Duran Duran relive 1980s with flash-looking cassette player

Duran Duran, the band synonymous with the 1980s New Romantic era, has teamed up with audio brand We Are Rewind to launch its own flashing-looking portable cassette player.

Announced today, the launch is timed to include an exclusive cassette re-issue of the band’s 2000 album, Pop Trash, marking its 25th anniversary.

Andrew Day, Duran Duran’s creative art director, designer, and photographer, championed the nostalgic format.

“When Pop Trash was originally released, the internet was in its infancy and streaming really wasn’t a thing,” Day said. “Who knew that 25 years later, a cassette player would be a fitting way to celebrate its anniversary.”

He added that the final product was “a lot more ‘Pop’, and a lot less ‘Trash’,” and that he was “pretty sure Liberace would approve,” referencing the player’s shimmering chrome and glamorous tones that capture the band’s signature look.

Housed in a rugged aluminium casing, the cassette player includes a dedicated headphone amplifier optimised for cassette playback, a Bluetooth connection for pairing with modern speakers or wireless headphones and a 12-hour rechargeable battery (charged via USB-C), eliminating the need for old AA batteries.

For analogue enthusiasts, the player also offers a record function, allowing users to plug in a microphone or line source via the 3.5mm socket to create their own mixtapes. And, in a nod to classic cassette woes, a pencil is included in the box for manual rewinding.

The WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition is priced at £149 in the UK ($199 in the US / €169 in Europe). It is available to purchase exclusively from the We Are Rewind website.

We Are Rewind Founder and CEO Romain Boudruche highlighted the timing of the release, noting that UK cassette sales were up 204.7% in the first quarter of 2025.

“Duran Duran always had a look, a sense of style and control of how they looked and how they sounded and their association with cassettes is clear,” Boudruche said.

“We’re delighted to work with the band and help music fans connect with the value of music and physical media in an age of streaming.”