OLD SCHOOL GROOVE
DJs get back to the basics of spinning vinyl
The musical landscape has changed so much since Richard Vission and Bad Boy Bill began their careers in the 1990s. The two DJs have adapted to the digital era and remain relevant in the electronic dance music world.
Bad Boy Bill is known as one of the fathers of Chicago house music and helped spark the wave of electronic music, as well as co-founding beatport. com. Meanwhile, Vission has more than 40 No. 1 dance chart remixes to his credit.
But the two wanted to get down to basics with their latest tour.
On this tour, the pair will both spin with vinyl records.
“We did this tour for a couple different reasons,” Vission says. “We were both having a conversation and both felt like we were getting bored with DJ’ing because technology makes it so easy. We recalled how much fun it was playing on vinyl.”
Bad Boy Bill says he felt like the art of DJ’ing was getting lost.
“What got me excited was remixing a record on the fly,” Bad Boy Bill says. “And then there’s the turntable tricks. It seems like the craft is disappearing. It’s been really cool to be able to go back to when I first started. It’s been refreshing.”
Vission says the tour breaks down the digital boundaries that have become characteristic of the modern electronic music landscape and goes back to house music’s roots.
He says hitting “pause” on all sync buttons means having their entire catalog pressed specially into vinyl for this tour from an outfitter in Los Angeles, including new music, special edits and retro classics that pay homage to the vintage art form.
“All the music that we’re working with is modern,” he says. “That’s the best part of this. We are getting the entire catalog pressed on vinyl.”
The two have been on tour since July and have been pleasantly surprised by the response.
“We often forget that the younger people coming to the show have never seen a DJ spin actual records,” Vission says. “Then you have the older people who grew up with us are getting another chance at seeing vinyl on the turntable.”