Digging noob

ive been buying cheap records from GOODwills in my area but becoming very dissapointed in my diggin... can anyone give me some advice on what to look out for?.. so far all i know is to stick to mostly 70"s area where they had that organic sound

i would say if ur just starting... use anything and sample wutever u got... i say this cuz i would recomend u practice sampling and choppin shlt up... and sequencing and layin down drums... then once u think u got all that shlt down, u might find urself thinkin... dam i need this sound or that sound... then u dig for it....then u might get like me and a couple other tru diggers here and start fiendin for wax like a fukin tweeker son..... chek EDE or PRAH.....i would also advise u NOT to stick to any certain genre... u need to keep ur ears open kid....maybe do some research and find a record store near u and hit that up cuz they might got a record player for u to listen to the wax b4 u buy it... if u aint got no loot, just hit up the joint like ur gonna buy ish and just listen and dont buy ish...

I think it's always a good idea to invest in a portable turntable for when you're diging, and just buy stuff you like the sound of.

It doesn't matter what other people are digging for, just go for whatever sounds good to you.

for real, a lot of times the hottest samples are on the random records. you just gotta get out there and do it, it's not always an explainable thing.

I started out digging in the thrift stores and dollar bins at the record stores. Sometimes I bought some records that weren't in the dollar bins that I thought looked cool. I bought from EVERY genre.

After a while, I really expanded my music tastes. I read books and all kinds of info on artists I like. I read the liner notes on all the albums. I try to retain as much info as possible. Now I know a whole lot more about music and what I want to look for.

Just takes time and dedication. Now I hardly dig in the cheap stuff but I'll check it sometimes. You never know what you might find.

But I suggest not spending too much unless you know exactly what you are getting.

just being nosey...
there isn't a science to diggin. me personally, i go for the soul albums first, then i work my way around albums that look cool (LOL!). that's real shit though.
anyways, a good source is to read SCRATCH magazine (no i don't get paid for saying this!)- i read up on all the samples everybody uses in their stuff & i just look for more albums from the artist they use. most of the stuff is from people & genres i've never heard of or **** wit. but just by buying the albums, your tastes start to expand.
just my .02 cents.

spectre wrote:I started out digging in the thrift stores and dollar bins at the record stores. Sometimes I bought some records that weren't in the dollar bins that I thought looked cool. I bought from EVERY genre.

After a while, I really expanded my music tastes. I read books and all kinds of info on artists I like. I read the liner notes on all the albums. I try to retain as much info as possible. Now I know a whole lot more about music and what I want to look for.

Just takes time and dedication. Now I hardly dig in the cheap stuff but I'll check it sometimes. You never know what you might find.

But I suggest not spending too much unless you know exactly what you are getting.

sound like a trooper spectre your well on your way.

what else can i say ,but theres alot of info in here just do searches reed this forum dont reply to to much just yet do alot of reading i'mself and others on here have posted up much useful info , and yeah learn to listen to other genre's of music then just soul/funk and hiphop you'll be suprised what you will find.

@ beetjunkeeee

then u might get like me and a couple other tru diggers here and start fiendin for wax like a fukin tweeker son

i wish it was easy to stop but it aint man... what started at 6yrs old wanting to just hear records in my room while being grounded ,
30 yrs later became a major disease.
i dont do drugs but i might as well..... records are my drug.
HAHAHAHA ....good luck kid... good luck ;
once the bug bites and get's under your skin there's no turning back

Dolo wrote:I think it's always a good idea to invest in a portable turntable for when you're diging, and just buy stuff you like the sound of.

It doesn't matter what other people are digging for, just go for whatever sounds good to you.

Yes, this has saved me many dollars. I bought a vintage one off of Ebay a long time ago and it works really good.

Prob the best thing to use if you're unsure on what you're buying.

never used one to dig, but i have been looking for one .


for me it's just reading the liner notes and studying up on the artist know the label's the drummers the musicians and co-musicians

the shaman wrote:there isn't a science to diggin.

ur young and new to this, that is far from true.

digging is science

also as for the portable...i'm not a fan

lots of times i listen to a record at the store and think it has the illest sample of ********** and then i get back to the lab and its not any where near what i thought.

i find i'm better at just buying some vinyl and waiting till i get to the crib to listen (but note this is terrible advice if you are new to this)

use your gut instinct too...if it looks hot 80% of the time it is hot.

other than that...all the typical indicators

1)record label

2)musicians featured on it

3)artist

4)year it came out

5)instruments played on it

.....also examining the grooves on the record. Just take the record out it's cover and examine the grooves on the vinyl, if you see any large gaps in the grooves in between the songs that means that theirs some sort of breakdown there.
This works best when looking at rock/soul/funk/r&B albums

man, i just buy it if i like the cover

look for:

jerry curls

spaceships

people wearin sunglasses lookin moody

abstract patterns

weird landscapes

flared suits


be wary of covers with hot '70's girls in leotards , some good mostly just tragic tho