Ah-CHOO! Damn, the dust is thick in the air! [ sniff-sniff ] I need some eye drops bad. I know I have been looking for 7 hours, but I LOVE diggin’ in the crates! Uh-aaAh-CHOO!!!
Does this sound familiar to anyone out there? Can you relate?
If you have never went on an expedition through garage sales, vinyl collector shops, thrift stores, flea markets, or some old damp room looking for the next perfect beat, then you can never completely call yourself a DJ, a Hip Hop producer, or a vinyl aficionado. There is no fun or thrill in making tracks without crate digging and finding that one couple of bars of gold!
Diggin’ through rows of vinyl is very similar to panning for gold as a forty niner. Sometimes you can get real lucky with a special nugget of rhythm goodness that will make you want to cover [ or soak off ] the labels! It is a true scavenger hunt.
I love this thirty minute documentary called Beat Diggin’ (by Busy Body Films) because I know this fanatical thrill as a reformed vinyl junkie! At one time there were many places in South Florida that sold vinyl stacked to the ceilings, but now record stores are very scarce here. I had a few special joints I use to case often like Larry’s Records, All Books and Records, Uncle Sam’s, Sir Arthur’s Oldies, and Sid’s Records and Tapes. Now they are all gone except Larry who I hear sells his massive collections on the internet. If I need vinyl I will have to special order it or find a disc jockey distributor pool. Word to everyone, South Florida sucks for Hip Hop DJs. You really have to dig harder.
Anyways, enjoy Beat Diggin’. It is worth every minute! Special appearances by Diamond D, Mos Def, Showbiz, Godfather Don, Common, Evil D, Mr. Walt, Paul Lepe, and Royal Flush.
