Dezeen · Creativity & design

Brutalist Cassette Booth at KaDeWe Offers Rare Music

A new analogue sound installation, designed by Yont Studio, has opened in Berlin's KaDeWe department store, featuring a Brutalist-inspired listening booth made from salvaged car seats and over 140 cassette tapes.

The installation, a collaboration with Telekom Electronic Beats and Namilia, aims to evoke nostalgia and the physical ritual of listening to music, inspired by Iggy Pop's "The Passenger." Shoppers can sit in second-hand car seats and listen to a curated selection of rare and vintage cassettes.

The booth's design incorporates bright-pink foam wedges with distressed textures and exposed metal rebar, intended to reference the origins of Berlin techno. Playful elements like glossy pink paint and unconventional clothes hooks add irreverence, reflecting Namilia's fashion aesthetic.

The cassette collection, compiled by Telekom Electronic Beats from second-hand shops and private collectors, includes sets by pioneering DJs and niche world music. Many recordings are unique, such as radio broadcasts or live sets, and are not available on streaming platforms.

The listening booth is open until September 27th, and visitors are encouraged to bring their own cassettes to share or exchange, fostering a sense of a 'living organism.'

Yont Studio, founded by former club kids Coşan Karadeniz and Serdar Ayvaz, specializes in designing music spaces, often using a distinctive epoxy-foam combination with Brutalist influences. They note a growing demand for tangible, sensual experiences in an increasingly digitized world.

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