How did DJ Kool Herc use two turntables to extend drum breaks?

DJ Kool Herc revolutionized hip-hop by developing a technique he called the "merry-go-round," which allowed him to extend the percussive instrumental sections of songs, known as breakbeats.12

By setting up two turntables and a mixer, Herc played two copies of the same record simultaneously. When the drum break on one record ended, he would switch to the other turntable to play the same break from the second copy. By continuously looping these percussive fragments back and forth between the two records, he created a seamless, extended flow of music that allowed guests to dance for longer periods. This innovation provided the foundational rhythm for B-boying and is widely recognized as a defining moment in the birth of hip-hop.231