Well, I think I made it pretty clear how I love playing 45s, so here is round 2 of the mixes I made. Enjoy!… Read more...
Mixtape Monday: 45-7 Vol 2
2
Category Archives: nerdy stuff
What’s in a name?
Turntables. Record players. Decks. Wheels of steel. Tables. They get called just about everything except for their original name: phonograph. And they almost didn’t even get called that! Check out the list of names Thomas Edison & the crew thought of before deciding on “phonograph.”… Read more...
Mixtape Monday: 45-7: A Tribute to 45s
This January, I tried something new. Although I love the creativity possible thanks to Serato and digital DJing, I find that it also erodes some basic DJ skills and makes me (and others) a bit lazy. In order to challenge myself and get back to my roots, I decided to only DJ with real vinyl for all of January. … Read more...
Scratching Cassettes
I hear cassettes are coming back in style, at least in a retro way… although I told a friend I was coming out with a new mix and was going to put it out on cassette, and he said he didn’t know if he’d even be able to play it. Well, either way, He couldn’t play it like this guy—in fact, I can’t even play records like this!… Read more...
Today’s Stack
This is the pile of 45′s I came across at a random sale the other day. Great pile of Southern Soul, although some are scratchy as hell. Looks like I have some enjoyable listening to catch up on!
So far, lots of Joe Tex, including these two, and quite a bit of Johnny Taylor. Good stuff, that’s for sure. My next step is to clean and listen to them all, put them in sleeves (they didn’t come with… Read more...
Equipment
It’s the Xmas season for many of us, and I know a ton of DJs are playing with their new toys… or furiously exchanging gifts for cash to go get some! One thing about us (not sure here if I’m talking about DJs, musicians, or men in general) is that we LOVE electronics—and the newer the better. No matter what type of music a DJ plays, I can always start a conversation about the equipment they use. It’s also one of the first questions I get asked by newer DJs, and it is indeed the very first question this blog received (thank you Juan R. in Hayward)!
Victory is mine
I work at an Oakland Public School. I am rewarded daily knowing that I have the best students in the world, and that students who graduate from my school shape the world (I’m looking at you, Huey, Ron, Frank, Kev, etc). My job, unfortunately is not usually rewarding materially. Until last week.
I was brainstorming how to make this year extra special and I realized it… I needed a record player for my office. But not just any record player… I needed a classic… the kind I remembered from my OUSD youth. I knew they were out
dig of the week: The POLICE white label
In the antiques world, I’ve heard there is a type of person called a “divvie” who is able to feel the presence of important or valuable antiques. I was introduced to that term by a family member when I was in high school because I somehow knew that there were worthwhile records buried at a garage sale a few blocks from my house. To this day, I can smell worthwhile records at garage sales within a few blocks of me. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer worthwhile records are being sold at garage sales, and I had wondered if I had perhaps lost part of my gift. Today I proved I
DJ Homer Simpson
Well, this made my day. As some of you may know, I am a huge Simpsons fan (it’s the only thing I will watch on TV besides sports). Check this out… recorded for this year’s DMC championship by dj Fong Fong… Read more...
Copyrights and digital music
Recently a few popular websites that many djs relied on for remixes were taken down, and there has been outrage in the DJ community. Additionally, many websites that host or point to possibly illegally downloadable music have been targeted for advertising revenue by an agency called GroupM, and copyright laws are the minds of those of us in the music business once again.
Remix sites were a place where accomplished DJs would post their remixes and edits of popular and classic songs, and they could be bought by other DJs. Most sites tried to cover themselves by demanding that users were professional DJs, but the reality was that
