The Tape-
beatles began as a nearly-unknown band in Iowa City,
Iowa in the mid-
80's, and have remained nearly-unknown ever since. Their music, while not originally influenced by
Negativland, is highly reminiscent
(sp.?) of that band, and they have stated (unsurprisingly) that they feel their goals are similar.
The Tape-beatles broke up in the late '90's due to extreme physical distance between their members (one core member was living in
Prague), and a new project called Public Works was formed. Once
e-mail re-enabled cooperation across the ocean, the Tape-beatles again became a reality. Now the core member belonging to both projects is preparing to move to Prague for an indefinite time.
Their main creative technique is
digital (previously analog) tape manipulation. Perhaps because they have a low profile and work primarily from obscure sound sources like
motivational tapes, they have never been sued, unlike
Negativland and
John Oswald (of Plunderphonics fame).
Core members:
Lloyd Dunn
John Heck
Ralph Johnson
For more information on the Tape-beatles and similar groups, see, for example, http://www.detritus.net.