Cassette Futurism

カセット・フューチャリズム / 1977–1990s / retro revival / Aesthetic / Visions of the Future

The future as the 1980s pictured it, built from CRTs, physical buttons, thermal paper and squared-off white plastic. Its matte pragmatism is now being reappraised as the counterproposal to sleek science fiction.

Cassette Futurism — AI-generated interpretation 1 — AI-generated interpretation, not a reference work

Cassette Futurism — IBM 729 tape drives at Camp Smith, 1969 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — IBM 729 tape drives at Camp Smith, 1969 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Cassette Futurism — Commodore PET 2001, all in one home computer released in 1977, photo by Alexander Svensson — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 — Commodore PET 2001, all in one home computer released in 1977, photo by Alexander Svensson — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0

At a glance

Visual cues

CRTs and physical buttons
Squared-off white plastic
Dot-matrix displays
Matte pragmatism

Best used for

Control panels and readouts for near-future films and games
Interfaces for music gear or instruments sold on physical feel

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Dictionary entry

Type: Monospaced dot type beside small engraved-looking labels
Composition: Panels divided by function, surfaces filled with rows of buttons
Material: Yellowed white plastic, thermal paper, glow carrying scan lines
Caution: Arranging nostalgic parts without working out the operation produces a panel that looks right but never tells you what to press first.
Further study: the Nostromo in Alien / Alien: Isolation's recreation / retrofuturism studies

Related entries

Cyberpunk (サイバーパンク)Same Visions of the Future lineage.Compare Cassette Futurism and Cyberpunk
Blueprint (ブループリント)Shared effects: Technique / Futurity.Compare Cassette Futurism and Blueprint

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