I can already hear you asking; ‘how does a percussionist play on a tape machine?’ Honestly it’s pretty simple, one just whacks the tape itself with a drumstick.
Japanese musicians Ei Wada, Haruka Yoshida, and Masaru Yoshida perform under the name Open Reel Ensemble, whipping together their own tape-machine based instruments and composing live shows on them.
One of the most creative projects we’ve come across recently is the Open Reel Ensemble, a trio of Japanese musos performing exclusively on rejigged tape machines.
There’s a definite magic to tape – just ask Mac DeMarco, Raindrop or any number of contemporary artists still recording on the format. Something about working with a relic of the past has a particularly warm feeling; something this talented bunch are certainly tuning into.
Alongside the ‘drum kit’ you see here, Open Reel Ensemble’s kit includes a few tape-based keyboards, a monstrous accordion-looking gizmo, and much more. They’re definitely worth a suss.
Check out a video of the action below, and head to Open Reel Ensemble’s website for more goodness.
Via Reddit.
