Treasured British designer Daniel Schofield on the beloved buy that has become part of a lockdown ritual

For the British designer, his hard-earned turntables exemplify simple, functional design that’s engineered to last

I was always into music and DJ-ing when I was a kid, and at 19 I finally bought a pair of Technics 1210 turntables. I was working as an apprentice carpenter at the time and had to save up for ages so I could afford them. I’d get paid on a Friday and then spend all my wages each weekend buying vinyl to play on them.

Technics was the best you could get, really. The brand shaped the music scene massively. Its turntables had a few key features that allowed DJs to do a lot more; they are solidly built and have a strong motor so they don’t jump, but at the same time the design is simple. There’s nothing there just for show – it’s completely about function and, to me, they’re beautiful in that regard. I’d always been drawn to nicely designed objects, but never really knew it – if that makes sense. These were some of the first objects I owned that made me join the dots. They’re also one of the few things that have moved with me through the many houses I’ve lived in. I still use one of the turntables to play records on – I’ve definitely listened to more vinyl over the last few months and I’m still adding to my collection.

There’s something therapeutic and reassuring about playing records – a sense of ritual that you can’t get listening to music through your phone or shouting at Alexa. The turntables are an excellent example of a highly technical design, simply executed and built to last, and it always gives me great pleasure to use them. danielschofield.co.uk