Listening to music is deeply entwined with the process of making art for me. I’ve got particular albums I like to use while painting. Almost every part of my day is consciously filled with sound. Listening to things I love, listening to new music looking for the new favourite. I’m constantly excited by the knowledge that the next song you hear could be the best thing you’ve ever heard. It never ends, there is always new music to hear.
In 2020 at the start of the pandemic I ordered up a box of vinyl for fun in the studio to cheer us up. That initiated the idea of making a playlist from all the good albums we discovered. Box one led onto box two and the idea became a reality with my first show about a box of Japanese Vinyl. Im finding my way with the recording process I want it to sound nice, whilst not disguising the real condition of each individual vinyl. Exploring archives for music and a story. I see this as an art project.
I’m also being 7 with adult audio equipment.
As DJ Giant Steps I’ve (slowly) been making radio shows based off the content I find in bulk-buy / job-lot vinyl albums collections.
I pick up on Marketplace, Ebay or the collections are donated. It takes time to find appropriate collections, and even longer to clean the records and record a show. The aim is to try and build a story by investigating and looking for clues from the collection. Sometimes it’s just music.
Japanese Joblot Vol.1 – I ordered a joblot box of 80 random Japanese albums. They were mostly from the mid 70’s through to the early 80’s. I particularly enjoyed the early 60’s albums. Overall in excellent condition and I enjoyed the music so much it inspired the making of my first show. Apologies for the miss pronunciation of the artists names. To read a fuller account of the playlist see this blog post.
Japanese Joblot Vol.2 – After the success of my first box of Japanese vinyl I took a chance on another 2 boxes. This second show was recorded several years later after some more time spent with the albums. It’s full of absolute bangers, just saying.
Two Sisters / A Country Music Joblot Box – A slightly damp box of country albums from North Lanarkshire off Marketplace. For photos of the albums see this blog post.
Morag’s Suitcase Of Singles – From central Fife comes this suitcase full of 7 inch singles. Solid collection dating from the late 50’s through to the mid 80’s. I avoided the classics, of which there were loads, and picked out new names while trying to present a cohesive selection from the collection.
Funk & Soul 50 Random Albums Joblot Box – Bought on a online auction site in 2020 during the pandemic to lift our spirits in the studio. Looking back on that box and applying investigative slant on the box to find the story of these records, while having a party..
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