I guess it was 'exciting' when the size 10 boot fractured my jaw in 2 places, with blood everywhere...
It was also 'exciting' when I looked down and noticed my thumb was on both sides of the tenon saw...
And exciting when I woke up in the ambulance and the guy asked me 'did that car hit you?'...
And when the others asked 'who was that driver you were talking to?' and I replied 'Rowan Atkinson...but his nose is smaller in real life'...

Definelty when I got my first pair of actual turntables at age 11. They weren't great and the dust covers were heavier than the turntables themselves.


Before that, I had turntables on top of like a bookshelf system with a tuner, tapedeck and cd player under them. I had two of those side by side with no pitch controls so I had to change the pitch of songs to match downbeats with my hand (moving the record a little faster with my fingers and slowin it down with my fingers).

Those tought me great techniques though and I'm glad they were my first 'actual' turntables I used for DJing.


When I got the pair I first mentioned it was the best because they had pitch controls, I was also able to use a mixer and the platter wasn't half the size of a 12inch record. They weren't great but it got me started.


Since 12 (19 now), lots of summers I worked 2 jobs to afford new equipment and now I'm on my 5th pair of decks. That's dedication right there and all I can say is it was well worth it.


Definetly other exicting moments but that sticks out because DJing is now something more than a hobby and I always wanted to do it since I was young. I wasn't born with a silver spoon and worked to get to the level I'm at now and all that work definetly paid off.

Very well done Al. My brother was a fairly popular DJ in the Bay Area during his day. He still has all his equipment and too many vinyls for me to count. I remember when he got his first turntables (Technics I think) and he felt the way you did too since he worked long summers to afford them. Definetly know where your coming from

Thanks Green_Armani.

If they were Technics I'm gonna guess they were Technic 1200s. They were the standard for DJs for over 10 years.


The pair I have now are Vestax PDX-2000s and are becoming the new standard. I bought them around the time they first came out. Many still prefer Technics.


He's your brother so I take it you've seen them. Their tone arm is S-shaped and the newer turntables are incoprorating a straight tone arm which really helps preventing skipping. The new Numarks now incorporate an inter-changable S-shaped and straight tone-arm. I would love to see a new pair of Technics but their 1200s are selling just fine.


DJing is a very expensive hobby and I'm sure your brother can tell you that . I've helped alot of people get started and some hear what it takes to get started and immediately turn away.


Record collections are something we DJs hold very dear and are most definetly irreplaceable. It's a shame becasue I know a DJ down here in philly who moved his stuff in a U-Haul truck and they stole everything from him.

That has to be tough...........my brother has easily about 2,000 vinyls from every genre imaginable. He would make his on covers that he put themin so no one could see them while he was DJ`ing. He aslo would put a label over the original label on the record so no one could see what record he was using for scratching and mixing. I doubt he will ever get rid of thos records even though he doesn't do it anymore. He still has his techincs and I do remember them having the S-shape tone arm. Being smaller then I remember going with him to all his "gigs" and I would help all around carrying this and that and I remember how heavy those turntables were. It's funny too because he would make his own speakers!!! No kidding........he would have like two 18in speakers and then make a box for them with the cutouts and he even gave the box that gray cloth to cover it with. He was pretty talented althoug I think he was a better mixer then scrather. His partner was DJ Quest (not sure if you ever heard of him.... maybe before your time and different part of the country too).

Jafo - more ducking and evasive action is highly recommended!

Yes, DJ Quest sounds very familiar. It could be a different DJ with the same name.

I've built speakers before although nothing special. I'm lookin to build a sub soon. Dual 18inchers sounds very nice .

That's cool he scratches. Scratching and beat-juggling or Turntablism is mostly the type of DJing I do. When I first started doin that, I had to buy a new crossfader every week wearing out the old one...it helped me to become ambidextrous which really came in handy for scratchin and beat juggling.


I also have about around the 2,000 range of records. I have alot of older records like: Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Queen, Genesis, Sesame Street, Mary Poppins, Alice Cooper, ect. etc. and lots of odd records that I use to cut up and create beats with.


They go nuts when they hear that

Do you listen to DJ Qbert, DJ Craze or MixMaster Mike to name a few popular DJs from the Underground?

To be honest I was never into the DJ thing but just liked hanging out with my bro. DJ Qbert sounds extremly familiar I'll ask my brother because I swear one of the DJ's he was friends with had that name.

Well if he's friends with Qbert he's friends with one of the top most influential DJs who is also a pioneer in the Turntablism DJ world.


You could say nobody could match his scratchin skills. He pioneered an art through the album Wave Twisters which was also made into a movie that tells a story through scratchin and beat juggling. It's the first movie where the movie has to match the music and not the other way around.


He had to stop competiting in the DMC/Technics World Competition because he won all the time. MixMaster Mike is also in his crew the Invisible Scratch Pickles or was because they broke up at their peak which is a good way to go.


Luck man if he was.


If you haven't seen Wave Twisters you should pick it up. It's available on cd, 12inch and DVD. The DVD is also great if you want to show off your home theater setup.

Al Julez and Green_Armani thats cool, really , my son would get a kick, his port is in Alameda and he hits SF when he can for the parks, musicand down hill
on his flat board. I keep waiting to hear the road bit him up and spit him out

Tooo freaky IPlural because I'm stationed in Alameda. Your son is stationed at Coast Guard Island, huh?

Elf, Sorry I missed your B-day.. Happy belated 2days

And my life story. Hmm, can't remember at this time. It's all blank to me. Too many drugs..

When I remember, I'll post

@ Weaksid.....Give it a while...it's only the short term memory that's affected Unledd you really fried something

Unledd = Unless