a cassette copy of Selected Ambient Works Volume II sold

What the fuck?
Who would do that

>>71552328
forgot link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/APHEX-TWIN-VERY-RARE-2-X-UK-CASSETTE-TAPE-SELECTED-AMBIENT-WORKS-VOLUME-II-/262830201283

I know that vinyl never really died, but I think it's seen a resurgence with colored variants and deluxe editions in recent years. Especially new releases. But does anyone else feel like cassettes have started to blow up in very recent years? And can anyone explain why, outside of appeal to Urban Outfitter hipsters and greasy Beanie Baby collectors? Tour cassettes /50. Silver shell cassette tape variants /100. And they fetch mad money on the aftermarket. I guess I missed the memo.

Whereas vinyl can be pressed for benefits to sound (so long as it's not digitally mastered and the setup is solid), it just seems to me like 99% of cassettes aren't going to outshine their CD, vinyl, or digital counterparts. Am I wrong? The cassette hiss is typically far worse than vinyl pops, and they seems like a massive pain in the ass as far as playback and rewinding are concerned. What am I not seeing here?

>>71552328
its an important album

>>71552498
Sure, but why bastardize your listen on the worst possible format?

>>71552456
You didn't live through the 90s, you don't get it.
But I'm not defending tapes, or records even. Records have their place, mostly for niche releases and sampling because of their distinct sound but I can tell you for a fact that the resurgence in tapes is just because they're cheap and a novelty. Most people don't even have good enough tape decks to play them back, assuming they were even recorded properly.
I used to run a tape label. I was glad they were dead.
Of course I still press records but you cant make any money in techno unless you do.
Tl;dr people will stop caring about tapes as soon as we remember how much the 90s actually sucked, like the 70s and 80s before it

>>71552522
i'd take cassette over vinyl any day desu
smaller, more compact, and cuter

>>71552522
actually, since ferric tapes were fairly good at replicating low bass frequencies, and the album is mostly dark ambient, it should sound fairly good on cassette
i don't have a copy though so i couldn't tell you

what i do have however is a 24bit 96khz rip of the 1994 UK 3xLP (which supposedly sounds better than the brown vinyl), but it sounds like dogshit, no detail in the audio or anything, but that's what happens when you cut 60 minute LPs

>>71552591
I actually did live through the 90s for what it's worth, and had access to cassette tapes. But also CDs and a CD Walkman. That's a lot more nostalgic to me, personally. I can understand that they're a lot cheaper and more practical from a cost-effective standpoint, but vinyl predates it and that seems to be going stronger than every. Cassettes just seem truly archaic to me.

>>71552522
Only the original vinyl and cassette releases of SAW2 have the full tracklisting including Stone in Focus and the vinyl pressing is not only notoriously expensive but it has questionable issues with quality
If I had seen the auction I absolutely would have bid on it I've been looking for that tape for ages

>>71552663
>I can understand that they're a lot cheaper and more practical from a cost-effective standpoint
Then you understand the appeal
There's a reason the biggest tape resurgence is around indie/"""DIY""" labels like Burger Records. Your average local band isn't going to be pressing their album on fucking vinyl anytime soon whereas tapes are super cheap, super easy to put together and have a little more personality than CDs
Yeah the quality isn't the best but it's still listenable and that's why a lot come with downloads
I agree that bigger artists doing tape releases in 2017 is pretty silly though

>>71552328

Upon careful review, cassette copies of the album exist which include all 25 tracks. 300bux is a bit silly, but on general principles (it is my favorite album, after all), I begin to empathize with the purchase decision. Fat balding men pay more for custom furry porn all the time, and god bless them for their freedom.

So far as I know, however, the real, perfect, definitive physical version has never been released: a 3-CD affair which properly represents the physical LP platters, artwork and all.

File: Inserted.jpg (3MB, 1483x1500px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 1483x1500px

>>71552737
i'm working on a project to make a definitive version of the album from digital sources, so i stitched together #19 from the excursions in ambience compilation, with some fading and stuff since the track is mixed with a previous track on the compilation
https://mega.nz/#!tVYWlLBA!rk71nWn0PeZrEtxfLE65dvUO0g0WOqfVL7tLMBxpz0s
the audio is finished, but i will eventually make high quality scans of the artwork to make it truly definitive
here's a scan of the insert, hard to find these with the UK 2xCD
>>71552760
someone claims that Warp won't reissue the album with #19 on it because they wanted to make the UK 3xLP "something special", but the album makes more sense with it in the tracklisting, plus the original vinyl sounds like shit with no dynamics or detail

>>71552867
This is really cool, Anon. If I save the link to the MEGA folder will I be able to download the art and all when it's finished?

Also I always assumed there was some clearance issue somehow, I mean I figured that song was all synths but I can't imagine any other reason why they would leave it off. They're not profiting from secondhand sales and leaving a track off to make the original pressing "more special" is very in character for Richard but not so much for Warp.

>>71552923
it's a 7z file, i'll use this folder instead
https://mega.nz/#F!oZoUSALb!GZuNcfgLLFiybPGSvSmdLw
uploading the 24/96 rip now, so i'll put it in there

>>71552591
Link of your music?

>>71552621
>cuter
They're fucking ugly little things

File: cassette.jpg (12KB, 365x365px) Image search: [Google]

12KB, 365x365px

>>71553093
cassette cases are cute
CUTE
but they are better dressed with inserts/cover art, they don't look as good naked.

two tracks in the soundcloud rip revealed the titles of two SAW II tracks
http://disquiet.com/2015/12/15/hide-and-seek-with-aphex-twin/

>>71552456
Tapes are just cool. I like them. No justification is really necessary beyond that.