Early Prince drum tracks: the vacuum cleaner

I have been playing around with the Linn samples through Addictive drums, and that brought me back to the great times of early Prince albums. I have had a lot of fun with it, and it's possible to re-create a lot of sounds with the help of the more obvious effects (reverb, echo, delay).
But oftentimes there is a (for me) elusive quality to the Prince tracks, which I can only describe as "the hose" - like when you hear a sound through the hose of your vacuum cleaner. This is especially apparent in the higher range of the frequency spectrum.
I can't come close in reproducing this effect. I have tried phasers, but I am not doing it right or something else is involved, like tampering with the tape.
 
Does any of you ears people out there have experience or tips? I'm just a musician :D