In a quiet part of the Madinat Zayed shopping centre sits one of the few remaining cassette shops in Abu Dhabi. Hundreds of tapes line its shelves, Arab singers stare down from posters on the walls and behind the counter sits shop owner Abdul Hamid.
Al Balad Audio Cassettes has been serving discerning customers for more than 30 years, despite the format being overtaken by CDs, then MP3s and now online streaming services such as Spotify. Here,…