We found this little gem whilst surfing for DJ news & rumours, ( thats hard to find let me tell you !!! ). At DJ History they havea very extensive guide to record shops in the UK. Its looking quite full and might have a lot of potential. So if your in the market for records in the UK check it.

UK Record Store Guide

The young OXYGENIC can’t decide on which mixer to buy the Numark 5000fx or the Pioneer 500 . The discussion turns around as to why the f*$k anyone would go for the DJM500 when the DJM600 is out with split cue. Other than that the mixers don’t really compete well with one another they are both good quality but the Numark has effects and is more modern.

via djsource

Young djdeeuu asks about a QBert video idea on djpages.com and promptly gets his ass handed to him.

The coo de gras is this fine ass quote:

Along with a ‘tickle me Q Bert’, ‘How to dress and talk like Q-bert’ DVD……and ‘How to collect giant Gundam robots like Q-bert does’ limited edition VHS (NTSC only, though)…..

The crux of the matter is the impact QBert has on turntablism. The three time DMC champion is an inspiration to many turntablists. QBerts inspiration can have a crushing effect on those learning turntablism, if they focus only on him. Many turntablists focus more on how Qbert “does it” and less on developing as an artist.

Newcomers do need a source of knowledge to learn from. Qbert videos and tutorials provide this in a unique way that isn’t available otherwise. Fresh turntablists can move on to developing their own uinique styles faster if they learn from the Qbert product line. That being said how many are blinded by the artist ?

What do you think ? Is the QBert product line and Qbert reputation hurting the art ?

The cats over at djsource are having a go at it over the age old question, are mk5’s really worth it ?

The responses are all for the mk2’s by minimizing the defects the mk5 fix.

Things they say:

its a mk2, with no click on the fader and a pitch reset button

The justification for not needing to get rid of the click…

the fader click problem is about as overhyped as 0.1% pitch control on cd players… if your that close to 0% and its giving ya probs, just pitch the other deck up/down slightly

The Mk5…

also it has an led target lamp instead of a regular one if i remember right

On the mk2 you need to have a mod installed…

disabling quartz lock

All those problems in and of them selves are minor and worth overlooking but fixed together boys the mk5 is a much better value. I dunno about you but I don’t like buying things with “minor annoyances”.

Seems they missed the overall point of it to me. But what do I know I am just a writer.

The Numark HDX release is going to turn the digital turntable market on its head. The new turntable was announced to have a hot swappable eighty gigabyte hard drive. The HDX also sports a support for mp3, cd, and wma formats. The 80 gig hard drive will allow the turntable instantly recall songs, freeing the dj from juggling media. The HDX is similar to its predecessor the CDX. It simulates the look an feel of a traditional turntable allowing DJ’s to use the skills they use for vinyl on with a new format.

The addition of the hard drive is absolutely a radical change. We think this sweet puppy will turn the market for digital turntables on its head.

• Numark Press release
• regards to engadget

PLASA, the upcoming proaudio show in England, is shaping up to be the most exciting proaudio event of 2005. All the major corporations are going to be there unveiling their new technologies and lots of Europe’s best DJ’s will be on hand as well.

We are especially looking forward to hearing about the Digital Turntablism and Mixing session they are going to hold. Seems the majors are looking to push the move away from turntables even more. If you go be sure to leave a comment on how it went.

There is also going to be a session on video jockey’s which should be productive. We are still pretty uncertain what the future will be for video jockeys will be at the moment so this should be a good gauge for how the industry sees their future.

DJ’s sit down, I have some frightening news for you, Technics Turntables are going away.

In the future you will find them but they are going to be the exception and not the norm. Its not going to happen tommorow, or next year but it will happen before the end of the decade.

Why ? You gasp. Quite simple really they are a dieing technology.

There are three primary types of DJ’s that used them. The mobile dj, the mix dj, and the turntablist.

The Mobile DJ’s are primarily concerned with money and portability. For them there is little art or nostalgic pleasure in playing on such an antiquated piece of gear. That means the mobile DJ’s were the first to ditch it and made them the de facto pioneers in new technologies like video mixing, cd’s and now digital ( mp3 ) mixing.

The Turntablist is a specialist and wants to scratch only. There are newer instruments, the QFO mainly and the Stanton STR-8, that are better equipped to allow them to practice their art. The Technics while the first deck used by many turntablist is no longer the preferred table.

Finally the are mix DJ’s that love the Technics are the last holdouts but even they are starting to see the trend. With famous dj’s ( ie Sasha ) experimenting in new mediums it is only a matter of time until other dj’s follow this trend.

Even Technics creator admits the downfall of the equipment by beginning to search for the replacement to the venerable1200/1210 by experimenting with DVD turntables and other new technologies.

What do think will be the next generation ?
Think I am all wrong ( I’m not though ) ?

Evidence is mounting that vinyl as a useful DJ medium is going away. With the rise of DVD, CD, MP3, and IPOD dj setups more and more DJ’s are starting to experiment with the use of these new devices. The dj holdouts that are expected to last are turntablists which are very demanding of the amount and types of manipulations they can perform. Even they though are beginning to venture away from the traditional turntable into more specialized gear ( read the QFO ).

Despite arguments from many DJ’s test have shown that the audience can not tell the difference between digital and analog recorded sounds. Since DJing is a performance for the audience and not the DJ ( unless your a bedroom DJ no shame in that ) the DJ’s that perform without the hindrance of 60 pounds of vinyl and with the advantage of 10,000 songs in their ipod will begin to dominate.

The key to this next wave of DJ’s really taking over is taking the focus off of what the DJ is doing with his hands and redirecting it more on the music being played. The dj’s that figure this out will be the next top dj’s.