Mr. Tape: USSR DJ who Scratches Reel to Reel Tape

[@BVRNERMVSIC]

Folks don't grasp how difficult this was back then : No crossfade. No bpm detection. No key detection. On top of that, it's reel-to-reel tape. 80s and early 90s DJing is an art.

[@mishXY]

modern DJing can be, too, just most people don't use what is available. there are some great examples what digital DJing/performing can be, e.g KiNK, but many just beatmatch 2 tracks. I can dj very well with vinyls but have made almost a complete transition to digital because of the possibilities. can play 3-6 tracks/loops at the same time as well as use external instruments (e.g. groovebox, analog synthesizer) - tried to do it with vinyl, but even with my technics the BPM is not perfectly stable, so even just adding a DIGITAKT + Crave to one turntable can become a nightmare. trying to improvise with 8 sample tracks + synth and syncing the vinyl takes the fun and creativity out of it.

[@iTubeYou]

This is not diminishing your main point but isn't that a crossfader that he's using at 1:45 for example?

[@solarpanel8195]

​@iTubeYou ya I think it is. Still amazing tho with no headphones thats the huge part for me. Dude is literally memorizing so much shit.. fascinating time for music I miss records n tapes so much.

[@iTubeYou]

@@solarpanel8195 they're still around! Just not as prevalent obviously

[@SflOcenEng]

No government can stop man from being creative.

[@BennieTarrMusic]

This was the 1980's, during Glasnost and Perestroika, when the Soviet Union was opening up. Even before that, the Russians respected their artists. They didn't leave them for dead in the streets like the Americans do. Classical musicians earned good salaries, had homes, cars, and loyal families... Let that sink in, next time you see an American man freezing in the streets.

[@danaz7276]

@@BennieTarrMusic yeah, respected their artists??? tf are you on, they banned most of the bands and artists and you couldnt have a band until you came thru a comission approvement and most of the time you wouldnt be approved if you didnt support communism or made music that had anything to do with west music

[@danaz7276]

@@BennieTarrMusic many, many soviet aritst got to prison for their music, your saying so much bullshit

[@farhatabbas8807]

this is real DJ

[@arielmarcelomeza9548]

CJ casette jockey ;)

[@sgtreznov9869]

@@arielmarcelomeza9548 he is carl jonson?

[@Groatato]

'reel' dj

[@borisblocksberg]

Except for the messing disc

[@maxk880]

It's technically not a real DJ, as DJ means Disk Jockey, and tape isn't a disk

[@christophertarsitano269]

I love how he keeps lifting the decks up as if to day “ I don’t think you fucking understand the dope shit I am doing”

[@N0R3M4C]

i thought it was changing the tape speed

[@christophertarsitano269]

@@N0R3M4C nah I think those are the switches in the front. I really think he’s jusy lifting them up to flex.

[@N0R3M4C]

@@christophertarsitano269 what a beast.

[@BennieTarrMusic]

Gangsta

[@tedmosby9409]

killer durm get wicked

[@metacsum]

Mr. Modris Skaistkalns, the first (and probably the last) tapejay.

[@dimethyltryptamin]

14 negative feedbacks? How can somebody not like this?! It's friggin' amazing 8)

[@jakobole]

Lousy hand-eye-coordination :)

[@clydedsouza5843]

Idiots on the internet!!!

[@Nobody-hc2bo]

Probably because he’s trying to use a DJ set as some weird political thing

[@shawnogman6535]

13 karens and her main accounts!

[@kukipeter7524]

It's from the laptop djs and cdj only djs and usbjs

[@freedomwv]

Damn! That is something you don`t see everyday.

My respect to this guy...

[@imissmypencils]

So much could have gone wrong and I’m sure something may have yet dude was so proficient and confident that every second sounded on cue and great. Amazing!

[@nikiremec7835]

Thank you for sharing this man Mr. Tape... You are legend

[@88t5]

The tape recorders shown in the video are called Elfa 201. Made in Lithuania)) Of course, quite seriously modified to perform such tricks))

[@djmk1988]

Elfa 201-3 to be more precise. There are 3 versions - 201, 201-2, 201-3 (released in about 1985)

[@harrisn3693]

Soviet Union, sod off yankee

[@wisico640]

The original can be seen on radiomuseum site. Its amazing how tame it looks when factory!

