Some artists play instruments – others invent them. Open Reel Ensemble belongs to the latter. This experimental Japanese group creates music exclusively using reel-to-reel tape machines, transforming analog technology into living instruments. Their track Magnetize, accompanied by an incredible video directed by British filmmaker Thomas Beswick, is a hypnotic blend of rhythm, noise, and motion – equal parts performance art and sound experiment.
Every tone you hear is born from tape – no synths, no samples, just pure magnetic manipulation. The result feels futuristic yet nostalgic, like a forgotten technology rediscovering its voice. It’s raw, mechanical, strangely human – a kind of “magnetic punk,” as the band themselves call it.
The video itself amplifies that energy: chaotic, beautiful, and meticulously timed to every flicker of reel and pulse of tape. It’s a visual symphony of motion and magnetism, perfectly complementing the band’s mechanical artistry.
If you enjoy boundary-breaking creativity, Magnetize is worth every second. It’s not cyberpunk, not steampunk – but something entirely its own. Magnetikpunk.
(Both images are frames from the linked music video)
