Well, as most of you will probably know, I made the step forward from odl analogue technology into the realm of digital gadgets and CDJ madness, and in order to meet certain requirements of the digital world, I purchased one of them vinyl to mp3 gadgets, ie a deck with a USB cable that literally rips the track into the shadowy depths of your pc hard disc.
“Very handy, saves me messing about with plugging a deck into a mixes, getting the levels right and running the gauntlet with loose crackles and of course the dreaded ‘jumping needle’ that you get with old analogue technology” I think to myself with a sneer similar to someone who’s just purchased the latest in High Definition televisual entertainment who laughs at people who cant even receive channel 5..
Thing is, in order to rip these tracks, I have to sit by this record deck and listen to every track as it records, praying desperately that the needle never jumps (one of the key reasons why I upgraded to digital technology in the first place…) or that the stylus doesnt accumulate that much fur and dust, the final track sounds like its been sung through a sock.
I won’t be the first to admit it, but it’s a bit of a nuisance having to sit through EVERY single track as it records, and in extreme circumstances having to re-set the deck to re-record any track that should have any audio fault with it - but it’s while I’m sat here, doing this in a room surrounded by numerous timeless tracks, crackling away on the deck that made me realise something, something that, over time as the digital age takes over, will be something that will eventually be lost in the past forever…
Do you remember when you bought your first record, CD or even an album on cassette? - I know I do, when you dig through your record collections at home (before you sacrifice your soul to the digital era as I have..) there’s a certain feeling of ‘belonging’ as you come across certain tracks.
For example, as I was ‘ripping’ my vinyl copy of Awesome 3′ ‘Dont Go’ my mind was flooded with memories of walking through Halifax Town Centre just to pick up this track that I’d pre-ordered, in the rain to my local record shop - hell I even remember some random guy getting shouted at because he walked out in front of a cyclist while trying to cross the road..
Do you remember the first track you downloaded or received through soulseek, was there the same feeling of elation when you finally received that vital track in your ‘My Music’ folder - I can’t imagine the memories are quite as personal can you?
After all, there’s no such thing as a limited-edition test pressing download on coloured vinyl is there?
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