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The Cassette Player Collection: Sony WM-FX195 Walkman

Feeling a sense of thrill would be an understatement when I got to unpack this Walkman after 2 days of anxious waiting. This is a second hand player that I ordered from VintageAudioCart , Kochi and would definitely label it a steal purchase, as compared to the pricey ones that I saw listed on EBay and Etsy. Buying a Fiio Cassette Player took a backseat when I noticed this beauty being listed for sale. This is a WM-FX195 model with a silver finish and was first rolled out in sometime during the mid-late 1990's. As with cassette players designed then and now, it doesn't have speakers and one needs to plug in headphones / earphones to listen to the magic emanating from within Features:- Mega Bass  Mechanism to tune into FM Radio Channels Headphone Jack Front and top view of the cassette player Sliding in the first tape was always going to be a challenge, having received delivery of 15 tapes a couple of minutes prior. Being a big fan of Udayananu Tharam's soundtrack which was c
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⏪ Seek Tape: The Collection ⏩️

I’m maintaining this blog page to document my acquisitions of Malayalam Film Music Cassette Tapes. See my first and second posts here! 1. Movie Name - Nandanam Year of Release - 2002 Music Director - Raveendran Store - Ram’s Musique, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore Date - October 23, 2024 Tape Cover Tape Cover Overlay : Track Listing 2. Malayalam Audio Cassette Lot  In order (from left - right):- a). Movie Name - Mazhavil Kavadi & other assorted movie tracks Year of Release - 1989 Music Director - Johnson b) Movie Name - Bhramadattan & other assorted movie tracks Music Director - S.P Venkatesh Store - Music Corner, Peace Layout, Bangalore Date - November 05, 2024 Note - Bhramadattan is an unreleased film starring Mohanlal and directed by Anil. It has tracks by M.G Sreekumar, Sujatha and Yesudas. Lot 2 - Tape Covers 3. Malayalam Audio Cassette Lot. God this was a huge order In order (from left - right):- Chithram (1986) - Kannur Rajan Udayananu Tharam (2005) - Deepak Dev Manassinakkare

Anwar (2010) - Re-release Announcement

Hot on the heels, leading up to Bogainvillea's release, an announcement has got me waiting for something pretty exciting! Amal Neerad's 2010 thriller flick ' Anwar ' is slated for a re-release in October 2024. With the final date for re-release being fixed for October 25 2024, this will be a 4K remastered version, offering a cool rewatch experience for moviegoers. It’s a bilingual release, i.e both in Malayalam and Tamil. “Chellam, soukyama?” incoming from Prakash Raj xD. It will be my first time watching Anwar onscreen and expectations are always high for an Amal Neerad film, then and now. Anwar was a trendsetter for an action film back in 2010, having a typical Amal Neerad signature embossed over it and has a good following till date amongst younger cinephiles.  Anwar was a training playground for Prithviraj to learn the basics of filmmaking, allowing him to lead his debut directorial film 'Luicifer' to the 150 crore club. It was a great bit of trivia to know

September and October releases of 2024: A Discourse

September being a pretty hectic month did not spare me to watch the anticipated releases of Onam '24. It felt great to catch them finally and to type out my thoughts about all. Ajayante Randam Moshanam (A.R.M) Verdict - Above Average Metered Review - I'm not really a fan of the mystical fantasy genre and that may reflect in my verdict of the movie. Though the movie's title may itself be misleading, the movie does justice to the happenings. It is a good watch for everyone looking for a historical fantasy movie. Out of the 3 characters helmed by Tovino Thomas, Maniyan was surely a vibe and in a league of his own. Grizzled facial features and a tendency to step out of the moral boundaries due to being a thief, this character had an aura around itself. The clip below is a snippet into the chaotic character's life. A clutch role, played to perfection. Maniyan at his chaotic peak!  Surabhi Lakshmi's transition from the young lady to the old grandmother is a testament to

Vandanam (1989) - Our Buddy Cop Classic

Say the word Bangalore and the first thing that comes to my mind is the film 'Vandanam'. Vandanam is a movie that's pretty close to my heart. More of a comfort movie, if you will.  Inspired from the 1987 flick Stakeout , Priyadarshan has that knack to craft movie remakes that Malayalis can relate to, and end up embracing, as one of their own. Early 20's me got attracted to everything Vandanam had to offer - the allure of a new Southern City, iconic comedy scenes that still makes me chuckle to this day, great soundtrack and a nice storyline that kept me hooked. As mentioned earlier in my Black blog entry , words wont be enough to express my admiration for the movie. However, I will try. The portrayal of storytelling is so simple and comedy is so effective, that small nuanced gestures or looks are enough to bring a smile, with the thought that something pretty baffling is around the corner. A typical Priyadarshan film with all factors.

Seek Tape Journey (Volume 2) : A ride to Kachakrakanahalli

My second journey to seek cassette tapes in namma Bangalore led me to Kachakrakanahalli , at Fred Uncles’ Music Corner   I had enquired beforehand about the availability of Malayalam Tapes in his possession and then paid a  visit to his place, which is as old-school as an audio and video shop could get. Your old school Hindi, Tamil and English tapes are stacked here by the box and it looked like a collector's attic. Grabbed these, for 250 bucks each (named in order):-  - Agnidevan / Tom and Jerry   - Ustaad Both albums have timeless love tracks titled ‘Nilavinte Neela Bhasmam’ and ‘Nadodipoothinkal’ respectively, which is as catchy as it gets Other Malayalam tapes that I found - The Prince - Mr. Butler - Manthrikam & Takshashila (combined tape) Uncle was pretty kind in guiding me through his Vinyl and Tape collections, spanning from multiple languages and eras.  It felt nice that individuals spare time and effort for such niche interests, so that the tranquility of listening to

Seek Tape Journey (Volume 1) : In quest for my first tapes at Ram's Musique

How cute do these tapes look! Typing out this blog entry, with as much enthusiasm and joy as I picked these tapes at the store! Backstory It was a lazy Friday. While lazing around and thinking about the impending purchase of tapes, I quickly whipped up a plan to visit Ram's Musique Experience  at Ashok Nagar to see if they did have any available tapes for Malayalam Cinema Music. I had made a list of stores to frequent, the day prior and this could be ticked off the list, with a sure journey to the halls of music. I had read a couple of blogs online, detailing about how the store became a haven, helping teleport people with taste in vintage music, to a bygone era of riffs and sashays. Deciding that this could be a promising lead, I set off to the store. Upon reaching the quaint shop nestled in the Public Utility Complex, a staff member was helpful in guiding me to the tapes section. This is located in their second store, with the stairway (pictured) leading up to the tapes section