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This Video Will Show You How A Reel-To-Reel Tape Player Can Be Used As An Instrument

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Japan's Open Reel Ensemble is a trio that explores the musical potential of reel-to-reel tape.

The magic of tape is not just that a huge amount of the world’s great rave, jungle and disco mixes are stored on its slick magnetic surface. For decades, magnetic tape was also the medium of choice for musique concrète producers exploring the early days of sampling.

Tape can also be used as an instrument in its own right. This video from the Japanese trio known as the Open Reel Ensemble shows how it can be turned, plucked and spun like a turntable.

Last time we caught up with the Open Reel Ensemble, they had a video that showed them turning long reel-to-reel loops into percussive instruments.

Now, they’re twisting their machines to create sci-fi sounds with the most vintage of means.

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