VKMP3

Time to go where it’s a bit warmer. We’ll be back soon! Read more

Tonight we’re playing live on basic webradio. from 08PM to 10PM (CET)

To listen to the radio show in itunes or winamp follow this link.

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The Amsterdam based imprint 100% Pure was founded in 1992 by Sandy Hunter and Dylan Hermelijn (2000 and One, Edge of Motion). Amsterdam based imprint 100% Pure was founded in 1992 by Sandy Hunter and Dylan Hermelijn (2000 and One, Edge of Motion).

The label is home of the early works of Steve Rachmad, Jerome, Stefan Robbers & Orlando Voorn. It was setup to give home to the deeper melodic techno. Consciousnessly they didn’t do any promotion, to keep the label Underground. It worked, because the label sold itself. Around 1995 the label was at his peak of popularity, both national and international. The track Asphyx was the first major clubhit around the world for 100% Pure, played by dj’s like Darren Emerson & Sven Vath. In 1997 “loop techno” was very popular. This was the beginning of the end for the first era of 100% pure. The techno was getting harder and more abstract with less room for the warm sound 100% pure stood for. They released one loop based ep by Steve Rachmad, but the damage was already done. Their distributor Mox Music went bankrupt, which left the label with big debts. This led to what seemed to be the end of 100% pure and in 1998 Dylan & Sandy pulled the plug out of the label.

Dylan decided to start working in the IT-business to pay of his debts. He was so sick and tired of his defunct label that he didn’t enter his studio for 6 years. He thought he would never make music again but his heart kept beating for the passion of producing. Obviously, Dylan thought he was finished with house music, but house music wasn’t finished with him. Read more

This year again we gonna be spinning some records on basic webradio.

Vinyl Kills MP3 show is scheduled every month on wednesdays (every wednesday but not the first in a month) from 08PM to 10PM (CET). We usually play from deep house to deep techno, but it can also be funk, disco or hiphop when we feel like. What are we gonna play tonight? No idea yet really but no worries, we got a lot of cool 12′ in lately ;-) Read more

Back in the early days when I arrived in Berlin, on sundays I used to go to Boxhagener platz‘ flea market and enjoy the atmosphere. This is where I met Martin – Audio-In‘s happy owner – for the first time. It was amazing how many collectors I found that day but unfortunately I was a bit on budget at that time :(

Anyway, I somehow made it to Berlin, get to know Martin better, and we became good friends.

So I had the chance to pass by the shop often & this is now one of my favorite place to get second records in Berlin. The shop is clean and well organized, assortment is reasonable and the selections are good. From minimal to deep techno, from detroit to chicago classics: many good records. There’s also a small hip hop and disco section as well as a growing electro disco collection. Read more

I just created a new categorie: “Featured labels” and we’ll use it to feature labels we like and to share our passion for music and its industry.

The first episode of this serie is Headspace Recordings, founded in 1996 in Cardiff by Tom Churchill and Raeph Powell. It has been described in DJ Magazine as ‘one of the world’s finest deep techno outlets’. Past releases have featured tracks and mixes from artists such as CiM, aubrey, funk d’void, morgan geist, hanna, dennis desantis and tom churchill and have been supported by djs such as laurent garnier, andrew weatherall, john tejada, daniel bell, dan curtin, chris duckenfield and tyler stadius. Read more

We’ve long argued that vinyl records offer better sound quality than CDs or MP3s, but our stoic loyalty in the face of change was seen as little more than a nostalgic bias during the 25 years in which digital recordings came to dominate the music industry. In recent years, however, sales of LPs have more than doubled online and are regaining overall market share, thanks to new converts looking for more than they can find in an MP3 selling for 99 cents online. Read more

New year, New sound! Happy 2009!

Got some great records lately from audio-in, hardwax & discogs … takes hours to get them all sorted but eventually I found some time to record a new podcast over this long weekend. 2009 sounds good so far, electronic and deep.

Special thanks to workshop for the great records they release and to hardwax for distributing them.

Stay in touch! More dj-sets to come on basic.ch on wednesdays 08PM-10PM

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Yes, there really is a turntable that plays LPs (and even 78s) optically, that performs this function to the highest audiophile standards and that is now readily available. This raises audiophiles’ interest since at least the mid 1980′s when an American named Michael Stoddard formed a company called Finial Technologies to develop it. Unhappily, it was perfected just as the CD came out and in the middle of a recession. Like many other American companies, they went belly up and sold the rights and machinery to a Japanese firm, and through several deals and company name changes, it has ended up with ELP.

So exactly what is the ELP unit? The Finial people came up with the idea of using low power lasers to read the grooves of the record rather than a conventional needle. While a simple concept, it was, according to articles from the 80′s, a fairly difficult feat for the electronics and mechanisms of the day. They finally came up with the present system of actually using five lasers, two to station the head directly over the center of the groove and keep it there and a third beam to read depth of the groove to keep the two reading lasers focused on the groove walls. While the three sighting lasers use A/D conversion to run their electronics and servo motors, the reading laser’s signal is kept analog for the transition from light to electrical signal output, thus no digital conversion.

Anyone, with hundreds if not thousands of LPs, 45s or treasured 78s or anyone convinced that analog recordings musically outperform digital ones should begin saving up for the ELP Laser Turntable. The LT-1LRC (RC for remote control) plays back at 33 and 45 for €10,000, the LT-1XRC will also do 78′s for €13,000, and the LT-2XRC adds the ability to play any size record for €14,000. Shipping costs from Japan are additional. If you do not have a phono stage, they will supply a solid-state unit for €190. If you are into non-RIAA 78′s they also have a filter-equalizer for €370.

For now the units must be shipped back to Japan for repair and a one-year full warranty in included. After the warranty period you pay for shipping charges of approximately $500 and about $300 for the actual repair. There is also a service contract for $500 to 700 per year if you so desire. ELP also recommend an overhaul of the unit every 5 to 7 years, which should cost about $1,000 with shipping. While this seems like an outrageous price to pay for a turntable to play recordings, stored in what most people would consider to be an obsolete form, the recently announced Domus turntable and arm designed by Ben Ghibaldani goes for a cool €12,750 and that price doesn’t include the cartridge, yearly needle replacement, a cleaning machine, and your records will still wear down, so obviously the analog beat goes on. Read more