what was your first turntable / setup?
First? Well there was this lil' suitcase-type thing I had as a kid that came with a bunch of picture books and 45s. You'd put the single on and read the book, turn the page when you heard the 'bing!' Then in high school I had one of those all-in-one joints (tape deck, radio, record player) that I took the top off and tried to cut records on. Didn't know about slipmats. I still have my "Top Billin" 12-inch with nasty circular gouges on the flip-side.
My first "real" turntable was this audiophile Denon joint that weighed like 50 pounds. I bought it from my dad's friend. That thing was amazing, the first deck I could really scratch on. I remember bringing the ultra high-end needle in to Bate's electronics on Delancey to replace (after tearing it to shreds) and the guy looking at me in horror like "you're not actually back-cuing with this are you?"
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
Probably '93 or so. That was when I started getting a little more serious about spinning. For the longest I had that Denon on one side and the Tech on the other with a little Gemini 2-channel mixer in the middle.
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I got it on Canal Street somewhere. I worked as a cook.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
Like fuckin' Kid Capri.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
The pitch control - when you learn on that, nothing else feels right. Oh and I always loved the dense rubber lower half. Solid.
The Rub's Hip-Hop History series is back up and running with new shows for 1997 and 1998! Next Tuesday we'll be celebrating the completion of 21 shows of hip-hop history along with DJ Lindsey at APT, sponsored by Turntable Lab! This week Cosmo and Eleven are headed down to Austin for SXSW and we'll all three be at Winter Music Conference, be sure to check out our dates if you're planning on going to either.
Tuesday, March 18
The Rap Party
The Rub & DJ Lindsey
Free!
Downstairs at APT
419 West 13th Street
Sponsored by Brooklyn Radio and Turntable Lab. Flyer by Mike the 2600 King for Burlesque.
If you missed them, download all the 90s Hip-Hop History shows:
We sweat so you don't have to, here's more of what you love. Exclusives by Fully Fitted, U-Tern and Men & Women, along with the usual surprises...Can you feel it?
Being that it was SXSW & WMC month, Scion asked me to bring out the big dawgs. So I asked my slightly bigger brothers…
RONSON
& GE-OLOGY
I asked Mark a bunch of questions about his first Djing gigs and that accent that keeps creeping out of him since he’s been hanging in Grammy land. He gave me some new tracks to play including the Loving Hand remix of “Just.” Ge-ology did a 5-track live Record Check that went from Joe Cocker to Derrick Mayday. You might not no this but Geo moved from Baltimore to NYC in ’88. He saw the club scene be born first hand as a teenager in B-More and had some pretty funny stories about it.
I played almost entirely new tracks from Gaslamp Killer, J Electronica, XXXChange, Dam Funk, Metro Area, Snack N Commish, my man Sample 208 and myself. It was hard to follow up the ROC episode, but I’m quite happy with this one.
Still in NY for a couple more gigs before its off to Austin to hang out in my Hotel Room for 4 days.
I can’t front, for some reason Sway is always mad fun for me when I dj …
Hooking up with my old homie Kweli for his afterparty on Wednesday…
what was your first turntable / setup?
It was in '95 and I had the Linear Tech belt drives with quarters taped to the headshells and a jank Gem Sound mixer with 5 second sampler.
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
I worked at a ghetto arcade/pizza place at the time (like a bootleg Chuck E. Cheese) and I told a co-worker of mine I recently got turntables. He told me his Dad was a radio DJ in the 70's and that he might have an extra turntable in his garage. We went to check it out and it turned out to be a SL-1200MK2... I seriously couldn't believe it! He ended up leaving it at my place since I had the mixer and another turntable on a condition that he could come over whenever and practice scratching on it. So for about a year or so I had a bastard setup of 1 Technics and 1 Linear Tech, but it was good enough for endless beginner scratch sessions till my cuticles were all raw from trying to "crab".
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I finally bought my own 1200 at K&K Music in San Jose after saving all summer from the Pizza Arcade and getting some money from djing some yuppie kids' bday party (my first paid dj gig). I still remember the 45 minute drive home from the store and just staring at it with anticipation in the passenger seat as if it were a hot date. I was equally mesmerized like this about a year later when I drove home with a Vestax PMC-05 Pro.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
Bad ass. Like "Now I'm playing with power!"
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
I like the fact I feel I can "trust" the pitch control, and of course the reliability and sturdiness. I've transported my pair in the most unprofessional, ghetto ways imaginable (no case under the arm, wrapped in a sleeping bag in a card board box and shipped on a plane, etc.) and they still work great - 10 years + and not a trip to the maintenance guy.
what was your first turntable / setup?
