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Pure CSSMIT licensed

CSS Cassette Mixtape Label Button

A Type-II cassette with a hand-written label: both reels turn while you hover, the tape between them shifts from one hub to the other, and clicking flips the shell to side B. The reels are conic gradients, the spool teeth a repeating conic, the flip a :has(:checked) 3D rotation.

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The code

<div class="cb-37">
  <div class="cb-37__stage">
    <label class="cb-37__btn">
      <input type="checkbox" aria-label="Flip the cassette to side B">
      <span class="cb-37__shell" aria-hidden="true">
        <span class="cb-37__face cb-37__face--a">
          <span class="cb-37__window"><span class="cb-37__reel"></span><span class="cb-37__reel"></span></span>
          <span class="cb-37__label"><span class="cb-37__hand">summer, mostly</span><span class="cb-37__side">A</span></span>
        </span>
        <span class="cb-37__face cb-37__face--b">
          <span class="cb-37__window"><span class="cb-37__reel"></span><span class="cb-37__reel"></span></span>
          <span class="cb-37__label"><span class="cb-37__hand">the drive home</span><span class="cb-37__side">B</span></span>
        </span>
      </span>
    </label>
  </div>
</div>
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Caveat:wght@600;700&family=Archivo:wght@600;700&display=swap');

.cb-37 {
  --bg: #181a20;
  --shell: #2b2f38;
  --shell-hi: #3b414d;
  --paper: #f2ead6;
  --ink: #2c2419;
  --hub: #dfe3ea;
  --tape: #3a2a1c;
  --teeth: #9aa2b0;
  --accent: #ef6c4d;
  --hand: "Caveat",ui-rounded,cursive;
  --sans: "Archivo",ui-sans-serif,system-ui,sans-serif;
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: block;
  background: radial-gradient(34rem 20rem at 50% 44%, #23262f, transparent 74%), var(--bg);
  font-family: var(--sans);
  perspective: 1000px;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: light) {
  .cb-37:not([data-theme="dark"]) {
    --bg: #20232a;
  }
}

.cb-37[data-theme="light"] {
  --bg: #20232a;
}

.cb-37,
.cb-37 *,
.cb-37 *::before,
.cb-37 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

.cb-37__stage {
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  padding: clamp(1.5rem,6vw,4rem);
  perspective: 1000px;
}

.cb-37__btn {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  cursor: pointer;
  width: 19rem;
  height: 11.5rem;
  -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
}

.cb-37__btn input {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  opacity: 0;
  clip-path: inset(50%);
}

.cb-37__shell {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  transition: rotate .9s cubic-bezier(.16,1,.3,1), translate .35s ease;
}

.cb-37__face {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr;
  gap: .7rem;
  padding: .9rem;
  border-radius: .55rem;
  backface-visibility: hidden;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(255,255,255,.12), transparent 34%), linear-gradient(165deg, var(--shell-hi), var(--shell));
  box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,.2), inset 0 -2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.5), 0 18px 30px -14px rgba(0,0,0,.8);
}

.cb-37__face--b {
  rotate: y 180deg;
}

.cb-37__window {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: 1rem;
  padding: .55rem 1.4rem;
  border-radius: .3rem;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(0,0,0,.5), rgba(0,0,0,.28));
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255,255,255,.08);
}

.cb-37__reel {
  display: block;
  width: 3.1rem;
  height: 3.1rem;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: repeating-conic-gradient(from 0deg, var(--teeth) 0 8deg, transparent 8deg 30deg), radial-gradient(circle, var(--hub) 30%, var(--tape) 33%, var(--tape) 80%, transparent 81%);
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255,255,255,.12);
  animation: cb-37-spin 3.4s linear infinite;
  animation-play-state: paused;
}

.cb-37__reel:last-child {
  animation-duration: 4.6s;
}

@keyframes cb-37-spin {
  to {
    rotate: 1turn;
  }
}

.cb-37__label {
  position: relative;
  display: flex;
  align-items: flex-end;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: .75rem;
  padding: .5rem .8rem;
  border-radius: .2rem;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, color-mix(in oklab,var(--paper) 92%,white), var(--paper));
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(0,0,0,.12);
}

.cb-37__label::after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  left: .8rem;
  right: 3rem;
  bottom: 1.05rem;
  height: 1px;
  background: color-mix(in oklab,var(--ink) 22%,transparent);
}

.cb-37__hand {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 2;
  font-family: var(--hand);
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.cb-37__side {
  font-size: .75rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  color: var(--accent);
  padding: .15rem .45rem;
  border-radius: .2rem;
  background: color-mix(in oklab,var(--accent) 16%,transparent);
}

