Duran Duran, We Are Rewind debut “Pop Trash” cassette player and cassette
Duran Duran, We Are Rewind debut "Pop Trash" cassette
We Are Rewind and Duran Duran have unveiled the WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition portable cassette player, with a cassette reissue of the band’s 2000 studio album “Pop Trash” to mark its 25th anniversary. The collaboration links a new portable cassette device to the era when the band’s music was closely associated with tape and Walkman culture.
The WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition uses the same aluminium chassis as We Are Rewind’s standard WE-001 models, with a finish reflecting the chrome-heavy Pop Trash artwork. The unit includes an updated headphone amplifier tuned for cassette playback, Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones and speakers, a 3.5mm output for wired listening, and USB-C charging with up to 12 hours of playback from the built-in lithium-ion battery. Recording is supported via a powered microphone or line-in through the 3.5mm input, and the package adds a branded pencil in a nod to manual tape rewinding. We Are Rewind also offers an optional belt clip for those who want to wear the player on the move.
Creative art director Andrew Day: “Who knew that 25 years later, a cassette player would be a fitting way to celebrate its anniversary:” We Are Rewind founder and CEO Romain Boudruche from his side adds that “Duran Duran always had a look, a sense of style and control of how they looked and how they sounded,” describing the partnership as a way to reconnect listeners with physical formats in a streaming-dominated environment.
The launch lands amid renewed interest in cassettes. According to data based on BPI and Official Charts Company figures, UK cassette sales grew 204.7% in the first quarter of 2025 to 63,288 units, even as the format remains a niche segment next to vinyl. Similar growth curves appear in broader physical-media reports that track cassette demand alongside rising vinyl production.
The WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition is listed at €169 / $199 / £149 and is available for pre-order via the We Are Rewind online store with shipping later in December.
About Duran Duran
Duran Duran is an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978 by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, with the classic early-80s line-up settling as Simon Le Bon (vocals), Nick Rhodes (keyboards), John Taylor (bass) and Roger Taylor (drums). Emerging from the New Romantic scene, they became closely associated with the early MTV era through visually driven singles such as “Girls on Film”, “Rio”, “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “The Reflex” and the James Bond theme “A View to a Kill”.
“Pop Trash”, originally released in 2000, is the band’s tenth studio album and their first for Hollywood Records, following the remix compilation “Strange Behaviour” (1999). The album closes their late-90s period with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo before the classic line-up regrouped for “Astronaut” in 2004 and later releases including “Future Past” (2021) and the Halloween-themed “Danse Macabre” (2023).
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