The Two-Year Test

One of the few drawbacks of being a vinyl collector is that physical space or the lack of it is often a problem that needs to be addressed. Unlike an MP3 collector, who can buy relatively cheap hard drive space -  although there are probably completists out there with endless gigabytes of music -  you can't simply press delete when you need to free up some room. Instead, I organise purges which are based around the concept of the 'two-year test'. It means that I go back through a two-year-old shelf of music to see what still sounds fresh. If a record sounds dated, it gets the boot. Heartless? Unsentimental? Possibly. The only way to deal with space requirements while streamling the collection? Definitely. This time, I focused my efforts on music I procured at the start of 2006, around the same time that I started the blog (hence the double-entendre post title). What still sounded fresh and what was fit for the bargain basement? Interestingly, the music that two years ago was the most popular stuff, the labels that were seen as zeitgeist defining, were the ones that had aged badly. Some of the releases on Mobilee and Poker Flat had interesting ideas and displayed an inventive approach, but they also sounded like other producers had quickly caught up with them and then overtook them. That's not to write off either labels' back catalogue: Landsky's '1,000 Miles' is still as sinister as ever, Sebo K's 'Horzions'/'Moved' is a monster of a record, as is the more low-profile 'Hexoflip' by Nhar, and Guido Schneider's 'Focus On' doublepack is still a ridiculously dry yet propulsive collection of techno minimalism. More tellingly old before their time were the records that these labels' releases inspired, the clickety-clackety sameyness of releases on Highgrade, Opposum and some Einmaleins (although I discovered an insane 303 track that Agnes had done for the last label in that list during the test). Established producers whose release have favoured a slow-burning rather than a meteoric, hyped rise fared well: Sieg Uber Die Sonne's 'Sovjet Supreme' is still a superior, moody deep house joint, Uwe Schmidt's 303 'collection' as Atom Heart  -  in which Schmidt pretended to compile loads of obscure back in the day acid tracks, which he actually produced himself and released under a dizzying array of names - kicks like a mule and Mike Shannon's Cynosure label makes a few appearances, most notably with Adam Marshall's muscular bass. There's even a spooky release on Real Soon by Repeat Orchestra that sounds like a rickety update of Nu Groove's house noir. It may be an imperfect science, but what the latest results of the two-year test suggest to me is that if producers follow their heart and produce music that sounds right for them as opposed to what sounds right for the marketplace, then they're following the right path and will still be welcome 24 months later...

Comments

[chinstroker]

Is there such a thing as a "completist"?

[kenny]

A simple example of a completist is say someone who owns every release from a single label regardless of quality no?

I don't think it's particularly hearltess what you do. Though many of us try to make purchases of quality music we hope we will be able to come back to time and time again it doesn't always work out that way. If your convinced your never gonna play a record ever again, then just give it up(unless it has a specific sentimental value) as someone could be screaming out for that record. Never saw the fascination with having a HUGE collection, as a few people I know who do have them never touch shitloads of it and have no intention of either.

[Brophy]

Kenny, that would be my definition of a completist too. I don't have a huge collection (anymore!) because I regulalrly cull stuff, most of which I got sent to review. Only a really small % of the promos stay in my collection - the stuff that I really like are the records I bought myself. I think I have about 2,500 records at home with about another 500 rock/indie albums in my parents home... Is that a lot of records?

[tom/pipecock]

3000 records is a pretty sizable collection. my estimate for my collection at this point is probably around 4000 records or so (i have about 2500 on discogs already, and i have a good number of weird jazz, disco and soul things that don't appear on there as well as most of my jungle, rock, 2 step and etc collections that i havent felt like going through to put in there. as well as whatever house disco techno electro that i got before i started discogging intensely that havent been added) and it basically needs its own room. around these numbers seems like a pretty reasonable number of records for a good deejay to have. i know plenty of jokers with far less in their collections, but not many great deejays with less (though ive heard that mills' collection is around 1000 records. theo parrish once told me his collection was around 7000...).

now that i am buying far less new records, i usually have to do culls less and less frequently. if a record was made many years ago and it still sounds good, i worry less about buying that record. with new stuff, i just compare it to all the old stuff. if it doesnt stack up, i dont buy it. i have recently been pulling out things that i bought that were new that never got played (buttrich's "full clip" is at the front of the pile right now, i jacked its black outer sleeve and white inner sleeve already!) which isnt much as well as some of the weaker disco things i bought when i was just getting into it. the majority of the pile though is ~$.25 records ive bought at places where i couldnt listen first but decided to take a chance.

very few labels that release alot of records are good the entire time. even planet e has had duds (mostly recently unfortunately)! if youre getting lots of promos, i can only imagine what kind of crap is in there. i would sell most of that to second hand shops right away if i were you, get as much for it as you can and buy something better ;)

a large portion of my studio gear was purchased with me selling jungle records i bought when i was keeping up with the times. after a year of not playing them, many had lost all their appeal to me. so i sold a couple hundred. after another year, i had even less emotion about many of them. so i sold off everything but the things i really love, and i think i have regretted all of one record (dom + roland "can't punish me"!) out of all them. but i made literally many thousands of dollars from suckers who wanted to pay through the nose for boring dillinja records from '00 on ebay. hahahaha.

[Kenny]

Id see round 2500/3000 as a decent sized collection, personally i have less than a thousand - i dont count - but i dont think that makes me a "joker". thats bollox. for starters I've rarely had a proper income since ive started, until recently, so my collection is gonna pick up alot soon, but its only snobby collector bullshit that can make someone presume someone else is a joker cause they don't have a big collection. im really proud of the records i do have, i don't play out a massive amount, but it also means you won't spot me playing some shit to death either.

it also depends what your into. Buying records is an expensive hobby, I don't buy all types of music i enjoy on vinyl, so thats gonna curtail my collection too. I roughly buy what im gonna dj with.