.cb-37__btn:hover .cb-37__shell {
  translate: 0 -3px;
}

.cb-37__btn:is(:hover,:has(input:focus-visible)) .cb-37__reel {
  animation-play-state: running;
}

.cb-37__btn:has(input:focus-visible) .cb-37__shell {
  outline: 2px solid var(--accent);
  outline-offset: 6px;
  border-radius: .55rem;
}

.cb-37__btn:has(input:checked) .cb-37__shell {
  rotate: y 180deg;
}

.cb-37__btn:active .cb-37__shell {
  scale: .985;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .cb-37__shell {
    transition: none;
  }

  .cb-37__reel {
    animation: none;
  }
}

@media (forced-colors: active) {
  .cb-37__face {
    background: ButtonFace;
    border: 1px solid ButtonText;
    box-shadow: none;
  }

  .cb-37__window {
    background: Canvas;
  }

  .cb-37__label {
    background: Canvas;
  }

  .cb-37__hand,
    .cb-37__side {
    color: CanvasText;
  }
}
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS Button from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: CSS Cassette Mixtape Label Button
Source: https://codefronts.com/components/css-buttons/css-cassette-mixtape-label-button/

A Type-II cassette with a hand-written label: both reels turn while you hover, the tape between them shifts from one hub to the other, and clicking flips the shell to side B. The reels are conic gradients, the spool teeth a repeating conic, the flip a :has(:checked) 3D rotation.
## HTML
```html
<div class="cb-37">
  <div class="cb-37__stage">
    <label class="cb-37__btn">
      <input type="checkbox" aria-label="Flip the cassette to side B">
      <span class="cb-37__shell" aria-hidden="true">
        <span class="cb-37__face cb-37__face--a">
          <span class="cb-37__window"><span class="cb-37__reel"></span><span class="cb-37__reel"></span></span>
          <span class="cb-37__label"><span class="cb-37__hand">summer, mostly</span><span class="cb-37__side">A</span></span>
        </span>
        <span class="cb-37__face cb-37__face--b">
          <span class="cb-37__window"><span class="cb-37__reel"></span><span class="cb-37__reel"></span></span>
          <span class="cb-37__label"><span class="cb-37__hand">the drive home</span><span class="cb-37__side">B</span></span>
        </span>
      </span>
    </label>
  </div>
</div>
```
## CSS
```css
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Caveat:wght@600;700&family=Archivo:wght@600;700&display=swap');

.cb-37 {
  --bg: #181a20;
  --shell: #2b2f38;
  --shell-hi: #3b414d;
  --paper: #f2ead6;
  --ink: #2c2419;
  --hub: #dfe3ea;
  --tape: #3a2a1c;
  --teeth: #9aa2b0;
  --accent: #ef6c4d;
  --hand: "Caveat",ui-rounded,cursive;
  --sans: "Archivo",ui-sans-serif,system-ui,sans-serif;
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: block;
  background: radial-gradient(34rem 20rem at 50% 44%, #23262f, transparent 74%), var(--bg);
  font-family: var(--sans);
  perspective: 1000px;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: light) {
  .cb-37:not([data-theme="dark"]) {
    --bg: #20232a;
  }
}

.cb-37[data-theme="light"] {
  --bg: #20232a;
}

.cb-37,
.cb-37 *,
.cb-37 *::before,
.cb-37 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

.cb-37__stage {
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  padding: clamp(1.5rem,6vw,4rem);
  perspective: 1000px;
}

.cb-37__btn {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  cursor: pointer;
  width: 19rem;
  height: 11.5rem;
  -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
}

.cb-37__btn input {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  opacity: 0;
  clip-path: inset(50%);
}

.cb-37__shell {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  transition: rotate .9s cubic-bezier(.16,1,.3,1), translate .35s ease;
}

.cb-37__face {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr;
  gap: .7rem;
  padding: .9rem;
  border-radius: .55rem;
  backface-visibility: hidden;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(255,255,255,.12), transparent 34%), linear-gradient(165deg, var(--shell-hi), var(--shell));
  box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,.2), inset 0 -2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.5), 0 18px 30px -14px rgba(0,0,0,.8);
}

.cb-37__face--b {
  rotate: y 180deg;
}

.cb-37__window {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: 1rem;
  padding: .55rem 1.4rem;
  border-radius: .3rem;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(0,0,0,.5), rgba(0,0,0,.28));
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255,255,255,.08);
}

.cb-37__reel {
  display: block;
  width: 3.1rem;
  height: 3.1rem;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: repeating-conic-gradient(from 0deg, var(--teeth) 0 8deg, transparent 8deg 30deg), radial-gradient(circle, var(--hub) 30%, var(--tape) 33%, var(--tape) 80%, transparent 81%);
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255,255,255,.12);
  animation: cb-37-spin 3.4s linear infinite;
  animation-play-state: paused;
}

.cb-37__reel:last-child {
  animation-duration: 4.6s;
}

@keyframes cb-37-spin {
  to {
    rotate: 1turn;
  }
}

.cb-37__label {
  position: relative;
  display: flex;
  align-items: flex-end;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: .75rem;
  padding: .5rem .8rem;
  border-radius: .2rem;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, color-mix(in oklab,var(--paper) 92%,white), var(--paper));
  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(0,0,0,.12);
}

.cb-37__label::after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  left: .8rem;
  right: 3rem;
  bottom: 1.05rem;
  height: 1px;
  background: color-mix(in oklab,var(--ink) 22%,transparent);
}

.cb-37__hand {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 2;
  font-family: var(--hand);
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.cb-37__side {
  font-size: .75rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  color: var(--accent);
  padding: .15rem .45rem;
  border-radius: .2rem;
  background: color-mix(in oklab,var(--accent) 16%,transparent);
}

.cb-37__btn:hover .cb-37__shell {
  translate: 0 -3px;
}

.cb-37__btn:is(:hover,:has(input:focus-visible)) .cb-37__reel {
  animation-play-state: running;
}

.cb-37__btn:has(input:focus-visible) .cb-37__shell {
  outline: 2px solid var(--accent);
  outline-offset: 6px;
  border-radius: .55rem;
}

.cb-37__btn:has(input:checked) .cb-37__shell {
  rotate: y 180deg;
}

.cb-37__btn:active .cb-37__shell {
  scale: .985;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .cb-37__shell {
    transition: none;
  }

  .cb-37__reel {
    animation: none;
  }
}

@media (forced-colors: active) {
  .cb-37__face {
    background: ButtonFace;
    border: 1px solid ButtonText;
    box-shadow: none;
  }

  .cb-37__window {
    background: Canvas;
  }

  .cb-37__label {
    background: Canvas;
  }

  .cb-37__hand,
    .cb-37__side {
    color: CanvasText;
  }
}
```

