Remember when you started digging?

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Remember when you started digging?

By MadFresh Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:34 am
Haha. I remember when I started digging and had like 0 digging knowledge. Didn't know any groups or anything. All I knew was basically that you had to buy records from the 70s, because that was apparently the best era:) I practically bought every record that I found which was recorded or produced in the 70s. Ahh, the records I bought. So damn crappy. A lot of shitty pop-rock. Can't remember too many of the names now but I mean, WTF? Did I miss Mr. Handsome Face and Unbuttoned Shirt on the cover about to be butt-rammed by his acoustic guitar in front of the fire place? What did I think I was gonna find on it? Raw, outer space, clavinet-funk? :D It's funny that in some weird way during these years as a TOTALLY lost record buyer I managed to pick up "Sweetnighter" by Weather Report (?!) But at the time, I didn't know what the hell it was and couldn't comprehend the dopeness haha.

(Not saying that I'm the king of digging now or anything but you know)

Anyway, crazy memories.

You guys remember?

Re: Remember when you started digging?

By bedouin Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:18 pm
I really started looking around '91 or '92 -- when I started DJing. I would have been about 12 then.

I was introduced to "Ultimate Breaks and Beats" from the get go. I had the complete listing of volumes, along with the tracks on them that was published in old Upstairs Records catalogs, so I know what was on them all. From song titles you could sort of guess what samples were what. Those artists gave me a heads up on what to look for.

I raided my mom's collection from the start though. That was a no brainer. I just took it all out and played it.

Also, I was a compulsive liner note reader, and after the whole De La and Biz thing everyone's LPs had the samples listed. I would read them like a novel and commit the knowledge to memory.

I was on the Internet at an early age too (92 or so), so I ran into the sample FAQ long before it had a dedicated site on alt.rap and rec.music.hip-hop.

That's pretty much it. From there I started branching out and finding my own sounds rather than duplicating what others had used/done.
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By DPM Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:05 pm
MadFresh wrote:Haha. I remember when I started digging and had like 0 digging knowledge. Didn't know any groups or anything. All I knew was basically that you had to buy records from the 70s, because that was apparently the best era:) I practically bought every record that I found which was recorded or produced in the 70s. Ahh, the records I bought. So damn crappy. A lot of **** pop-rock. Can't remember too many of the names now but I mean, WTF? Did I miss Mr. Handsome Face and Unbuttoned Shirt on the cover about to be butt-rammed by his acoustic guitar in front of the fire place? What did I think I was gonna find on it? Raw, outer space, clavinet-funk? :D It's funny that in some weird way during these years as a TOTALLY lost record buyer I managed to pick up "Sweetnighter" by Weather Report (?!) But at the time, I didn't know what the hell it was and couldn't comprehend the dopeness haha.

(Not saying that I'm the king of digging now or anything but you know)

Anyway, crazy memories.

You guys remember?


I did that same thing, just picking stuff up at a yard sale. It was like 7 am and there was like a big stack of like 20 vinyls, i said **** it, and bought'em all. it was only like $5 tho, only stuff good was some Lawrence Welk, Deionne Warwick and some stand up comedy by Redd Foxx (aka Sanford and Son).
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By ReckOne Sat Jul 26, 2008 4:52 pm
I became a digger as a lot of people I guess from hiphop. Looking for the originals first on some of the strictly breaks compilations just to have those tracks. After that I really got into it and it's become an addiction for life.

At first I did my research before going out buying records. But now I mostly just go by feeling. I think personally my ratio good/bad records is very high. It's not the most hard to find, rare expensive stuff but I like it very very much and most of it is very useful for sampling.

PS MadFresh, you gotta pass by one of these days at my new place.
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By EZLN Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:34 am
when i first started, i was digging for classical records and records with dope album covers.
the classical records was a mistake.
but i still dig for albums with dope covers.

over time, i found out what year and what genre i should look for based on what type of music i want to make.
i've also learned how to find a certain sample i need by just looking at the cover. i wont say what though. :)


i'll dig for anything though. i dont set limits.

im still trying to develop a sixth sense for this. lol.

Re: Remember when you started digging?

By mr.pleasant Sun Jul 27, 2008 7:50 pm
i had a other brotha that would always still tapes, records, cd's.... but the first record i've ever touched was
" KRUSH GROOVE ".....MAN, that day changed me whole life
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By J2kxl Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:29 am
ReckOne wrote:I became a digger as a lot of people I guess from hiphop. Looking for the originals first on some of the strictly breaks compilations just to have those tracks. After that I really got into it and it's become an addiction for life.

Re: Remember when you started digging?

By Electric Sheep Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:29 am
When I first started digging (only a couple of years ago) I bought that stuff off that top shelf, paying $12 to $25 for good records.

Then I found the dollar bins and started finding gems--but also a LOT of straight garbage! :lol:

Nowadays I go in with a portable TT and headphones and just buy the good stuff outta the dollar bins.
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By J2kxl Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:27 am
Lately I been going to auctions and buying crates.

Get some good ish, and alot of garbage. Havn't figured out how to get rid of the trash yet.
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Re: Remember when you started digging?

By dj e.d.e Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:29 pm
i use to buy the originals back in the 70'seven before hiphop started or around the time it was starting ,mid 70's,

back then they didnt have alot of used vinyl there was a few stores that carried used vinyl but at that time i was into what what new the 80's where coming in and the music was changing.
the 80's was something else cause all the records that mom's and pops would listen to were being used to mix with rap muisc and soul jams,they would only mix in the late night back then on the radio.

i had to do alot of choirs to get money to buy some new records.

these days it's way easier to get what you want do to the net.


yeah ,yeah iuse to walk 2miles to school and all that. :D

Re: Remember when you started digging?

By beach_break Fri Aug 01, 2008 1:18 am
i moved to new york in 1992 and all the 80s house, electro/early rap and techno from new york, chicago and detroit that i couldn't get in australia was just laying around on the streets for 25 cents a piece. no one was interested in it. the whole retro thing hadn't happened, and beat makers weren't looking to these types of records for beats. i had no competition and cleaned up.

it was so cheap i bought them all. i had a rule - i never, ever walked past records without checking them out. after hearing the gems i'd find, my girlfriend even stopped complaining about waiting hours for me on the streets and started encouraging me. she'd ring me up to say she'd come acorss a pile of records and read labels and dates to me. i'd say buy them all and put them in a cab home.

i had the best time and now have a collection that is the envy of all who know me and keeps me in dj gigs.
thank you NEW YORK CITY.
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