Let me preface this by saying that, yes, I know it’s unfashionable and antiquated, but I love playing vinyl.
I’ve still never played a CD in a club and still (*gasp*) pay money to cut dubplates.

Why is this? Many reasons…
I like holding what I play, and I like seeing the grooves..and all that usual stuff that dinosaurs like me blabber on about. I like the fact that spending money on cutting a plate of a tune makes me think really carefully about what I want to play, and how much I want to invest in supporting a tune. I like the feel of my record bag… I don’t mind that it’s heavy, it’s become almost like a pet to me. It keeps me company at airports and train stations, and lets me sit on it when I need to.
I like the associations pretty much all my records have with various places and times, and I like the scars they pick up along the way at gigs. Even if they become unplayable I never get rid of them..In fact I especially don’t get rid of them if that happens; they’re more likely to get elevated to the hall of heroes in my collection. ‘Those who gave their lives so that we may live..’ etc..
I like frantically heaving my records on and off the decks, and the booth area filling up with vinyl when I don’t have time to put them back in their sleeves. It’s chaotic, it’s ridiculous and it’s all very very human.

So it’s a shame that I realise that at many of our gigs in recent times there has been some problem or other with the decks. Usually to do with imperfect needles, or records jumping. I guess this is no surprise, as less and less people play vinyl, and so are less likely to notice any problems. This coupled with deck maintenance sliding fast down a club’s priority list means that the problems associated with playing vinyl are growing exponentially. Yes, of course we soundcheck, and yes, of course we request proper set-ups before the show happens…but out here in the real world problems often show themselves once it’s too late to do anything about it.

It’s a stark choice facing those of us who still like to play vinyl. Do we turn up and grit our teeth, try and turn in the best technical performance we can even though the set-up may be leagued against us? It may mean substandard mixing, and may often mean that we can’t play the tunes we have cut, (as plates are more sensitive to jumping than vinyl, especially as they get a bit older)…all of which is, at best, unsatisfying and at worst, embarrassing. Not to mention unfair to the people who have paid money to come and hear you play.

Personally, I don’t give a damn what people choose to mix their music. I’m only a purist insofar as my own preferences go. CD, laptop, vinyl, memory sticks; whatever…It’s all fine by me, but I don’t like the feeling that I’m being forced out of the thing that I enjoy playing and into another medium.

But whatevs…There’s not much I can do to influence this, it’s up to the promoters and clubs. If everyone is happy with DJs finally doing away with vinyl once and for all, (and that may well be the majority decision, in which case I’ll have to accept it), then carry on and force us to switch to CDs & laptops.

But if, like me, you love vinyl, and love playing with vinyl then please, check the Technics one last time before the party starts.

To be continued…