MUSIC
Originally published on Monday, 26 February 2007
No Commercial Interruptions
Within 300 metres of Urban Junkies' silk-lined HQ in Soho there used to be at least a dozen of the finest record stores in the whole world, but with the news that the legendary Reckless Records is closing, it looks like the long decline of vinyl emporiums is entering its final chapter - the days of men, and it is invariably men, deftly flicking through piles of rare import 12s are coming to a close.
This is sad, but the reason they're closing is simple: simply everyone's downloading their music. There are download sites and download sites though, and one of the finest is www.theplayers.fm.
This site allows amateur DJs to upload their mixes to the site, and the rest of us to download them, all for free, and entirely for the love of the music. As they succinctly put it, "We are not a large commercial company wishing to tap into the underground, The Players Association was set up by DJs for DJs."
It's easy to be nostalgic for the past but consider this: you used to need trendy DJ friends to get cool mix tapes, now can just plug in and get instant access to bedroom bedlam from across the globe. And that's almost as good as finding a test pressing of Phuture's Acid Trax in your local Oxfam.
PS. I recommend DJ Baxter Park Sunbather.