[@evanrandall1675]

One of the most unique things I've seen I'm not even sure what to call it he's technically doing turntablism with them. A musical mind is going to work with what they've got even if it's pots and pans

[@mishXY]

he is a TJ doing tapelism hahaha

[@JacekMagnacki]

Long Live Latvia 2019

[@corrupteduniverse7044]

This is fantastic

[@AM-sd7iz]

Sick. Haven't seen someone do this in a long time.....the memories.

[@SJDSH777]

Not my kind of music but I appreciate the skill that it must take to do that.Cool video

[@embeddedgirl]

thatd be a reel bitch to do. vinyl is difficult enough but I can't imagine trying to get the tape to cooperate

[@devpeak]

I see what you did there

[@Uz7Racer]

i mean he has also some advantages for example he pushed the tape head or he hes atually 4 tracks, wich means, he just can flipp beetween songs. the only real disadvantage as i cou see where that the tape seems fragile. I mean he played the right tape deck like a synth and also has the advantage that he is playing tpae, what mens, he could play his own mix that way more smooth and a lot more.

[@YugoslavianHeroes1943Channel]

I'll share this, so more people can sub thus great channel!

[@kennyray116C]

Unbelievable! I've never seen anyone do that.

[@brunohebert1351]

What you have to realize is that in addition of 1. modding the deck and 2. the skills required to do this, this, I assume, the painstaking task of recording the tapes in the first place. Those 2 tapes have been recorded specifically for this set, which also means he must be on cue every single time. That implies hours of rehearsal as well. Nonetheless, and already owning 5 reel-to-reel deck, I'd love to get my hands on one of these (a modified one with pitch control)

[@wisico640]

Another commenter specified these are 1983 Elfa 201-3 made in Lithuania. It might be way harder to aquire and modify these days, but I 100% encourage you on your quest!

[@CantTellYou]

and 3) this dude had fantastic taste in music

[@darrenpeerless4113]

This guy awesome,was way ahead of the game,if your not in absolute awe of this ,you have no idea of what is being achieved here ,he's playing a live DJ set,with no mixer,he is the mixer ,bonkers ,I love it x

[@TheBudgie29]

I saw a Film of them In a Club and they were Cutting the Tapes and Making Loops Live. It was amazing This Guy Is doing a Straight forward Mix Wish He was aloud the Cut up tape so You would see how they do It for real.

[@jasonperretta1076]

I'm impressed!

[@blur1355]

in mother Russia you dont scratch tapes, tapes scratch you

[@OfficialRSTV]

*WEN U DROP THE SICKEST BEAT FROM 1917*

[@nemesissquad9435]

Lmao

[@Microphunktv-jb3kj]

Lmao... did they play live in october revolution : ))))

[@HBC101TVStudios]

I'm an audiophile, yet i love his reel-to-reel DJing skills!

[@HipixOFFICIAL]

What does being an audiophile have to do with it lol

[@joef3132]

Just say you’re a virgin and save us the time

[@HBC101TVStudios]

@@HipixOFFICIAL Because audiophiles in general dislikes people who destroy audio tapes

[@HipixOFFICIAL]

@@HBC101TVStudios and in general most music collectors dislike audiophiles 😂

[@ff-qf1th]

@@HBC101TVStudios I understand disliking the destruction of significant or rare recordings, such as master tapes, but it's very likely that's not what the TJ (Tape Jockey) in the video is using, he's likely using more common recordings that are copies of masters. There's no reason to be against this

[@jackman435]

This is 30 years old from a DMC DJ battle in 1989? or 1990? I still have this VHS somewhere in my storage. DJs were using reel to reel to mix with back in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. one of the originators of using reel to reel to scratch & mix with as we see being done by the DJ in this video was a member of Chicago's legendary DJ team Hot Mix 5 his DJ name was Mickey Mixin Oliver.

[@jackman435]

@I STAN Kim Jong-Un but Can't STAND Trump Yes you are correct...

[@Dolle_Man]

does anyone have a track ID from 01:55 ? I love this beat so muchhh

[@sociologie4507]

We need to find this guy!

[@Jacob_ThisLife]

Holy fuck if vinyl DJing is toughest thing , this has really raised the bar of difficulty to god mode

[@SuperMako1982]

2:00 what a fantastic set 😮😮😮😮😮😮🎼🎶🎵🎹

[@ro.b49]

Do you know name of track???

[@DeathSithe92]

god I miss this level of old school DJ work, literally mixing music by hand, there was just something about that modern stuff misses, the impurities or imperfections making the music its own unique thing, where most stuff today feels like sure its catchy but sounds like its made by a board of shareholders trying to find the safest thing.

