About the current vinyl craze.
People sharing posts about vinyl. It has become more frequent than pictures of cats or best of lists. Someone should take it next level and do a 10 best vinyl-related lolcats posts. Posts about vinyl have almost replaced the outrage about social, ecological or financial injustices some feel the need to share on social networks. And it usually goes about as deep as those superficial bursts of commitment to a cause as very few of the people posting these things have seen the inside of a record store in the past decade let alone have a working turntable.
Same goes with the eternal debate about digital or CDs vs vinyl (Note: vinyl singular not vinyls plural). Only very few play their music, in clubs that very rarely have better than mediocre sound systems, at home through their computer speakers or budget hifi or on the street while looking like a tit sporting a Beats by Dre headphone, in a fashion that grants them the possibility to hear a difference. The other arguments to choose one or the other are even more subjective and are often determined, as in our case, by what you grew up with.
The most ridiculous new fad is DJs claiming to play vinyl only sets. Not that it makes their selection any better nor upgrades the sound of the mp3 they share online. If this argument is needed to sell your mix or set there is something seriously lacking, no? Or is it just an excuse for sloppy mixing?
I want to hear good music in the best possible way. I want to feel and hear the dedication it’s made or presented with. Which means are used to do that is less of my concern. I am sure you don’t need vinyl to be truly passionate about music. I see many collectors who value their records more for the money it goes on Discogs than for the music itself. I hear people play badly compressed mp3’s just as I hear people play badly produced, mastered and pressed 12”s. If the music I hear is superb, sounds great and I connect with the passion of whoever is responsible for making me listen, the only thing that can take away the pleasure is knowing people have been ripped off somewhere between the musician and me (or someone bitching about the fact it’s not on vinyl, haha). It’s as simple as that.
Note: Our medium is vinyl and we are extremely dedicated about it. As we are about the quality (of sound) and paying our dues. We don’t judge anyone about the first, we do about the latter two.