Dubai is a city seemingly moving in fast forward, with shimmering skyscrapers rising at rapid pace, megaprojects swiftly taking shape and artificial intelligence quickly gaining a foothold in all walks of life. But it is also a place where history and heritage is celebrated, be it centuries into the past or a more recent rewind.
One such example can be found in the alleys of Al Hudaiba, where Island Coast Audio & Video has been operating since 1992. The VHS and cassette store is not only surviving but thriving as it turns back the tide against streaming supremacy to capitalise on a renewed zeal for physical media.
“I believe the golden time of these things has returned,” Syrian businessman Mahmood Al Laham, who took over the store in 2006, told The National. “Most people are collectors. They say they remember nostalgia when they touch these things.”
Blast from the past
When the shop opened, modern streaming platforms had not yet been conceived and it was difficult to imagine a future without video and cassette tapes filling its shelves.
But Mr Al Laham recalls that, by 2011, video was in steep decline. The Blockbuster rental empire was crumbling and Netflix was in the ascendancy.
Old-school audio was also beginning to face the music, with customers switching from buying CDs from shops to downloading their favourite tunes online.
Mr Al Laham, however, remained optimistic, even though friends encouraged him to shut up shop. “They told me, 'Why don't you close the shop?' Everyone closed," he said. "But for me, I believe there is time for these things. It will come back. This is my vision since 2016. I decided not to close. I want to continue with it."
In 2018, he combined an Arabic audio shop, an English audio shop and a video shop under one roof, which was once the cassette shop. He now sells cassettes, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records and VHS tapes.
Spanning generations
People of all ages have embraced physical media and have become Mr Al Laham's customers – and it is not only those looking to relive their past. An eight-year-old visited the shop this month, walking away with of a VHS of his own.
“In Dubai it is very important to have this shop. We have 200 nationalities, and all nationalities come,” Mr Al Laham said. People from different generations visit the shop to "purchase what they love", he added.
Digital media is not the only threat facing the shop. AI has become a mainstay in many industries including audio and video, with AI songs going viral and AI-generated video proliferating online.
Mr Al Laham believes people need to go back to creating their own content. “AI means everything is easy. AI is good, but with AI, your mind has no need to think. It will think for you," he said.
"Your mind becomes weak like a muscle. If you do not use it, it becomes tired and this is dangerous for your health and body."
Stepping back in time
Nostalgia connects everyone, no matter where they come from. The Dubai shop's shelves are lined with Arabic and English music, Bollywood films, and other media from around the world.
“Lots of people like to have new cars, right? But a few people like to have a classic car from the '70s, or from 1984. Why? Because they like it, it is their hobby," Mr Al Laham said. "[The music] is available online. But when you play a cassette or you have a CD, it's nostalgia."
Some customers arrive with memories – family photos and videos – on formats they no longer have access to. He is able to digitise them and convert them and make them readily accessible, unlocking those precious moments.
Embracing the analogue lifestyle
In the digital age, some people have embraced an analogue lifestyle. It enables them to disconnect from the digital world by using a CD player instead of Spotify; swapping a smartphone for a flip phone; taking Polaroid or film photos instead of capturing images on their smartphones.
The return to analogue life is also seen in the crowds around the world clamouring to see Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster The Odyssey, which was shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film, rather than digitally.
On the record
Jayesh Veralkar, a DJ and co-founder of Vinyl Souk, told The National that artists benefit more from physical record sales. Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 for every stream.
"In the world of streaming, the general sentiment is that artists are not getting royalties," he said. Buying physical media means "you can support the artist directly", he added.
His foray into analogue media started in his home city of Mumbai during the 1990s, when he had a job that involved curating music in the form of CDs and cassettes.
His personal collection comprises more than 600 vinyl records. "I collect a lot of Ethiopian jazz, punk and soul music from Latin America. I collect music from South-East Asia – all sorts of music," he said. "Even if it's not available in Dubai, it is a trading hub."
He believes that analogue media never fully went away, especially in markets such as Japan and the US. With the rising demand for niche music in Dubai, he believes such media is here to stay.
"Records have seen a resurgence, CDs have seen resurgence," he added. "They've had the highest number of sales in terms of units and physical value to it has been the highest in decades since the format started declining. Looking at how the whole market ecosystem is working, I feel like these records are here to stay and it never will disappear."
Analogue media resonates deeply with Mr Veralkar, who uses vinyl records exclusively during his DJ sets. "I believe in analogue media because it's something that you're picking, there is emotion involved in it. You can't just skip a track. You're buying something that you value, you're buying something that has a story," he said.
Comfort and passion
Jordan Cortez, the Filipino founder of Analog Amigo Records, is also a devotee of analogue media. His record label, which he describes as a "personal project", releases music from musicians in the UAE on cassettes. "It became an analogue archive record label for these musicians that I meet and release on tape," he told The National.
For him, such media embodies a tradition he was introduced to by his uncle, as well as offering a reminder that "we are physical beings".
"I'm very much into this physical possession of the things that I'm passionate about," Mr Cortez said.
While he admits that digital streaming is more accessible, he believes the physical format will survive. "I think there will be a decline in streaming that will also give a rise to physical media," he said. "At the same time, you can never really take away comfort from people.
"What digital media takes away from us is the experience. Going back to physical media is like moving back to a time when things were simpler."
