The Tape Loop Labyrinths of Justin Lakes
1.5.18 by Mike Haley

Making tape loops is fun. It can be frustrating at times, especially when you have lil’ sausage fingers like I do, but still fun. Think of them like ships in a bottle, but for weirdos. And in the end, you have a tape loop instead of a useless ship in a bottle. Justin Lakes, who records under the name Shredded Nerve and operates the NYC based store Thousands of Dead Gods, has taken the hobby of making tape loops and upgraded that shit to a fine art (for weirdos). Using extra (sometimes WAY extra) pinch rollers and spools, Lakes transforms cassettes from machines to contraptions with meandering paths of analog tape. They are fucking gorgeous and available for purchase [email justinmlakes@gmail.com].

Listen to some of Lakes’ loops in action on “Failing to Maintain” while perusing some images of these juicy zig-zaggers.