[Brophy]

I'd agree with you Kenny, I don't think size really matters:) I'd much rather have 500 shit-hot records than 3,000 okish ones. It's for that reason that I have culled about 1,000 records over the past 5 years or so, stuff I got sent and stuff I bought I wasn't into anymore. Buying records has got more expensive... or has it? I recently looked back at some old records (from about 10 years ago) and they are pretty much the same price now.. the only differnce now is the shipping is a killer....

[Kenny]

The question of has records got more expensive is a toughy. Cost of living is up here (in Ireland) but we've also never made so much money. I find it amusing when some complain that its too expensive to buy records though they are way better off than others years ago, and they are just been, dare i say it, cheap feckers going digital. But then, fair enough if that is their choice, my only real hobby is records, im not into expensive clobber or whatever, ill gladly look like shit (and stay single ha) and have a few more lumps of wax instead :)

[gmos]

My own collection is somewhere between 2000-2500 but is long overdue a trim. Could easily get below 2000 without much grief but my problem is going through them all and grading them, etc, etc.

"I find it amusing when some complain that its too expensive to buy records though they are way better off than others years ago, and they are just been, dare i say it, cheap feckers going digital."

Haha, yeah, those same people probably spend a fortune on clothes and fashion though. Were as I can't fucking save up enough money to get a new jacket 'cause I can't go a few weeks without spending it on records :)

[jig]

Ha my college loan is gone and my credit cards almost bust yet i still buy a few records every month. Beans and toast can be amazing if you use your imagination

[lerosa]

my last big shedding was about 2 years ago where I got rid of about a hundred records, mostly IDM stuff of the weakest variety...I'm slowly getting together another lot to be rid of but it's not going to be half as large as that...mostly cheapies from the 2nd hand bins that didn't really do it once listened to properly and the odd indulgence on some new hyped up thing that turned out weak (burial's new CD anyone?). I have been through a few sell offs...it must be noted that I occasionally dropped good records that I ended up buying again, I blame it on the inexperience of youth but I sold both model 500 "technicolor" and the elektroids EP shortly after buying them new as I didn't really get them back then...it's only right that I then had to pay premium to get the elektroids ep back...the model 500 one I'm still in two minds about but I generally agree that it is not something I should have sold. So there's an enlightning tale, careful what you give away today, as you might regret it tomorrow...

[kenny]

"Haha, yeah, those same people probably spend a fortune on clothes and fashion though. Were as I can't fucking save up enough money to get a new jacket 'cause I can't go a few weeks without spending it on records :)"

Yup, my last jacket was 20squid down Pennys ha. yet i just spent 200e on records in the last week.

[tom/pipecock]

kenny, i wasn't automatically calling people with smaller collections jokers. i said that it seems like most people who are deejaying out frquently have about that size of a collection, and i gave some other counter examples of popular people with relatively small collections.

i dont disagree that having only the best records is the way to go, but it really all depends on what you are trying to do when you deejay. for example, someone like jeff mills doesnt need to have a billion records because he is generally only playing things within a relatively small set of parameters. if you're playing lots of different genres/styles, youre going to need to have more records (unless you want to be playing the same jams over and over).

here are my professions since i started buying records for real in 1997: dishwasher, record store employee, pizza delivery, record store employee/student (which basically means i make next to nothing). you can still buy lots of records if that is the most important thing for you to spend your money on!

[kenny]

Yeah, i get ya pipey. Personally, with what I have, I wouldn't take up a weekly residency, ive had a couple of residencies that were always spread out - usually no more than once a month, or playing with 3 of us in one night, so not playin too much, ya get me.
Regards the job thing since I started collecting properly, I was scraping by on loans or part-time jobs (in college most of the time) while paying rent and just living way below what say someone on social security was (yup, it was bad ha) so getting more than one/two new record a week was tough going, but it got done somehow. so gonna nicely make up for lost time now...

[tom/pipecock]

i still have about a year till im done with school and i can get a real job. i can't wait! mainly i just want to be able to get chicago house shit that never shows up in pgh second hand shops. everything else, i will continue to get at the places i go that are cheap as hell.

[Brophy]

i could never be accused of being a fashion victim either:) would much rather spend my hard earned cash on records... like lerosa, i've had a few moments where i thought a record i culled was worth hanging onto, but as soon as i heard it again out and about, i was glad i got rid of it:)

[Z]

My collection for vinyl now only stands to around 5-600 records. For a DJ who has been playing for 10 years that seems pretty small but I personally like to think about 80% of it totally class. Friends come over and say, "Holy shit, you have that?" Even though I know it's rare as fuck I toss in the "Well yeah, don't you?" like it ain't no thing. hahaha.

My two biggest issues with buying records are common ones. Money and space. When I was younger and it came down to rent or records, my money always went to records every time. Rent could wait, the latest jam could not. Today I am older and a bit more responsible, but I'm not quite old enough where I want to buy a house so I have to keep moving my collection every year or two.

[Z]

also i'd like to point out that buying mp3s online has made things more efficient. its not such an evil that people make it out to be. For instance, all the trendy shit that I take a liking to now, I just buy on Beatport. That way I get to play it a couple times, the artist gets their money, and uh...well i guess its "green" consumerism. The stuff that I know will immediately be timeless to me, the records I can come back to in 5-10 years and still fall in love with, well those are bought on sight immediately. It saves money, space, and I get to enjoy whatever music I want.

[PC/dysconnect]

Good picks from two years ago - will somebody please explain why Guido Schneider never got famous? Is he about to drop something?