KitNotes

Now, I know full well that I have a lot of… well, it’s nice to be nice, so I’ll say life-experienced, readers.

But… I wanna be a DJ. I love electronic dance music; drum & bass, house, techno… heck, I’ve even been known to have a sly bash along to a bit of decent garage in my time. I love it. The stuff is life affirming, and I don’t care what others may think. You can see me explain, in my own way, why I love house music on a special guest post on Dave’s Part - if I could find it.

Now that I’m in relatively better paid, and more secure employment, I can think about stuff I want to buy beyond noodles and Tesco Value beer. I have a fairly big music collection, filling up my iPod, but that’s all digital. Plus, a vinyl collection might be worth something one day, and buying vinyl records is quite cheap at about £4 a pop at most, if you know where to look. Second hand vinyl, whilst not being of the same quality as newly-pressed, is cheaper still, and is still perfectly playable, even if it has been scratched up on turntables.

So, I’m gonna be a DJ, master of the wheels of steel over a mad-fer-it crowd (well, the collection of childhood teddy bears at any rate). My birthday is coming up soon, so I’m sure that I can work out an arrangement with the folks so that they chip in to help me buy some decks. (You’ll see why in a second.) So, naturally, I have been shopping around, looking on the net - It’s all Stroppybird’s fault, really, with her posts on guitars, and buying a guitar (get the girly one!) and soliticing recommendations.

The beauties at the top of this post are ION iDJ02. They’re a package, which makes it more expensive, but easier to set up because everything is included to get you started (apart from records). According to Decks.co.uk, they are £125, which doesn’t seem to bad for two turntables, a mixer/cross-fader, all the wires, headphones, cartridges, and a microphone. With speakers, the price is £145 - just £20 more for speakers. (This is why I want the folks to chip in a bit, you see.) However, they are belt-driven turntables, which, especially with mixing and scratching, means that they wear out rather easily (essentially, the belts slacken and don’t drive the turntables around at the correct speed, for all you younger readers). But I’m just starting out, right?

I’ve never heard of ION before. Not that this means I think they’re going to be crap or anything, but when making an investment such as this, you may want to pay a bit more to secure quality. Gemini are a much better known brand of DJ equipment manufacturers, and their beginners’ kit is called Mix Master 5. Corny the name might be, but they are a well-respected manufacturer, so we’ll let it slide. At £150 for the mixer, turntables and headphones (no mention of cartrigdes or cables, but most packages do ‘ave em), £180 including speakers, it’s already £30 more expensive than the ION setup, but you’re paying for quality. Apparently, they are endorsed by Junior Vasquez. Oo, er, etc.

The mack daddy of turntables are Numark. Their basic set, pictured left, is called DJ In A Box. No, unfortunatly, Fatboy Slim doesn’t come with them, more’s the pity, but you do get the bog standard kit for £150 on sale, £180 with speakers. Apparently, it’s a good bit of kit for the begginer, and it includes slipmats, cartridges, the works. If they are still on sale by the time my birthday comes, I might get these.

So, readers, what do you think? Which one should I go for? Or, if you’re Dave, why should I (a tone-deaf, music illiterate) buy a guitar instead?

The comments box is just waiting for your love. ‘Aaaaaaaaave it!