Just came back from two days of digging and DJing in Paris. La Ville de l’Amour always delivers when it comes to finding records. Almost every store or market has gems waiting there. All you have to do is dig through them and listen for yourself to see which records speak to you most.
Sometimes it helps a lot if fellow diggers put you on the right track by pointing out a record that is easy to overlook—for example, because the cover doesn’t grab you at first sight. Also, listen to the whole record; you might find that one crazy cut on the B4 track! ;)
Two days of going through countless records again, traveling around, walking, and taking the metro heavily packed with a record bag and backpack takes up a lot of headspace and energy. So, be prepared when going that route and rest well before heading out! I took Sunday to relax and go through the records I found. Cleaning and re-sleeving them is a soothing and very important process to conserve the artifacts and make sure the records sound their best when played.
Anyway, here are some slides with a few highlights. Enjoy listening and I hope you’ll find some new discoveries.
Following up from my previous post, I wanted to share some thoughts :)
People sometimes ask me how I find records that I want to play. It’s an interesting question that sheds light on a side that exists alongside DJing. It takes a lot of time to develop your taste and train your ear to recognize the music you like and place it in a certain setting you would like to play it in. Everyone’s process is different and it also changes slightly over the years, I would say.
The past three days, I’ve scanned through an immense amount of records in search of special stuff that ends up in my collection, trading, selling, and upgrading. It’s a never-ending process and I’m very much enjoying everything about it. The people I meet during this process are often very interesting; the stories, the characters, the jokes, and the weirdness which all tell a little story. Meeting like-minded spirits brings much joy to my life.
But when is a record special enough? How do you select? Is the price right? How far are you willing to go to pay the price for a rare record? Is the condition good enough? How does the record fit in my DJ sets and do I buy it for the one amazing track or do I listen to the whole thing at home on a Sunday morning?
Much trial and error comes with digging for records, purchasing a record that afterwards feels like a mistake teaches you. It all comes down to listening and develop your ear: which record speaks to you, puts a spell on you, and draws you in? What connection do you have to it? Is it a tune you heard a different DJ play and it reminds you of that moment on the dance floor, or just a straight banger you never heard before and you just GOT to have it? Good music is good music. Putting in the time and effort combined with patience is what I’ve learned, and the records will find you. In my experience, being open makes the going smooth and good.
To give you an idea of the records that drew me in this time, I’ve put together a selection of tunes I’ve found at the record fair this weekend. I hope they inspire you.
Next stop is Paris this weekend to play @frequenceparis and do some more digging :)
Because one can never have enough records!
I’ve not been super active lately with posting here and sharing my finds and gigs but i’m still doing the record thing and playing every week.. Found some cool things at a record fair today and planning on hunting for some more this weekend.
Here is a photo with some nice finds and good stuff that’s in my bag a these days. Still looking at boxes loaded with very good CD’s and cassettes that I need to proces, been thinking of doing radioshows again and share the music via that platform to keep it flowing…. Hope everybody is doing well!
Been spending quite some time in this room lately, manipulating sounds, finding new workflows and learning about all the technical aspects that come along with it. Working with these machines, specificly older samplers and learning their ways is a slow and inspiring journey. Sitting down and taking the time to learn using a machine is giving me quite some joy, slowing everything down…
On another note i’ve just recieved the masters for the hiphop project i’ve done with @ravenkangee , soon heading to the pressing plant… 18 track double LP incoming! Very happy with how this turned out. I’ll share more when the records are here, also feel free to send me a message if you are interested in getting a copy and i’ll add you on the list.
Now back to pressing buttons :)
Seller Announcement: @bonnefooi_ Looking for a rare Brazilian record? Bonnefooi probably has two copies of it. South African Boogie? Check. Zouk? Salsa? Afrobeat? Cabo heat? You name it, Bonnefooi collects it.
Catch him selling the finest wax from all over the globe next week before he takes charge of our afterparty stage (yes, there will be an afterparty!).
I would like to share new music where i’ve been working on. The album is called ‘’leeg. lichaam.’’ by the Dutch artist @zoophis and it’s now available to stream via spotify.
It’s an immersive album that touches dissociation and trauma, it tells a story about when giving too much the result is emptiness, it reflects on that what is broken may be seen and shared with the outside world. It’s about breaking and healing. It’s about finding a way back to yourself.. It’s about acceptance.
Definitely not light hearted music, zoophis translates her thoughts and feelings into abstract spoken word sung in Dutch.
Often starting the music with a loop or idea or some chords which I tried to strenghten with my music production, adding drums, layers of synthesizers and weird dubby textures in service of the intention of the music, to tell it’s story and completely absorb the listener into the song while removing my own ego from the equation.
Thank you Sofia for trusting me to provide you with a safe haven to work on this project together and bring it to fruition. I’m proud of you!
Thank you @citylightsofficial for contributing two tracks on this album, @_tekijo for the keen ear to help with mixing the songs and @dagoosemastering for the outstanding mastering.
Thanks to you, listener.
<3
Cleaning and processing day today, acquired a few Japanese records I was after ✅
Decided to highlight a few titles from my collection so here is a selection of some classic city pop records, wave nuggets and jazz jams. Most of them are firm faves that reside in my DJ bag. Others are getting mostly played at home, different records for different moods with all one thing in common; they are insanely well produced, recorded and pressed. Mindblowing and timeless stuff that keeps growing on me every listen.
The one oddball LP here is the NV record which is not Japanese but heavily influenced by elements of 80's Japanese art-pop and modern synthwave.
For the keen eye, yes i’m a big fan of anything that Tatsurō Yamashita touched, there is something special in his recordings. Can’t recommend enough to dig into his discography, you’ll be rewarded!!
Been processing the records I picked up last week at the Den Bosch record fair, it always involves cleaning, resleeving and listening to it all. While doing this and listening to some other records too that got picked up recently I realised many records I was after got checked from the list. Wasn’t really actively looking so I guess they found me. Ayway, here are some of the faves displayed on the wall. Big thanks to the record dealers who hooked me up with jams over the years! @marini_records , @dig_this_way_records , @enlacasatropical , @offbeat__records@afro_tcharlyz
Kingsnight at Canvas 💥
Sentinel Island Disco invites a true legend: Bonnefooi 🎶
Known for his deep crates, tropical heat, and razor-sharp blends
📍 Canvas op de 7e, Volkshotel
🗓️ Friday, April 25
🕚 23:00–03:00 (restaurant set from 20:00)
💃 Free entry
🎵 Disco, Boogie, House
Let’s dance 💫
Heya! I’ve just uploaded the recording of my radioshow for @watanders3fm , thanks @plwrr for the invite 🙏
Really enjoyed playing tunes i’ve found on my recent digging trip in Portugal. A lot of Cabo Verde and Angolan music in this mix! The soundtrack of my stay in Lisboa i’d say..
Stream the full thing on my soundcloud page (see bio)
