I recently posted on Threads the picture above along with a series of thoughts on having a discman. This was a Christmas present.
The last time I played a CD on this type of device was in my university days. I clearly remember listening to Reanimation by Linkin Park. Back then, I didn’t know my ‘analogue’ days were numbered. I would eventually transition to the iPod experience even though I was doing everything in my power to resist.
It happened, and I never looked back. I don’t even know what happened to my old discman.
However, as years went by, I felt the need to go back to what I used to love. I still have a collection of great CD albums. At the same time, I thought this would help me stop doomscrolling on the phone. That it’d be more enriching to read the booklet of my selected album instead.
I must say, it’s uncomfortable. I feel like I could have the music playing in the background while still browsing something on my phone. The pain is real. But I’m intentional about taking a break from the endless noise of the digital world. I want to reconnect with the music and the feelings it evokes in me.
I want to engage with the story each song is telling. Or the story my own feelings create as I immerse it. In my teen years, I used to put on my headphones, push play, and imagine the official music video for the song. I liked pretending I directed it and that I was seeing the final result in my mind.
I want to be able to do that again.
This is the beauty of analogue experiences. It’s you and your imagination plus all the sensations you want to include. All of it guiding you to interpret the melody you’re perceiving.
It’s like creating a time capsule of your feelings, thoughts or things you’re going through in this moment of your life. Isn’t it wonderful to appreciate music this way?
Yes. I could be listening from an iPod with the Wifi turned off. It’s just not the same, though. There’s something about the analogue experience that makes it more meaningful. More intentional. Or at least that’s me.
I keep hearing a strong call to return to the analogue. I keep coming across ideas for hobbies and crafts that involve staying away from the screen. Now I’m starting to answer that call.
Since this specific device is bringing so much satisfaction to my moments of unwind, I’d like to keep collecting CDs. So I’m motivated to visit local stores that sale this kind of format. After all, there’s a lot of us that want to bask in the magic of the analogue.
How about you? What kind of analogue experience are you willing to explore?
