Many of us probably remember being constantly told off in childhood, “Hold the photo by the edges!” or “Make sure you don’t get your fingerprints all over the CD!” But as time passed and the world moved on to photos on phones and music on computers, there was no need for such admonishment. There was nothing physical to destroy by getting our grubby little hands on it.
Until now, that is. Slowly, we are seeing an increasing trend to rewind, as retro tech returns with a bang. Take a look around and you will see it everywhere. Colourful and cute Instax cameras (Fujifilm’s answer to the Polaroid), LPs (translation: long-playing vinyl records) by current artistes, brand-new record players, and video games that you once played on your PC now available on your iPhone. Even Taylor Swift is in on the action with her latest album cover for ‘1989’ featuring a Polaroid photo.
What precisely is the appeal? Can it be termed nostalgia if you never actually owned something but grew up watching it and reading about it in movies and books?
Aparna Narrain Avinash Timothy, 31, who works with a bank, seems to think it can. He says, “I remember thinking there was something special about the Polaroid photos of my parents when my father told me how they were taken. The immediacy of the capture, the literal and physical snapshot of a moment in time, and the fact that it seems all the more random, candid and personal because there was no attempt at professionalism... That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to buy a Polaroid Z2300 when a friend visited the U.S. recently.”
Mitali Shah, 21, an M.Com student, is similarly drawn. “I own an Instax Mini 8 and it was the concept that made me buy it. I’ve always been a fan of having photos printed as soon as they are clicked. Also, as a child, all those English movies and serials showed people using a Polaroid camera… I knew I had to get one.”
Ironically, many people who buy these cameras because of their retro appeal upload the photos on social media with #instax and #polaroidseries. Does that kind of miss the point? Not really, says Shah, “I have uploaded one photo. But I think it doesn’t matter if it’s retro, black & white, or filled with filters. Uploading photos is a personal choice.”
Post doctoral fellow Francis Amrit agrees, “Well, going retro has this cool factor that some people exploit. It’s hypocritical in one way, but then again, I think it’s perfectly fine if you really like the photo and want to share it.”
Another old-fashioned object that is growing in popularity in an age of music streaming and downloads is the LP. And no, it’s not just albums by The Beatles or Bob Dylan. You can buy new releases from U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’, Adele’s ‘25’ or even Justin Bieber’s ‘Purpose’ on vinyl. Last year, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Queen reissued a limited edition vinyl with the original B side, ‘I’m in Love with My Car’.
In 2014, 9.2 million records were sold in the U.S., a 260 per cent increase since 2009, while in the U.K. more than one million records were sold, with Pink Floyd’s album of the same year, ‘The Endless River’, becoming the fastest-selling vinyl release since 1997.
The 30-year-old Arup Nanjappa, handloom designer and didgeridoo crafter, has around 400 records, a couple of Philips turntables, and a passion for vinyl. “I spent a large part of my formative years in my grandmother’s home listening to LPs by CSNY, Dylan and Ravi Shankar. The warmth of the sound, the tonal quality, the inherent flaws caused by wear-and-tear, they add to the quality of the sound. Each analogue copy is unique, unlike a digital copy.”
Dhillan Chandramowli, 30, is a radio consultant whose family owns over 200 LPs and a Denon record player. He says: “With music undergoing so many format changes, there’s curiosity about why older records had a certain ‘warmth’. Besides, there’s a massive retro quotient in the artistry of today’s music, whether folksy or the retro futurism of some electronic movements. There’s a trend towards knowing your history and incorporating it.”
But what explains the resurgence of video games like the PC-based point-and-click ‘Monkey Island’ series? Says blogger Mithun Balraj, 24, who runs ‘The Game Scrawl’ blog about games and the people who make and play them: “Retro is a move towards simplicity, both in graphics and the game play itself. Software that emulates old game consoles like the SNES, Game Boy and Nintendo 64 on computers and phones is now available, and this makes games like the original ‘Pokémon’ accessible to more people.” But the 20-something Joel Louzado, freelance web developer, says it best: “Retro games have a lot of personality. Before fancy graphics began to be used as crutches, you had to create interesting worlds and characters.”
Often, it’s a new twist to an old franchise. For instance, says Louzado, in ‘Super Mario Maker’, the game is to make and share newer levels of the game with friends and communities. “YouTube channels have sprung up around these shares. ‘Minecraft’ is another example of a retro aesthetic making a comeback.”
Of course, as with all collectors, retro lovers too are willing to pay a packet for their love. Timothy’s camera cost him Rs. 10,000 and each print costs around Rs. 50. Even this will change, he says. “Take photo paper. It wasn’t available in India and cost almost Rs. 80 per print for overseas shipping. But you can now get it online, and so it’s significantly cheaper.”
Does this mean it’s only a matter of time before we see VHS tapes again? “For sure,” says Chandramowli, a radio consultant. The whole Bruno Mars video ‘Locked out of Heaven’ was shot to evoke the VHS grainy, skippy, video experience. You just have to give tech trends time to simmer and mature from forgotten to ironic.”
