So those of you who still enjoy a bit of the old vinyl, where do you get your stuff? Mostly online, or local shops, second hand?
Personally I get most stuff online (chemical records mostly), but there are two record stores around here I visit every now and then, one sells second-hand vinyl, which is cool for finding stuff like old house and hip hop, and one that sells new stuff, where I usually can find a bit of Dubstep & DnB (problem is, the propreitor of this place is a… less pleasant person, so I don’t buy from them too often).
i recently switched to traktor. so i use beatport and itunes now, but i used to go to the local store in Grand Forks ND called Ojata Records. but i’ve been tempted to buy from Metrowax.com
this is mainly because i dont look for tracks by name, but prefer to just accidently find a good record.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ojata-Records.../210535718974035 if you want to check out my small town store. its not easy to get in contact with this guy though… the store is more of “im open whenever i feel like” and doesn’t really have a business sense. i would say i like traktor better so far, even though i havent used it much, mp3’s seem more versatile than vinyl could ever be.
if you’re like me though, and like random grab bags, get your butt to Metrowax or similar website
I dont buy much vinyl, I vet them through digital means & invest in my favourite.
Chemical, redeye and surus carry the best dnb but I found a wicked little shop called HQmusik in birmingham recently. It was nice having the guy try to sus me out and presented me with a load of wax to sift through. A few other guys passed through & we chatted.
Picked up a tasty stack the other day second hand too, got some of the old classics you cant find anywhere any more. theyre pretty rinsed though & theres some harsh cue burn on a few of them.
It was nice talking to the bloke though, I may have even landed myself a future gig.
I miss that about records, digital will never hold either the physical or social value that a piece of vinyl has.
I’m not buying vinyl for DJing anymore but Guestroom Records in Oklahoma City is a good shop to pick up rock/pop/occasional hip hop/etc. Lots of new and used. Also there’s a pretty friendly cat walking around (maybe not so good if you’re allergic).
i do local and online usually turntable lab, but i’m thinking about using the personal shopper service at amoeba for some older stuff i’ve been looking for…
Completely agree, miss it terribly. The anticipation of getting hold of promos, getting to know the people in the shop over a cup of tea and shared love of music, meeting other djs & promoters too, spent hours and £££s over the years! Record shops were ideal for networking and getting gigs off the back off it as well. The advent of digital DJing is good in many ways but some things have been lost, even though online forums are great, I still miss the Friday after work beer and tunage selection in my local vinyl emporium. Also the trips to London from time to time, Blackmarket and Uptown ))
Yeah, I miss all the excitement of Mondays now. Release day. Fire off to the record store, spend a couple hours sifting through the new releases. Occasionally finding that classic tune hidden in the depths somewhere.
Then running off to the bank because you never brought enough cash for it all. Chatting with the store owner looking for recommendations, what rare classics he could get in etc..
Loved it. Missing it. Sitting in my office, on my own, browsing beatport et al just ain’t the same. Although it is a fair bit cheaper for the tunes, the cost of the tech has increased substantially.
Amoeba Records. Yeah I’m spoiled… I also love digging in small record stores in random places. Online I buy vinyl from TurntableLab (though they also have a brick and mortar here), Juno, and Amazon. Discogs if I’m looking for something really specific.
I still do this. Theres a wicked little area off oxford street with sister rays, BM, Phonica and Reckless records. I get a little mad in there when I go, so much good dnb, I need it, ALL of it! heh.
Having said that, sister rays isnt the most friendly of places. Ive been shoved out the way a few times when Ive been happily browsing. The intimacy of local shops are better.
In answer to your original question OP, when I was buying vinyl, I used to use my local record shop who’d put stuff behind the counter for me which was great, Juno, Global Groove, Blackmarket and Uptown (All UK).
Sorry bout that, missed seeing your reply earlier, yeah def agree totally, it’s like being a kid in a sweet shop!!! It’s nice having the immediacy of downloads but the trawling records shops, even HMV Oxford St is/was great fun and can’t be recreated IMO.
hell yeah! I’m in; I’ve been to SD a few times but didn’t really do much digging; I did find one place on the way back up via the PCH one time though about 5 years ago…
))
and they had some really good stuff. I guess I was super lucky