[@ringsystemmusic]

yeah man like there’s no human element or anything

[@muzzlevelocity2012]

Not really a "Disc Jockey", but more catchy than "Tape Jocky". Good vid.

[@Frysacidtest]

*Whistle crew!* Every time I see him pick up the decks, my DJ reflex goes, "Whoa, it's going to skip if you...! Nevermind."

[@rajendrakumarvarsani4184]

Heez da maan!

[@user-DeDub]

Ohh shit, yo thishit incredibly hard. Props my dude

[@FreeKraps]

The ingenuity of the east, it never ceases to amaze me.

Remember around that time the music and movie industry tried to apply some sort of DRM to magnetic tape drives to keep people from sharing, copying, and producing derivative works, but they couldn't; it would break the machines and make them unusable? Ah, how times change.

[@thalarctosarkticos8075]

Não é minha praia, gosto de rock, mas estou simplesmente embasbacado. Já vi com toca discos ou com desses sistemas usando cds, mas gravador de rolo, UOU!!, isso é fantástico e fascinante. Aplaudo de pé dando vivas. Grato por ter compartilhado e me agregado conhecimento.

[@Rafaellrg]

Realmente impressionante!

[@nathanieltovar5171]

This man is why USA hated the USSR 😂 not communism

[@anonymex22]

Please add more reel mix video, fantastic!

[@Jose-mw7tg]

way better than capitalist Justin Bieber

[@TheCanterlonian]

They also invented Tetris.

[@procrast]

analog is the real deal you can put your finger on it - yeah - literally and change the outcome on the fly, no need to "process" anything digital will always be a half baked solution, can't have it all, right?

[@Cdcollector97]

What’s the song at 1:05 that was really good tbh

[@AhmoBandolero]

2:44 yoo that beat !!! i remember that beat but cant remember the title !!! omg my childhood feels so unclear !

[@dimitris.4484]

Back then dj-ing was pure art. Of course it is still an art it just became easier and more accesible.

[@tapemaster8252]

Astonishing, he's in a class by himself 🔈🔉🔊🔊🔊

[@Sonikbytes]

I had to watch this again... maybe I will try that with my two reel to reels ;)

[@EdvardsGrube]

From Latvia it seems he is.

[@nikol1075]

This goes insanely hard omg

[@diaxpora]

The 14 people who disliked this, don't have the finger precision that Mr Tape had and slipped and hit thumbs down by accident. 🤣

[@davayethagreat9546]

Bro took djing to steampunk whole new branch

[@DJdoublevision]

added a whole new term for reel II reel skills Nd dedication I doff my cap to the dj

[@slyfox4547]

This is music!

[@groupsounds4896]

lot of oppression going on here

[@BennieTarrMusic]

This was the 1980's, during Glasnost and Perestroika, when the Soviet Union was opening up. Even before that, the Russians respected their artists. They didn't leave them for dead in the streets like the Americans do. Classical musicians earned good salaries, had homes, cars, and loyal families... Let that sink in, next time you see an American man freezing in the streets.

[@xongaagnox]

back to USSR!!

[@OptimusPrimeNemesisDJS]

Insane skills 🦄🪽👾👽💜🦍🌌😈

[@crocoboyy]

And his dance ❤

[@CarlosMartinez-gh4cw]

This is a real DJ!!!

[@valdivall6515]

Da Real EDM and DJ

[@sitdowndrank3077]

His parents must got on him for scratching vinyl he pulled this very talented and petty move (from one petty person to another lol)

[@musiquefantastique7127]

people will figure out ANY way to do and make what they love.

[@CCT1]

this was in 1991 also. something about soviet people representing the ussr in competitions, including sports during the late era just makes me sad.

[@Anonymous-yg8yh]

1:28-1:53 its lit

[@fadeMR1]

mine 4:00 - 4:41

[@Electronichub_05]

@@fadeMR1 the song title is Mentirosa - mellow man ace but idk what version

[@ro.b49]

ID music 2:00 🙏🙏🙏?!!!

[@louadmurphy2587]

Early Russian hip-hop with such creativity and mastery is a total vibe. Who needs a mixer?

[@ГеоргийГусев-т2е]

Ресспект и уважуха за видео начальных этапов Ди жейнга в СССР.

[@turn_the_disc_82]

AMAZING DJ! !!!!!!!!!

[@atomeirnmen6229]

Magnets, how do they even work?

