Q: What on earth are you doing with this blog?
A: I've found that certain records (particularly house and funk records) that are designed to play at 45 RPM sound very interesting played at 33 RPM. In fact, sometimes I think the records sound better played at 33.
On this blog I'm going to post up recordings of records that I find in my personal record collection that have this characteristic.
As a DJ, I like spinning records as much as I like collecting them. Spinning records at the speed they were not intended to be played at has really been a lot of fun and sounds unlike anything else in my record collection really. So from time to time I'll be posting DJ mixes of records played at 33 RPM instead of their intended 45 RPM.
Q: What is RPM?
A: It stands for revolutions per minute and it's a way of gauging how fast records play. A 45 RPM record spins much faster than a 33 RPM record. Therefore, playing a 45 RPM track at 33 creates a slower, dubbed-out, chugging feel, particularly when spinning house and funk.
Q: Do you think this is impressive?
A: Not at all. I find it interesting and creatively stimulating, but by no means am I pretending to be breaking any major ground in the music world. Many DJs have played records at the "incorrect" speed in the past. Check out DJ Screw or Daniele Baldelli to hear some.
Q: Why do you call some songs "versions"?
A: I really thought a lot about what I should call tracks. For records that aren't immediately obvious, I made up fake names. But as soon as someone spots the original source of one of those tracks, I'm going to be posting up the name and a link to purchase the track.
Some tracks though are just too obvious. Those I didn't even bother with the fake names, and instead call them Give 33 A Chance Versions. I didn't feel right calling these remixes because I really didn't do anything. Version, in the spirit of dub music from Jamaica, seemed a better fit. I was putting my own touch on someone else's music in a subtle way, just like old Jamaican versions.
However, that said, if you have a better idea of what to call these things, I'm all ears. :)
