In the 80s a very small group of young DJs and engineers took tape editing to places that the designers and manufacturers of tape machines could never have imagined, similar to what turntablists did with turntables. Unlike DJs, however, this group had virtually no predecessors to be mentored by. Almost out of thin air, Chep Nuñez, Albert Cabrera & Tony Moran (together as The Latin Rascals), and Omar Santana (a Latin Rascal affiliate) transformed tape editing from a passive, transparent engineering process into a prominent rhythmic element. These tape editors infused records from across the club music spectrum—including hip-hop, new wave, freestyle and R&B—with a sense of kinetic excitement, perfecting a technique that would inspire the digital cut-ups so common in contemporary dance and electronic music.
Check out this article written by DJ Stretch Armstrong HERE.
