I’m a DJ. Well, that’s not really true by modern standards. I’m an old fashioned DJ, which means I’m really a record collector who also happens to play his records to other people on occasion. Unfortunately, the decks of the world are populated by DJs. Record collectors are a dying breed.
Being an old fashioned DJ also means I’m some what of a luddite. The records I collect really are records; 7” and 12” circular slabs of vinyl with a tiny groove and accompanying sleeve, not any kind of digital format mysticism. They peacefully sit in regimented line after regimented line, waiting their turn to be picked out from the crowd, chosen specifically for their specialised and unique acoustic characteristics.
If record collectors are a dying breed, then by logical extension, record collecting must be a dying art. This is a shame. The same sense of discovery, temporary completeness, success and accomplishment accompanying the location and purchase of a record for which one has been searching since time immemorial is sadly being lost. This blog is an attempt to preserve and share some of those sentiments which are steadily being forgotten.
As new treasures work their way into my collection, you’ll find them discussed here. Most of the time you’ll find them accompanied by a MP3 you can listen to. One may of course question the legality of this. I feel this is morally justifiable. Most of the music featured will be several years old, if not substantially more. There is no direct download link. The quality is intentionally low; you won’t find anything encoded at a higher rate than 32kbps, 22Khz, Mono. Not at all worth keeping. That being said, if you happen to be involved in the creation or distribution of anything which has been featured and do not agree, then please contact me if you wish to have it removed. This will be done immediately.
Then what’s the point, you might ask? The point is to give exposure and advertisement to some absolutely amazing music which may have been lost, forgotten, overlooked or abandoned. The point is to explore the talents of artists and their finest tracks. The point is document and discuss my record collection as it grows and develops, its overall sound and character changing almost imperceptibly with each new addition. This is commendation and exploration, not exploitation or theft.
And, if you like what you see, read and hear, then do the same as I have done; find your nearest second hand record shop, trawl the music section of your local charity shop, scan the back of the local paper for vinyl sales, attend record fairs and car boot sales, frequent the worlds of Ebay, Juno and Discogs. They are waiting out there for you.
Where you fall in the above debate will colour your position in your view of McLaren. The Sex Pistols fraternity seem to be split in two. On the one hand there are those who see him as instrumental to changing the face of popular music for ever by managing one of the most iconic bands of all time. Others regard him as an exploiter, sucking out the ‘true spirit’ of punk, distilling it, and selling it for a tidy profit.
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