The latest issue of Electronic Sound celebrates the fascinating world of TAPE MUSIC and we are combining the magazine with an exclusive CD featuring two early and lengthy tape loop tracks by the pioneering American composer STEVE REICH. 

It's almost 100 years since the invention of magnetic audio tape revolutionised the way that sound was recorded, but the focus of this month's cover story is how it subsequently became an unexpected tool in the creative process. Step forward visionary figures such as PIERRE SCHAEFFER, DELIA DERBYSHIRE and STEVE REICH, whose work with strips of tape – cutting, splicing, stretching, manipulating, duplicating, looping – spawned a totally new form of music. And alongside our in-depth history, we've selected 20 classic releases and 30 of today's sharpest loopers for your delectation and delight. WILLIAM BASINSKI, OPEN REEL ENSEMBLE, RACHAEL FINNEY, CATE BROOKS and HOWLROUND are among those on the loopy list.

Keep turning the pages for interviews with plenty of other forward-thinking artists, including bass kingpin JAH WOBBLE and experimental guitarist MICHAEL BROOK, whose credits take in Brian Eno, Robert Fripp and David Sylvian. We also have ROBERT MARGOULEFF, the brains behind the amazing TONTO mega-synth, and On-U Sound chanteuse and poet LITTLE ANNIE, plus fresh names such as E.M.ARSON and THE PEACE RACE. We speak to musician and filmmaker Jesse Hartman too, primarily about LAPTOP, his brief but super-stylish 1990s electropop project. If you missed that back in the day, you're in for a treat.

We have a very special release to accompany the magazine as well. Issued in a gatefold sleeve, 'TAPE PIECES' is an exclusive STEVE REICH CD featuring two groundbreaking early loop tracks by the acclaimed American composer. With a total running time of around 30 minutes, 'Come Out' and 'It's Gonna Rain' both date from the mid-1960s and are built from two short voice recordings, one of a man beaten by police officers and the other of a street preacher. For each piece, two identical loops were played together, seemingly in perfect synchronisation, but a tiny difference in the speed of the tapes mean they slowly slip out of alignment. The melodic and rhythmic patterns that emerge as the loops drift further apart are extraordinary. 

"You are not an inactive listener," said Brian Eno about 'It's Gonna Rain' in an interview with The Times last year. "All of Reich's work, I think, depends on making your brain perform and watch itself performing in a certain way. I suddenly realised, 'The composer isn’t just Steve Reich, it's Reich and my brain making this composition what it is'."

As with all our releases, this CD is only available to readers of Electronic Sound, so order your copy right away.