Do you ever buy records at random?

A few years later, I start getting into IDM and all that lot and discover that I had randomly picked up the 6th release on Basic Channel.

Somewhat sadly, I am quite proud of this.

no way. not in a long time.

local library
+ broadband
+ the mindset that most cd's are crap, whether i've heard of it or not
- $

= with a handful of exceptions, i haven't payed for music since 1998.

I guess the random factor applies more when second-hand/charity shopping, where experimentation on sleeve art-only basis is easier due to the 50p-ness of most prices.

But one of my favourite records of 2003 - Ghost Cauldron's Invent Modest Fires - has a bloody awful cover which almost puts me off listening to it, so maybe going digital is sometimes the best bet after all.

Sorry, not totally on-topic, but still.

Other good records I've found this way:

Heltah Skeltah: "Nocturnal"
All Natural: "Second Nature"
The Brotherhood: "Elementalz"
Eusebe: "Tales from Mama's Yard"
4E: "4E4ME4U"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/lixnixn/imagination.jpg

I recently bought this album mostly just based on the amazing cover (though when I played I realized I had heard one of the songs before, I just didn't remember the name of the tune nor the group), and was pleasantly surprised to learn the music was almost as amazing.

http://991.com/newGallery/Gail-Ann-Dorsey-The-Corporate-Wor-390022.jpg

This one, on the other hand, turned out to be far less impressive than the cover, just some bland eighties soft rock. The record store had filed it under "soul/funk", apparently because an album by a black female singer can't be anything else, and I made the mistake of believing them and buying it without listening to it.

She has quite an amazing voice. I only know her from Bowie's live band during his last tours, can't recall having heard any solo stuff.

re - Imagination
http://batzbatz.com/uploads/posts/2007-12/1196498426_heat.jpg
My brother once got me this album for my birthday. I like it a lot. "Just An Illusion" is the one most people know I think. Has a deep, fluid bass line that I love.

Let's try another source for that image
http://991.com/NewGallery/Imagination-In-The-Heat-Of-Th-238231.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_66T1v32JwZ0/Sls5w2GRatI/AAAAAAAAAhg/GC8hEnEz9O0/s400/Art%2BBears%2B(1979)%2BWinter%2BSongs.jpg
http://media.photobucket.com/image/under%20milk%20wood/bradwrolstad/under-milk-wood.jpg

i bought both of those from them just looking/feeling/smelling great.

to go off topic, i was just rooting around in the kitchen cupboard for a duster to clean my records and although there wasn't one around, i decided to be risky and use a washing up sponge - this kind
http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/sponge250.jpg

and to my surprise it worked a treat cleaning with window cleaner on the smoother side of the sponge.

pro tip.

fux0ring photobucket images

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/80/268108410_25bc0e85c7.jpg

re - Imagination

My brother once got me this album for my birthday. I like it a lot. "Just An Illusion" is the one most people know I think. Has a deep, fluid bass line that I love.

― willem, Sunday, January 2, 2011 7:51 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

that is a great bassline. anyone ever sample this? i always thought it would make a early 90s style g-funk track.

*a good early...

and to my surprise it worked a treat cleaning with window cleaner on the smoother side of the sponge.

pro tip.

― jumpskins, Sunday, January 2, 2011 1:23 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

my boneheaded dirty vinyl strategy:

first, fill a sink full of tepid-to-warm, soapy water and get yourself an ordinary (virgin or dedicated) dish sponge. immerse the vinyl one piece at a time and let it soak a few minutes. rinse it clean, immerse again in the sudsy water, pour more soap directly on the grooves, and then use a very soapy sponge to gently wipe in the direction of the grooves. dunk the vinyl in the sink to remove excess suds and dirt, wring your sponge out and gently wipe again. finally rinse the record clean in more warmish tap water. dry by folding in a warm, clean cloth to blot excess water and then by letting the disk stand in the open air for half an hour or so. change the water and clean the sponge every couple records.

simple water and soap seems to dry at least as clear as any window/record cleaning solution i've used. downside is that the process leaves the center labels a little less smooth.

yikes, you would give record geek a heart attack with that method. just buy some record cloths and mix up a batch of isopropyl and water. squirt a little on cloth and wipe record with it. or buy a disc cleaning brush. or just buy really clean records.

Skot, I have one of those Zerostat antistatic guns that Discwasher used to make. Are those things worth anything to anybody?

sponges can be abrasive. even if they feel smooth. not a really big deal though. but you want to handle a record as little as humanly possible. and too much soap is a no no. some people add a drop of dish soap to their alcohol/water mix. but just a drop.

they still make the antistatic guns. someone does anyway. i've never had one.

i actually might buy one of these. i clean a LOT of records every week.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Spin-Clean-Record-Washer

its not a super serious machine like a vpi, but good for general cleaning of old records.

I've got one a bit like that, does a good job. My friend gave it to me cos he splashed out £1500 on a really fancy one. Seemed a crazy amount of money to spend on a record cleaner, especially since he's unemployed, but at the time he was buying up collections, cleaning them up and selling them individually on Ebay.

Those anti-static guns are crazy expensive now, like $95. I'm on the lookout for a used one, my apartment is very dry and static on records is a problem.