How this works

The hubs are two conic gradients — one for the spool teeth, one for the wound tape — and the wind is a scale on the tape ring rather than a redraw:

.cb-37__reel{
  background:
    repeating-conic-gradient(from 0deg, var(--teeth) 0 8deg, transparent 8deg 30deg),
    radial-gradient(circle, var(--hub) 34%, var(--tape) 36%, var(--tape) 78%, transparent 79%);
  animation:cb-37-spin 3.2s linear infinite paused;
}
.cb-37__btn:is(:hover,:focus-visible) .cb-37__reel{ animation-play-state:running; }

Using animation-play-state instead of adding the animation on hover means the reels resume from where they stopped, which is the detail that makes it feel mechanical.

The flip is the same two-face construction as the coin, driven by the checkbox, and the label is a real hand-written face on aged paper with a ruled line under it. The shell gets its plastic look from a top-light gradient plus two window cut-outs that show the reels through the case.

Make it yours

  • Recolour the shell with --shell; smoke grey, black and translucent blue were the real Type-I to Type-IV palette.
  • Change reel speed with the animation duration; 3-4s per turn matches a real capstan.
  • Write your own label text — the hand-written face is applied to a normal span.
  • Drop the flip and keep the hover reels if you only need a single-sided control.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • Infinite rotation on hover is fine; infinite rotation at rest is a distraction and an accessibility risk. This demo keeps the animation paused until hover.
  • animation-play-state:paused still ticks the animation's timeline in some engines — verify your first-frame appearance.
  • 3D flips need perspective on an ancestor and backface-visibility:hidden on both faces.
  • Skeuomorphic objects tempt you to shrink type into the label area; keep it ≥ 1rem or move it outside.
  • Two conic gradients per reel × two reels × two faces is eight gradient layers — acceptable once, not in a grid.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
111+16.2+121+111+

Floor set by :has(), color-mix() as this demo is written. The core technique itself goes back further — Chrome 105+.

repeating-conic-gradient: Chrome 69 / Safari 12.1 / Firefox 83. :has() needs Chrome 105 / Safari 15.4 / Firefox 121; without it the cassette still spins on hover and simply does not flip.

Techniques used in this demo

3D transforms (perspective + preserve-3d)conic-gradient()MDN ↗:has()MDN ↗clip-pathMDN ↗color-mix()MDN ↗radial-gradient()MDN ↗

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