Category Archives: editorial

Video DJ Series: Scratching and Mixing

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DJ Producer Series Digital Scratching and Mixingby Joe Wallace

For the record–I put very little stock in many of these “learn how to DJ” tutorials. Learn to mix and scratch like a pro? I’ve got a better idea–why not teach yourself how to mix and scratch and become a pro? Watching somebody in a goofy hat turntabling on a DVD isn’t my idea of a good time.

That said, I was intrigued by the lineup on the DJ Series Digital Scratching and Mixing DVD. This disc boasts interviews with Robert Moog, Herbie Hancock, and Wally Callerio, just to name a few. What does Robert Moog say on the DVD? I’m intrigued, since in my mind he’s the Godfather of analog synth goodness. Herbie Hancock isn’t such a stretch, but Moog is the wildcard here, at least to me.

If you’ve seen this, by all means drop a comment here–I’d love to know if the Moog thing is a goofy name-dropping ten second cameo or if it’s a quality interview worth the price of the disc to see…

WTF Bad Album Covers: Slim Goodbody The Inside Story

WTF?

WTF Bad Album Covers Sam Goodbodyby Joe Wallace

It’s been too long since a bad album cover worthy of commentary has caught my eye, but this winner was too good to pass up. To begin with, Slim Goodbody has ALWAYS creeped me out. He has the hunted look of a Turkish prison survivor just out after a stretch for trying to smuggle some of the Taliban’s finest heroin into Vatican City.

And more importantly, the thing that makes this record truly creepy besides the come hither look (who’s he trying to woo in a getup like this, one of Pinhead’s flesh-rendering pals from Hellraiser?) and the faux-mime gesturing? Well, take a damn good look at ol’ Slim Goodbody here. What’s missing?

Eunuch Goodbody is more like it.

The Most Expensive Record Ever Sold? 1966 Velvet Underground and Nico Acetate

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velvet underground andy warhol 1966 acetateby Joe Wallace

Since I ran a feature on what could possibly be the world’s most ridiculously expensive record needles, it was only fitting that the world’s most expensive vinyl also get a look–after all, what do you play with a record needle that cost 20 thousand dollars? How about this acetate of The Velvet Underground And Nico, which sold on eBay for more than $25,000?

An acetate, for those who don’t know about the record production process, is pressed before the master is created so vinyl records can be mass produced. It’s used as a reference so an engineer can tell how all the duplicated vinyl records will sound once they roll out of the pressing plant.

According to the fascinating Popspike.com, this acetate of The Velvet Underground And Nico was successfully auctioned on ebay for $25,200 back in 2006, making this one of THE most expensive record sales ever, right next to a rare copy of Pink Floyd’s Meddle album pressed on blue vinyl for $12K and a “SEX PISTOLS – God Save the Queen – GENUINE A&M AMS7284!” for over 12,000 British pounds.

This Velvet Underground acetate looks to be the most likely candidate to be played with the most expensive record needle in the world.

Madness! The Most Expensive Replacement Record Cartridge Ever?

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Koetsu Coralstone Platinum record cartridge

by Joe Wallace

How much would you pay for a replacement record needle? How about a replacement record cartridge made from coralstone? No, you probably won’t be doing any scratchin’ with the Koetsu Coralstone Platinum cartridge, which retails for a brain-shreddingly high price tag of…wait for it…$15,000. That’s right, fifteen THOUSAND DOLLARS. Did I mention this is mono only?

Imagine if you will, having a checkbook fat enough to plunk down 15K for one of these, taking it home and dropping the needle down on..anything. You’d never get any records played because you could never get past the “Which album is worthy of the first needle drop from my new fifteen thousand dollar replacement cartridge?” question.

Well, maybe Kind of Blue by Miles or maybe a Morricone classic. But really—how could you even get started?

Now imagine for a moment that the Koetsu Coralstone Platinum actually ISN’T the most expensive replacement record cartridge on the planet?

Submitted for your approval is an even MORE EXPENSIVE Koetsu replacement cartridge for all your high-falutin’ designer vinyl needs. This one is so exclusive that only TWO of them are made PER YEAR according to the retail hype. Crack open a $500 a-bottle Laphroaig 25 year old Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Whisky and listen to your Sesame Street Live! soundtrack album on THIS little bastard:

Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum Magnet Replacement Record Player CartridgeThe Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum Magnet cartridge is a low-output cartridge retailing for $20 thousand, and is made with “an agate Onyx of blue, grey and white layers of fused quartz.” Me personally, I’m hoping to score one of these to play some old Eminem 12-inch singles on and maybe the soundtrack to Ordinary People. Then I’m going to tear it up at the club with some scratching action–using a Rick Springfield record that the lightshow guy snorted some coke off of five minutes ago.