Those teen night parties I was attending at Kristof's in my previous post...every once in a while, they would have an "all nighter"...which meant, you got to the club, they locked everyone in, and you couldnt leave (except for an emergency of course) until the next morning...now the club also had a bowling alley, so during these all nighters, there would be free food...drinks...free bowling etc etc etc....and at one particular all nighter, they were having a DJ battle.
This had to be late 85...early 86, so I wasnt even technically a DJ yet, and I only had a small armful of records....but hey....fuck it...im in!!
I remember bits and pieces of my.....uh....set. which was......lets say....god awful...i had no idea how to beatmatch...no idea on how to scratch, but i tried both!!!
"Disaster" is being polite.
So that brings us to 1986...8th grade...the end of my crews B Boy era, but supposedly the beginning of our Hip Hop group era!
I was so hellbent on this actually happening, that I would look thru catalogs from department stores...in their "stereo" sections, looking for turntables....then I learned of the Technics SL-1200.
Nearing the big day..Graduation....my parents asked me what I would like for a graduation gift.
Natrually, "DJ equipment" was the ONLY option.
Since my parents were down with music, they were down with me getting gear....so they asked me what kind of equipment I wanted.
"SL-1200 turntables with Shure SC-35 cartridges, and a Numark mixer" (standard gear for the pro DJ back then)
"Ok...on sunday after graduation we'll go get what you want"
oh holy shit....its SO on right now.
Sunday rolls around, and we head out for Soundz Music that was in Wheeling, IL....thats where they had the good stuff.....we pull up to the building...my heart is beating out of my chest....I look in the window...there it is (cue the angels singing)...2 1200's with Shure carts...19" Numark mixer, all neatly tucked away in a coffin ready to go....my dad says "come on...lets do it"...I go to open the door...nothing....I pull harder...nothing....I look at the hours posted...."CLOSED SUNDAYS"
De. va. sta. ted.
So, whats the logical thing I thought of? Waited a day?
Fuck no....Sunday was equipment day, and by God....IM GETTING EQUIPMENT ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!
So we roll to the mall....yes...THE MALL.
Back in the 80's when people would actually venture out of their houses to go shopping (before Amazon, Zappos, Peapod and all of that) we went to shopping malls.....alot......and in most shopping malls, there were Audio / Video stores that sold home audio gear, TV's, and so on and so forth.
So we trot in to Alan's Stereo.
"im looking for a pair of turntables that have a pitch control on them"
"two?'
"yeah...im starting to DJ, and I need two with needles...and a mixer"
"well, we have the turntables and needles, but we dont sell mixers...youll have to go to Radio Shack for that"
"fine...let me see what you have for turntables"
then we go to the turntable section of the store....and theyre all kind of cheap...just for home use...not intended for DJing..
"do you guys sell 1200's?"
"oh...you mean the Technics ones? no...we dont carry those"
perfect.
so my stubborn impatient ass picked the only turntables they had with a pitch control on them.
the belt driven Vector-Research VT240, with Audio Technica P-Mount cartridges.
(in case you dont know, belt drive turntables are basically a small little motor with a rubberband around it, and the platter....SUPER hi tech...pfft.)
fine. done....lets get the mixer.
I was already checking Radio Shack for stuff, and I knew the mixer I needed...
Crossfader, check.
Headphone Cue, check.
done....now, I need to learn how to use this crap.
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