Friday evening milonga

On special occasions I do DJ-sets from my vinyl collection, without using a computer but with the same high standards as if I would. The pure analog sound has a magical effect on the dancers. This is related to how the music was recorded during the Golden Age: direct-to-disc. Direct-to-disc means to record audio directly, in one single take onto analog disc masters without any cosmetics, mixing or post-production steps. No multi-track recorders like nowadays were used and every musician had to be at the same time around the microphone. Thereby creating an authentic report of a past moment. A great deal of the emotions we feel while dancing to these recordings derives from this circumstance! Many of the vinyl records are among the best shellac transfers I know, being very close to the original recording sessions with the same dynamics, some are of a lesser quality and yet others, are original pressings from more recent times directly cut onto vinyl. Sanju Chiba puts it best: ‘For me, listening to analog music makes me peaceful and relaxed. Digital sound quality is haunted to try to come close to analog music. But it will never be better than analog music because sound is a natural thing.’