Following on from my most recent post about the much loved Technics turntable, I feel the need top share my thoughts on vinyl. I have many views and opinions on vinyl and this will mostly be a viewpoint of my own thoughts and experiences.
When I started really getting into music properly around 1992, turntables and vinyl where a must. All the proper DJ’s worked there trade this way, in fact at that time it was the only way. Buying records became a weekly occurrence, the day long trips alone or with friends on a Saturday (Often hungover from Fridays antics) to the records shops was always enjoyable. I was usually armed with my own needle and a small book i used to have full of vinyl that I was after. We would spend ages going through records old and new, looking for that killer track. The one that you knew would go off, also rare enough that you would be the only that had, thus becoming the envy of friends and DJ’s alike.
I used to pride myself on having songs that nobody else did, as do many DJ’s, its what gave each DJ that unique sound. You could travel to the next city and all the DJ’s would be playing completely different vinyl, this gave every DJ, city, town, country etc its own unique fresh sound. We moaned about how heavy the record bag was usually a 90 bag would be more than enough for a gig, sometimes i might grab the record box or bag if it was an extended party or gig. Carrying the bag or box around (It was a good few years before I got my first trolley bag) was quite noticeable and I suppose earned you some respect. I think this respect is an interesting point and something I want to look at more.
As a DJ people knew we would spend long hours looking for tunes, practicing and doing all things to produce excellent sets. They knew it took skill and not everybody was cut out for the job, it required a dedication on more than one level. Vinyl was also expensive so the DJ would often have made many sacrifices, something that may never have openly been discussed but was secretly respected. A respect that was earned via a combination of things including playing for everybody and handing out mix tapes.
When the internet really started to take off, vinyl was available online, I could by records from all over the world. This for myself was the tipping point, I was buying records from America, Finland, France, Holland all from the comfort of my house. I still went record hunting, but by now the shops in Belfast where stocking less on no vinyl. In most cases the record shop had closed down completely, this was indeed a big low point for the vinyl hunter in Belfast at the time. With that said I was finding amazing tracks online and of to the post office I went to get my postal order; at least until I got a proper bank card. Sometimes they arrived in a few days, others weeks, often it felt like an eternity. My parents knew the drill by now, don’t bend the vinyl, they also went and picked it up for me sometimes from the post office, as vinyl will not fit in a letter box. Something I’m very grateful for, I must have been like a kid every day looking to see if my vinyl had arrived.
Then the mighty CDJ came out, I’m not to sure what my thoughts at the time where, probably speechless. It wasn’t until the summer of 2004 I think before I got a proper use of them in Ibiza. I had burned about 10 CD’s worth of tracks, this was my chance to see what these things could do. At the time I also had two big bags of vinyl as did Mr Hooks as we aimed to wreck havoc on the island of Ibiza. At first they felt strange, after a few mixes my beats where getting tighter, within days I was mixing just as good as I could on vinyl. I stepped further into the CDJ’s world, looping beats and samples, it was heaven. Little at the time did I realize the affect that this would have on everything, I don’t think anybody would, it seemed beyond perfect.
This technology brought about a whole new revolution is DJ’ing. Record bags made way for CD bags, which made way to laptops and then portable drives. This for me was and still is a disaster from start to finish. I loved everything about vinyl, the look, feel, packaging design it had an aesthetic quality that made it special. The main thing was that it was actually worth something, it had a resale value. Are the piles of burnt CD’s or MP3′s I have actually worth anything? who would buy them off me?
With the modern DJ having literally thousands of songs on demand, I believe it can dilute there thought process. You can only take so many records to a gig, this encourage good preparation for any set. While it could be argued that having the ability to be versatile is good, what do we lose by having that? We lose a DJ who has a sound in his head that he wants to showcase, this is the unique sound that a DJ should have. Iv heard people saying things about a DJ playing to the crowd, something that is always a hot topic.
When the crowd seems to know every song on the Beatport top 100, surely the DJ is just a jukebox, mixing his way through this easily available list. The individualism is being pushed out, this isn’t the case with all DJ’s, if you are respected you can basically play what you wish. I travel here and there and there and I’m hearing the same songs all the time. This may be OK in a small city but how about when you start going to different countries. Is the whole world currently DJ’ing with Beatport’s top 100 Tracks? A young wanna be DJ could easily go down this road, why should they spend time thinking of a set, or wasting time and money searching for tunes. This is easily and freely available and beyond tempting.
I think with the absence of vinyl, many up and coming DJ’s are losing the education that it used to bring. This is where the true impact of technology can be seen or heard. For me personally I have no problem with a DJ using a laptop, judgment should be based on the sound and not the format. I have on more than one occasion seen a laptop crash mid set but I have also seen a CDJ freeze and vinyl skip, so nothing is perfect. A laptop crash however takes considerable more time to get going again. Technology also allows a DJ to push new areas and try new things, there is only so much you can do with a standard mixer and vinyl. Though the Technics DMC finals take that to a whole new area.
I’m sure I’m not alone in what this is all saying, its basically just my observations, What do the rest of you think?
