Back to . . . Open-Reel?!

You say you've (re)discovered vinyl? Fuhgeddaboudit! The LP simply isn't old-fangled enough. To really go reelin' in the years, it seems, you must go all the way back to open-reel tape!

The Tape Project, a label for reissuing recordings on reel-to-reel, has apparently been around for much of 2007, but I only just discovered it now — via, ironically enough, surroundablog.com.

The label's "two requirements: (1) that the master exist on analog, and (2) that the music be great."

All I can think of saying right now is to paraphrase Monty Python for what must be the Tape Project motto: We are the geeks who say, "Niche!"

But I realize that there are many geeks — er, dedicated sound enthusiasts — out there in S&V Land (hey, Stereo Review used to review open-reel tapes!), so by all means, check out the fascinating site at tapeproject.com. —Ken Richardson