The Definitive Micro-Chop Pause Tape Resource
Everything I’ve ever written, read, listened to, and/or watched regarding pause tape production.
Dear Micro-Choppers,
On Wednesday, April 24th, Red Bull Music Academy published a 2500 word history of pause tape production that I’d been researching and writing for several months. If you’re asking yourself, “What the hell is a pause tape?”, here’s a brief description of the technique taken from my piece.
A good pause button and a vivid imagination were all young hip-hop enthusiasts needed to create something out of their sense of wonder. Using a boombox or stereo with dual cassette decks, aspiring DJs and producers would play and record a sample from another tape or record, pausing the tape once the sample had finished its rotation. They would then rewind to the beginning of the sample and un-pause the tape, starting the process again and extending the sampled loop for several minutes.
The Red Bull article — titled “Press Pause: The History of Pause Tape Production” — discussed some of the essential and important rap records from the 80s and 90s that used pause tape production at some point in their creation. It also examined the invention of cassette tapes, the rising popularity and falling cost of boomboxes in the 80s, and other social and technological factors that helped birth the technique.
I’m very happy with both the way the article came out and the incredible support it has received on Twitter and Instagram in the days since. Clearly, people are interested in this technique because it’s so ingenious and resourceful. I also think many fans of 80s/90s rap are stunned when they realize pause tapes led to classic songs by Black Sheep, Public Enemy, EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and several others. It’s almost unbelievable what these visionary artists were able to do with a piece of technology that wasn’t intended for music making.
Now that the article is out in the world, I feel like there are many parts of the pause tape story that warrant further examination. Much as I tried to be thorough and detailed in my writing, I was forced to leave so many cool aspects of pause button history on the cutting room floor — it just wasn’t possible to fit it all into one piece.
With the hope that my article inspires some other writers to pursue a story or two about pause tapes, I’ve decided to compile every single resource I have to offer on the subject.
First, you’ll see all of the Micro-Chop articles that focus on or mention pause tapes. Then you’ll find the pause tape pieces I’ve written for other venues. I’ve also organized a massive cache of articles that reference pause tapes from a broad variety of authors and publications.
Also included below are articles on general cassette tape history, as well as books, podcasts, videos, and social media posts that talk about pause tapes. Finally, I’ve also linked to some albums and DJ mixes that are either pause tapes or were inspired by pause tapes.
A quick note for the sake transparency: some of the stuff listed below only touches on pause tapes very briefly while other articles, interviews, or videos go much more in-depth. It really varies from item to item. I’ve included all of it because I still found articles that only gave a cursory mention of pause tapes helpful in building my total understanding.
Compiling all of this into one Micro-Chop article took quite a bit of time, so I’m going to ask a few favors from you as a reader: Please take a moment to check out my Red Bull Music Academy article “Press Pause: The History of Pause Tape Production.”
Also, please share this resource with anyone who might find it interesting and/or useful. I really hope this sparks a broader discussion about pause tape production among producers, journalists, music historians, etc.
If you want to talk to me about anything pause tape or music related, drop a comment below or hit me up on my personal Twitter account or the Micro-Chop feed. In the meantime, happy reading, watching and listening. I hope you enjoying immersing yourself in the resources below as much as I did.
As always, thanks for reading and listening.
