Meet The Magnetist: A Cassette Tape Manipulator

A cassette obsessor magnetically alters recordings to birth a new sound.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Remember when the cassette player was used for more than just an input for your iPod auxiliary connection? The world of tapes may be nothing but a distant memory to most of us, but to Micke, a.k.a. The Magnetist, they have become an obsession. The Stockholm native found a rare passion in magnetically manipulating cassettes to create one-of-a-kind soundscapes. The tape archeologist searches out hidden gem cassettes in small shops and demagnetizes the recorded material to assemble a new organized sound.

Cassette tapes get recorded on a magnetic powder and can produce some interesting sounds when magnets are moved around them. In a process that Micke calls making "noise tapes," different cosmic sounds are aquired from recordings that he then plays around with. Often times he is left crossing his fingers in hopes of garnering useable material. The audio that is produced becomes digitalised to form an end result that he describes as "treasures that are presented to the public."

Every month, after compiling a collection of new mixes, he throws a "tape night" dance party in downtown Stockholm. It is here where we get an insight to Micke's life as a tapeologist and find out the motivation behind his interest.

The short documentary about the life and unique passion of Micke was shot by Erik Sandberg from Filibuster

RELATED: The 25 Best Hip-Hop Documentaries

Latest in Music