Berlin-based Metrofarm designs and builds some of the most unique, high-end, custom DJ desks. The recessed housing keeps the turntables flush with the tabletop and the results are just beautiful. See for yourself.
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Having been in the turntable game for over 30 years, Technics put out a wide range of interesting and iconic pieces from the late 1970s through the 1980s.
On the interesting side, we have this SL-15 from 1981, with an MSRP of $850. The SL-15 had some features that made it really stand out.
Linear tracking - the tonearm travels along the top of the record player in a horizontal line as opposed to the traditional pivoting tonearms we are used to.
Programming / automation - the turntable allowed you to select and program which tracks you wanted to hear. To the left of the view window, you'll see a series of buttons. These allowed you to directly access tracks
Hang on the wall - the linear tracking and cover allowed this turntable to be hung on a wall. In the advertisements, they even touted that you could hang it on the ceiling. Ahh the 80s...
Another interesting model was the SL-V5 from 1983. Although it didn't come with the fancy programming features of the SL-15, it's vertical design made it incredibly convenient for those looking for a turntable with a small footprint. Its design was in line with the trend of vertical CD players that were just hitting the market. Even today, 25 years later, it has a simple, elegant aesthetic to it.
Both of these models are pretty rare but every now and then, you'll see one pop up on eBay.
In doing the research on these two, I came across lots of other models and was amazed at just how many they released in the early to mid 1980s. Today, when we think of Technics, the iconic 1200s probably comes to mind. If you dig a bit deeper, you can find some really interesting pieces.
If you're looking for more information about vintage Technics, be sure to stop by this site. They have a comprehensive list of all of the models that were released and it's a good starting point if you want to learn more about that old Technics you have in the attic.
Also, if you have an interesting old turntable that you still use today, feel free to let us know about it in the comments!
If you're a fan of album cover art, you'll definitely want to find your way over to LP Cover Lover.
This blog format site posts interesting, beautiful, and strange album covers. Here's how they got started:
My friend Tony and I are record collectors and we especially love finding old records with crazy, beautiful, sexy, funny, shocking, provacative, absurd, tacky covers. We search flea markets, salvation armies, house sales, stoop sales, garbage cans and, when we can find them, record stores that still sell vinyl. After 30 years of doing this, we kind of feel like we’ve seen everything, but still we search for that new old record with a cover we just can’t believe. eBay, while having effectively killed the used record stores we grew up loving, has opened up a world of records from other countries that we probably would not have seen otherwise. Tony and I spend far to much time (and money) on eBay clicking around for record covers that hit that sweet spot.
We’ve actually organized our lp collections into cover categories like “cartoons” and “cheesecake” and “beatniks”; even “dolls” and “monsters” and “big heads.” So we’re getting it together to show you the highlights and low points of our obsessive habit. To show you record covers that you don’t see everywhere else. Covers that might otherwise be lost to the junk heap of history.
The site has been around since 2006 and with an extensive list of categories, you're sure to find something interesting.
Check it out here.
Came across a great little article from the NY Times about getting into vinyl and what you should be thinking about when you select a turntable.
Here's an excerpt:
WHEN Melissa Walker, 31, was growing up, vinyl records were nostalgic artifacts. But when three crates of LPs were left in an apartment she had rented, a $10 thrift store record player turned those records into a kitschy novelty. And when her boyfriend bought her a Rega P1 turntable and a Bill Evans jazz album for her 30th birthday, playing the records became a daily ritual.
“Dave brought it home, and we dimmed the lights and sat on the couch with a glass of wine, and I felt like we were in a jazz club,” Ms. Walker said. “I could hear the musicians breathing. It felt like I could hear them smoking.”
Now she holds listening parties in her Brooklyn apartment, introducing friends to the rich sound of vinyl. “There is something I like about the process of listening that way,” she said. “Having to listen to it in the order the musicians intended, and turning it over. There is something social about it.”
Check out the full article here.
Without question, Bang and Olufsen have made (and continue to make) some beautiful products. A couple of years ago, I picked up a classic Beogram 4000 on eBay and it's really stunning in person
I found a great writeup about the Beogram 4000 on BeoCentral, a reference guide for all things B&O. Here's an excerpt:
Perhaps the definitive B&O product. Combining innovative, cutting edge technology, precision engineering, superlative performance and outstanding appearance in a tasteful, usable, relevant package, it set the standards for top end Hifi. For a small organization like B&O to release a product like this stunned the audio industry, who were used to seeing a lead from the likes of Technics and Sony. Both these companies, and many others besides, tried in vain to imitate the Beogram 4000, but none ever offered a convincing alternative. Read more >
The Beogram 4000 was designed by Jacob Jensen, released in the early 1970s, and can be found in many museums including the MoMA here in NYC.
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