[@kiko12000]

does anyone know the track at 4:11

[@jacopoteodoro3580]

Santana - Evil Ways

[@Majsteroo94]

exactly this kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2XcmKyKf82Ip68

[@idkwhattoputherebtuh]

The first audio jockey 👍

[@peterregorsek1504]

There were some pretty good soviet copies of japanese turntables available in the USSR. So DJ`s didn`t need to do this.

[@pro-polak]

But good records were difficult to get in the USSR. With tape you could make your own copy quite easily. Hell, if you were lucky to receive a foreign radio station you could record songs off the radio and use it in your set - not really possible with vinyl records. There is a vid on KZbin where two Latvian tape jockeys talk about that when they were in the Netherlands.

[@refriedboogie]

this is some of that good. all sorts of SKILLS

[@ackywee]

❤2the core

[@gearbellcopperwire]

whats the song at 1:00?

[@Iwantitbad]

"Hold your own" By Kid Frost. Your welcome 👍

[@th3sph1nx]

The name of the song?? @00:35

[@baddriddimworkshop]

i'd like to know what model of tape recorder he's playing with

[@jurisflu8930]

If not mistaken, they originally was called ELFA, some factory in Lithuania, but theu were modified for thos DJ needs by that DJ itself.

[@zeeninetynine]

Yep, Elfas

[@jokubasklimas9379]

Those cost like 10euros (original) Because i Live in Lithuania

[@pcallas66]

Interesting. I've never seen it done at this magnitude. It seems like it would be rough on the tape as far as stretching it goes. If it was mylar tape, it would snap it. What kind of decks are they and what kind of tape are you using? Thank you for sharing.

[@Mikax82]

cant remember correctly, but I still have some of those tapes, they are quite durable. Looks like either Svema or Slavich type.

[@Mikax82]

and the decks are lithuanian-made Elfa 201-3

[@DandyDon1]

I did a quick search and the Elfa 201-3 I found it did not have a speed/pitch control.

[@fibrealex]

DandyDon that’s true, the reel to reel dj’s had to do some pretty complex mods to get that. alongside that they had to mod it to gate as well

[@sergeyizral]

Had to apply engineering skills, first they did the taper on the rotor psicologo drive, turned out the original CVT, and then learned how to control the frequency of the voltage applied to the motor

[@Comrade2face]

Damn man Im not Soviet Im Yugoslav but I used to scratch tape cassettes back in the day but those small ones

[@roxxamann]

This is original dj

[@RobertoGinsburg]

The best way to sort the imperialist turntable boicot is using the reel2reel tape

[@slee6129]

What’s the song at 2:44 ?

[@davecoo]

what song is a 2:44???

[@CML_VISUAL_LABS_LTD]

Melvin bliss- 'synthetic substitution' sped up a little bit and looped

[@chriscampbell56]

I keep searching for the tunes i can hear by public enemy and ll cool J. But cant seem to find them on any album 🤯 someone please help ❤️

[@Swagolisious2]

1:35

[@rodellagassijr.4812]

I always wondered could you do this and this video is my answer🦾🦾🦾

[@TheChadPad]

This is sick

[@evgenylobochevsky8309]

Учитесь сыновья как папки играли

[@HIFI_LUKI]

What machines were used in this video ? Looks like a tesla

[@mrme6501]

OH SNAP.. I was going thru some of my old tapes and ran across this trying to find out the name of the song. The DJ was "scrubbing" the reel to reel mixing and scratching like this guy. It was 86' or 87' . If anyone knows the name let me know.

[@Zeronineeito]

凄い！！ ほしいな。

[@wernerbergh2593]

All i can say is Wtf!!! very cool

[@miguelvillagra4979]

este era un verdader dj

[@444Nick]

Мать моя женщина ... я даже в страшном сне такое не мог представить, хотя мне за 40 уже

[@rodellagassijr.4812]

You'll be aight

[@kufazuke]

now that's tune I'm gonna Putin in my ears...

[@shannon680]

Does anyone know the song at around 4:00??

[@Electronichub_05]

Mentirosa - mellow man ace

[@ro.b49]

@@Electronichub_05 thanks. Do you know ,song at around 2:00???

[@Electronichub_05]

@@ro.b49 no sadly not :( I want to find it too

[@abundantharmony]

But how the heck does he know exactly where to position the tape to get a certain sound or beat?

[@joakimengstrom4924]

Bet the tape is marked in some way or another. Or the guy has insane memory

[@dobromirmio]

Damn, that's good

[@shermanbrown419]

Nice

[@maxkach]

zbs!