— Gino
Micro-Chop Articles That Focus on or Reference Pause Tapes
“The Beastie Boys’ ‘Check Your Head’ Album Started With Pause-Tape Battles”
“De La Soul’s ‘Plug Tunin’’ Started Out as a Live Routine and a Pause-Tape Beat”
“‘I Didn’t Have Anything, I Just Had My Dad’s Records’: The Pause-Tape Origins of Ohbliv”
“‘I’d Get $900 — I’m 16 Years Old’: DJ Rek Explains His First Lucrative Production Gig”
“Nas’ ‘One Love’ is a Pause-Tape Beat”
“‘Off of CD, Overdubbin’, Straight Mixtape Shit’: The Story of ‘Champion Sound’”
“‘Public Enemy №1’ Is A Pause-Tape Beat”
“‘Spinna Saved “Correct Technique” from the Dumpster’: Unearthing a Kansas City Classic with Joc Max”
“‘Step Into The Realm’ Is The Roots’ Homage to Pause Tape Beats”
Pause Tape Articles I’ve Written for Other Websites
HipHopDX: “‘Summoned By Aliens’: How Beastie Boys, Pete Rock, Q-Tip & Others Changed Rap Music With The Pause-Tape”
Red Bull Music Academy: “Press Pause: The History of Pause Tape Production”
Still Crew: “Q-Tip Made Most Of ATCQ’s ‘People’s Instinctive Travels’ On Pause-Tapes At Age 16”
Articles and Interviews By Other Authors That Reference Pause Tapes
“Afrika Islam — The Unkut Interview” by Robbie via Unkut
“Afrika Baby Bam Bio” by Afrika Baby Bam via his website
“The Away Team: No Place Like Home” by Bill “Low Key” Heinzelman via MVREMIX
“The Away Team Will Eat Your Food…” by Jerry L. Barrow via NodFactor
“BeatTips Jewel Droppin’: True Master Interview, Part 1” by Amir Said (SA’ID) via BeatTips
“Beat Construction: El-P” by Andrew Nosnitsky via Fader
“Black Milk Interview” Madeleine Byrne via her website
“Breaks With Tradition: ‘The Champ’ by Nate Patrin via Stereogum
“Classic Pimp C Interview” by Andrew Nosnitsky via Da Shelter/Cocaine Blunts
“Chuck D Explains How The #1 Public Enemy Anthem Truly Was Before Its Time (Video)” by Bandini via Ambrosia For Heads
“De La Soul Reflects On The Group’s Greatest Hits” by Keith Murphy via Vibe Magazine
“DJ Magic Mike” by Keith Kennedy via Ozone Magazine
“DJ Scratch: Can’t Tell Me Nothin’, Part 1.” by Jerry L. Barrow via NodFactor
“DJ Toomp: Look At Me Now” by The XXL Staff via XXL
“The Egyptian Lover: From Uncle Jam’s Army To A One Man Empire” by Anonymous via TechnoBass.net
“Exclusive Boston Excerpt From Brian Coleman’s Check The Technique 2: Life of a Kid in the Ghetto by Ed O.G” by Brian Coleman via DigBoston
“Exclusive: Q-Tip Interview” by Unknown via MOOVMNT
“Full Clip: Q-Tip Runs Down His Music Catalogue Ft. Tribe, De La Soul, Nas, Biggie, The Roots, Dilla & More!” by Keith Murphy via Vibe Magazine
“Interview: DâM-Funk” by Chairman Mao via Red Bull Music Academy
“Interview: Hip Hop Great Large Professor: Chairman Mao talks with the producer about his early days.” by Chairman Mao via Red Bull Music Academy
“Interview: Tall Black Guy Bringin’ Us That Oldskool Sound!” by Rishma Dhaliwal via I Am Hip-Hop London
“Inside L.A.’S Early Hip-Hop Scene With Egyptian Lover” by Evan Wood via Frank151
“Jungle Brothers: ‘Hip Hop culture is a conscious thing and it’s a community’” by Ash Blewer via The Night Bazaar
“Key Tracks: Chuck D on “Public Enemy №1” by Chuck D via Red Bull Music Academy
“Large Professor: Revolve Around Science” by Jerry L. Barrow via NodFactor
“Large Professor Tells All The Stories Behind His Classic Records: Eric B & Rakim ‘In The Ghetto’” by Daniel Isenberg via Complex
“Lord Finesse & Large Professor Australian Tour Interview!” by OHHS Staff via Australia’s One Stop Hip Hop Shop
“The Making of Mobb Deep’s The Infamous: ‘Survival of the Fittest’” by Insanul Ahmed, Noah Callahen-Bever, and Toshitaka Kondo via Complex
“Me and the muse: DJ Shadow on his sources of inspiration” by Killian Fox via The Guardian
“Moka Only” by 319 and Andy via UGSMAG
“Mostly Interview: The Jungle Brothers” by David Vincent via Brum Notes
“Old To The New Q&A (Part One) — Daddy-O” by Ryan Proctor via Old To The New
“Pete Rock, Hip-Hop’s ‘Soul Survivor’” by Richard Harrington via The Washington Post
“Pete Rock Interview: Soul Brother #1” by RiotSound Staff via RiotSound
