while “chef” insinuates head of the kitchen, cook insinuates a working stiff—though Swedish DMers are welcome to correct me if I’m wrong (That distinction, as minor as it may feel to some, matters to those of us who’ve made minimum wage in kitchens). If Micke is as I think he is, a line cook grunt as opposed to the head of a kitchen, he’s making low wages (yes, even in the socialized utopia of Sweden), but pursues his cassette hobby as an artistically fulfilling extra-curricular activity, as opposed to the errant pursuits of a middle-class hobbyist.

The mini-documentary below is a compelling look at Micke’s analog life.  In addition to his own expeditions for lesser-known cassettes, Micke lovingly crafts playlists for sparsely attended parties, releases his own magnetically modified cassettes (also available for digital download, of course), and blogs his findings for the wider cassette community. There’s a desperate moment after the documentarians “help” him pack up his gear for a party and unknowingly demagnetize a number of his cassettes. The audience is reminded of how fragile such physical mediums used to be, and I’m somewhat relieved people like Micke are out there curating the artifacts that folks like me are so flippantly careless about.

Forgive us Micke! We know not what we do!
 

 
A brilliant and beautifully executed wood cassette tape coffee table by artist Jeff Skerka.

This coffee table is a 12:1 scaled replica of a cassette tape. It is made of reclaimed maple, walnut and lucite. Dimensions are 47.25” x 30” x 5” with a 3/8” plexi top. This is a first prototype and one of a kind table. Future versions will be CNC machined out of high grade plywood with a variety of ply combinations and a glass top. This table has been an obsession of mine for 5 years! It is amazing to finally have it come to fruition. The table is completely reversible (sides A and B).

I’m not sure if Jeff’s “Mixtape Table” is a one-of-kind prototype or others have been made for purchase? You can contact him here to find out.

 
Via KMFW