There’s a good chance that Lou Ottens impacted your life. With the advent of the compact cassette, Lou gave the world the ability to record themselves and their worlds without needing to master the daunting reel-to-reel tape that came before it.
Never satisfied with the fidelity of his creation, Lou went on to spearhead the invention of the compact disc. Together, these two developments greatly altered our collective relationship to music, and allowed us as listeners to bring music into every corner of our lives.
I just got word that Lou Ottens passed away peacefully on Saturday in his native Eindhoven, Netherlands. He was 94. Although he wasn’t sentimental about death, I for one will miss him dearly. Sometimes unexpected friendships have the tightest grip.
Lang leve Lou Ottens, 1926 – 2021
If you haven’t seen it yet, follow the link in my bio to check out Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape. Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.