I had a Realistic mixer, a Fisher turntable with no pitch control and a Panasonic turntable with pitch control. This was when I was 14 in 1984.
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
I used to use my roommates for several years, but didn't have my own pair til around 1995. I think I bought them one at a time in a 2 year period. Even the scratches I did on the album I did with Charizma in the early 90's were done with some off-brand turntable.
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I got them new at Guitar Center up in the Bay Area. Don't remember where I saved the money up from, but it was probably my job at a record distributor. I still have the same pair today and have never had to bring them into the shop. Besides the lights burning out, they're still good.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
I was excited because my when you scratch with them, it has a certain sound that you can't create as easily with other turntables. I got to really practice my mixing more as well. I started as a DJ, but when I started getting drum machines and samplers in the late 80's, I got more into making beats. When I got the 1200's, I got back into Djing again. Making mix tapes and spinning at clubs.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
It's not even so much about a feature. It's just the way it feels when you use it. It's really responsive. I've tried other turntables from every major brand and they don't compare.
what was your first turntable / setup?
Two gemini's and a scratchmaster DUH!
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)? did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I worked at Bobbito's Footwork and when the store closed Bob let me have the store 1200's for like maybe 600 buck or something. By then I was already making pretty good money on the club circuit.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
I don't really remember actually. By then I was way over practicing or trying to be good at scratching or anything like that.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
Um, I'm not sure I really understand what makes them so great besides the fact that you can use them for djing... They seem pretty sturdy though I suppose.
what was your first turntable / setup?
2 Gemini Belt driven turntables & that weird stiff mixer with the 2 channels (with yellow meters) & the click in the middle on the crossfader.
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
About 1990
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I threw a few parties in recording studios & American Legion Halls until I had enough money. I bought them at Rock & Soul- they had the best prices & you could haggle a lot with them.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
I felt like I finally had the secret weapon that allowed me to scratch & juggle beats like I've seen my favorite DJ's do.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
Their sturdiness! I still have my same pair & they're been on flights, buses, cars, backyards, beaches & clubs for about 18 years.
what was your first turntable / setup?
Around 1992 I got heavily into writing, mainly due to my new "friend" Jason. Jason quickly went from stealing paint to stealing everything, and for $50 bucks could get you ANYTHING.
He got me one direct drive Technics BD-35 and one belt drive Sony. He threw in some busted up records like Doug E Fresh, Schooly D, and Captain Sky. I bought a Gemini Scratch Master from Sam Ash in White Plains, NY. The best thing was the 10 second loop/sampler in it and I learned how to make loops with that. Then in 1994 the turntables were stolen from our bands rehearsal room.
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
Basically from 1994 on all I wanted were 1200's. But I kept spending whatever bits of money I had on car stereo equipment or bikes. So finally in 1997 I became a camp counselor and saved up.
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I found an ad in the classifieds of the village voice. It said "Two 1200's for $650" I drove out to Long Island and met this reggae dj and the tables were pretty beat. Cigarette ashes and slightly bent tone arms. I gave him $600 and drove home the happiest kid.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
It was like christmas everyday for a while.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
The dot pattern flowing like liquid, the pop up light, the feet, the rubber bottom, the way it looks like a silver and black spaceship.
what was your first turntable / setup?
2 belt drives, one was a technics 1800-something and it had a pitch knob, the other was some no name without pitch control. i can't remember what mixer it was, but was just 2 channels and no EQs. i used to practice like 4-5 hours a day on that set-up.
at what point did you get your first technics turntable(s)?
end of summer '93. I worked construction all summer framing development houses. the guys on the crew thought i was gay b/c i had those little silver hoop earrings in BOTH ears.
did you get the 1200(s) from a store? how did you get the money to pay for the 1200(s)?
I bought my first Technics 1200s set up used, at a pawn shop in North Philly. I went with an older skater friend of mine, and he talked the guy down to $550. They were European 1200s with a voltage converter on the plug. I also got this sick 4 channel Numark mixer with the deal, that had an 8 band EQ with volume faders. It was great for tweaking, but the fader was stuck like glue. That shit was like 2 feet wide and heavy.
how did you feel when you got your first technics turntable(s)?
so excited like i just shotgun'ed 8 Red Bulls.
what is your favorite feature or aspect of the technics turntable?
i used to trip out on the patterns the dots make on the platter. But definately the fact that they don't stop working, and never lose there value. I sold that same set up 5 years later to someone for $500, and they were psyched.