“Pharoahe Monch Discusses Early Hip-Hop Experiences & Why He Still Loves H.E.R. (Video)” by Paul Meara via Ambrosia For Heads
“Prince Po — The Unkut Interview” by Robbie via Unkut
“Protege of Puffy Brings In the Funk” by Havelock Nelson via Billboard
“Q-Tip: ‘No Time For Hibernation, Only Elation’” by Ginger Lynn via Okayplayer
“Questlove: Back To The Roots” by Timothy Orr via DRUM! Magazine
“Seven Tracks: DJ Premier” by Anonymous via Clash
“Slum Village — ‘Tell Me’” by Jeedo via bling47
“Son of Detroit: The Oral History of J Dilla” by Ronnie Reese via Wax Poetics
“Spiritualized” by Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier, Tate McBroom, T3 via Real Detroit Weekly
“Super Ugly Hall of Game” by Andrew Nosnitsky via Pitchfork
“Talking You’re No Fun with Illingsworth” by Madeleine Byrne via Passion of the Weiss
“Timeless: Dres Revisits Black Sheep’s A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” by Paul Arnold via HipHopDX
“Ultimate Breaks and Beats: An Oral History” by Robbie Ettelson via Cuepoint
Articles on General Cassette Tape History
“Cassette deck” Wikipedia page
“Compact Cassette supremo Lou Ottens talks to El Reg” by Bob Dorman via The Register
“Happy 50th birthday, Compact Cassette: How it struck a chord for millions” by Bob Dorman via The Register
“Keith Richards and His Amazing Portable Cassette Recorder” by Phil Patton via Design Observer
“Rewound: On its 50th birthday, the cassette tape is still rolling” by Lily Rothman via Time
Books That Reference Pause Tapes
Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies by Brian Colemen
Check the Technique: Volume 2 More Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies by Brian Coleman
Don’t Rhyme for the Sake of Riddlin’: The Authorized Story of Public Enemy by Russell Myrie
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey by Bill Brewster
Rakim Told Me: Wax Facts Straight from the Original Artists — The ’80s by Brian Coleman
Podcasts That Reference Pause Tapes
“Hank Shocklee: ‘We Had Something to Prove’” Podcast and Text, Interview by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley via Microphone Check
“Large Professor, Part 1: ‘We’re Living In The World of Hip-Hop’” Podcast and Text, Interview by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley via Microphone Check
“Statik Selektah On Boom Bap And His Mom’s Favorite Rapper” Podcast and Text, Interview by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley via Microphone Check
“Stones Throw Podcast 80: ‘ADDDJ (Pause Mix ’96) aka I Wanna Get My Dick Sucked’” by guest DJ Jimi Hey
Videos That Reference Pause Tapes
“Artist Interview: Adrock (Beastie Boys) Deleted Scenes” via Propellerhead
“Behind The Beats Presents Khrysis” Interview by Gadget via Digital Hustle Films
“Egyptian Lover” Video and Text, Interview by Andrew Nosnitsky via Red Bull Music Academy
“El-P” Video and Text, Interview by Chairman Mao via Red Bull Music Academy
“Live From the Writer’s Bench Episode 16: Grap Luva Interview Part 1” via Live From the Writer’s Bench
“Nashiem Myrick On The Making of ‘Who Shot Ya’” via Grind Music Radio
“Public Enemy- WBAU Public Enemy №1 Radio Promo” (Pause Tape Demo) via Phill Most
“Q-Tip” Video and Text, Interview by Chairman Mao via Red Bull Music Academy
Pause Tape Albums/DJ Mixes and Albums/DJ Mixes Inspired By Pause Tapes
Best of 1986 Mix broadcasted on Stu Allan’s Souled Out by Paul Mulhearn (RIP)
Lewse Joints VI by Ohbliv
Pause Button Mastermix 1985 by Kirk Degiorgio
20 Years of Beats [1996-2016]:‘96-’97 [Pause Tapes] by 14KT
Social Media Posts That Reference Pause Tapes
DJ Scratch showcasing his pause tape beats from back in the day on Instagram
Easy Mo Bee talking about the historical significance of “Fusion Beats Vol. 2” on Instagram
Hi-Tek talking about making pause tapes on Twitter
Questlove talking about the passing of Maurice White and Earth Wind & Fire pause tapes on Instagram
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