What do you guys ask for when you go into record stores?

I got my mpc about a month ago and I've gone to the record store a couple times since then. I'm very new to this and I'm 15 so honestly don't know much about the older stuff. I told the guy at the store I was trying to sample for hip hop beats and I explained to him like 6 times what I meant but he didnt seem to get it.

Last time I went I picked up a lot of old blues, folk, and some soul/motown stuff but have only sampled around 2 songs from the 15 records i bought. I'm just lookin for some cool sounds and don't really know how to look for them, any advice?

Welcome to the world of diggin, kid. My first bit of advise is this -





Don't tell the guy at the record shop that you are there to get records to sample for hip hop!

^^^^ man the responses are endless from shop owners Go to goodwill or thrift stores get all types for 25 cents to a dollar and don't look for anything, let your ears guide you, they know what sounds good, trust your instincts when it comes to that and you will come into your own style. I will sample anything polka, orchstra's, disco's soul blues, screw a genre at the end of the day when you lace the drums right it equals hip hop

Call me crazy but I like to grab the records with the craziest covers. I never once listened to a record in a shop lol.

I suggest you do though, because now I have maaad records, and they all aren't great haha

I do the same thing. Every trip I buy at least 2 records that seem crazy or "weird". But I have never been a DJ, so digging is kinda new for me.

I'm kind of new to beatmaking, but I bought records before I started to make beats. I think you can of course sample from any genre, but some genres are easiest to sample, or at least sound better for hip-hop. For example, I like blues, but I find it real hard to sample.

I think it's important to have a bit of musical culture before starting sampling. If you feel that you like jazz for example, buy the classic records of the great names(John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans...), if you like soul better, buy Motown...
You should try to listen to a little bit of every genre, and see what you like the best to listen to first, and then to sample.

Also, look for the samples used by your favorite producers. You will then know what kinds of songs/genres you like. And with time, you will find what are your favorites genres, musicians, labels... both for listening or sampling.

I hope this helps

there's no real rule for buying records, but get what you like and go from there
also you'll find your tastes broadening naturally because you'll expose yourself to all kinds of stuff you normally wouldn't, that's the most fun part of it to me

I like to browse the $1 bins first. I agree on not telling the record shop owner that your looking to sample because they will instantly judge you

I try not to target one genre becasue then all your samples will sound the same. Stick with Funk and Soul records to start. Every now and then check out the World section because you could find some hidden gems. Jazz can be tricky because often times the tempo's change.

Look deeper into this thread. I saw a few months back a list of artists that digger's target and I got some solid picks from that.

Best of luck with your digs!

The moment you ask for anything when entering a shop, the cash register appears in the salesperson's mind.

Act like you know what you're looking for, and if you don't know find out and SEARCH FOR IT.

Be prepared to spend hours in any one shop, if you're serious the stuff immediately visible is usually wack.

i ask if i can get him a coffee - i'm usually there for a while.
some guys respond well to that type of thing, and it might help to get you put up on something you'd otherwise flip past.

and we all should agree on rule number one as posted above:
never say you're looking to sample.

good luck!

say to him, "where da breaks at?"

hard to say man. when you go into the record store you've sort gotta let your intuition guide you as well as suggestions from others. know what music you like and what kind of stuff you see yourself sampling (do you like jazz? soul? psych? etc. etc.) and browse through the different genres he's got.

when i go into record stores, i'm not expecting much. i'll look at the cover art as well as the liner notes to get a feel of what instruments are on the album.

you can't go wrong w/ a portable table either (something cheap like a numark pt-01)..that way you can listen to your records..i don't know if this guy has a listening station..if he does..disregard what i said.

happy digging.

DSTRUCT wrote:Welcome to the world of diggin, kid. My first bit of advise is this -

Don't tell the guy at the record shop that you are there to get records to sample for hip hop!

don't tell anything at the guy in the record shop
and don't show too much enthusiasm when finding a good record. he could raise the price up...
be wise
you have to know the colors of record labels, catalog numbers and sh1t like that to avoid swindles
books like the goldmine record price guide (for US pressings) or the record collector price guide (for UK pressings) could be very useful.

Iodine tablets

If youre staring out, youre going to buy a lot of stuff you dont like or maybe wont know how to use, so make sure you buy cheap and buy lots. Over time you will see records in the cheap bins that make you think "ive not seen that before" or "that shouldnt be there" these will become the records that you start to pick up as you become more selective.

To begin with, get your drums online and your samples from vinyl, as you get more drums on vinyl - switch to them as appropriate.
Dont expect to find 'breaks' in the bargain bin - when you hear a lone snare hi hat or kick - sample it, and keep it with other one shots.

And I agree, dont tell the guy in the shop you buy it for sampling, and never say youre selling it on
Record shop guys (if they care) like to know that the music is going to the right people who will preserve/keep the music alive like djs and collectors. Though if you tell them youre djing or collecting from the bargain bin, its probably going to raise eyebrows.

KkonEl wrote:there's no real rule for buying records, but get what you like and go from there
also you'll find your tastes broadening naturally because you'll expose yourself to all kinds of stuff you normally wouldn't, that's the most fun part of it to me

+ **** 1




and also. as the RZA once said: "Read the lables and play it loud!!!"


and um... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=141914 .....