preview / By Mark Shikuma

Q+A with DJ Jonathan Toubin

(July 23, 2009) How did you find that the format of using 45 RPM/7” records was your bag? Was it the genres of music (and the format limited to 45’s) that attracted you?

Good question Mark. I’ve always loved the sound, feel, and look of 7” records, but I didn’t really become an exclusively 45 DJ until the last year. When I started out, I didn’t only play [vinyl] 12“‘s, but also CDs and MP3s. I didn’t want the format to dictate the music I played because, as you know, so much good stuff out there is exclusive to one format or another. Anyway, as I began taking my work seriously, I drifted to exclusively vinyl DJ’ing both for sound and aesthetic purposes and, as I moved from bar DJ to professional dance party/club DJ, I couldn’t help but notice that no matter how I EQ-ed it, the 33 RPM tracks rarely packed the same punch as the 45 RPM and made for uneven sonic transitioning. I also liked that 45’s were easier to transport, quicker to cue, and, eventually, I learned that it gave me a bit of a niche to boot! I was almost immediately addicted and have since spent most of my time and money obtaining the “black gold.”

With the constant gigging, do you find it difficult to “crate dig” and find new material?

Actually, quite the opposite. I still make the rounds all the time and, because I’ve been on the road a lot lately (thanks to my booking agent - Arcata’s own Michelle Cable of Panache), I have many more places to dig. Also, DJ’ing almost every day provides a rare opportunity to find out which tracks work and how I will use them - something that’s difficult to effectively do at home after you dig up something you think may be useful.

What do you look for when you do have time? How much of finding that “gem” pure chance?

Right now I look for any music that most people aren’t familiar with yet rocks really hard and is also danceable - “where has this song been all my life” stuff - primarily mid-1960’s music as the records are mastered loud, the beats are wild, the riffs are catchy, the structure is economical, the musicianship is typically impeccable, and so much of it is out there to discover - American soul and garage, European and Asian freakbeat, Latin American stuff, and a bit of punk, glam, psych, funk, r&b, rockabilly, and, believe it or not, I still buy roughly a dozen new 45’s a month. As for the digging for gems, when I started, most of the records I found were from definitely earned the hard way at thrift stores and junk shops but, as my art has become more specialized, I sadly have to pay Europeans large sums of money on Ebay for many of the things I’m looking for, or pay top dollar at record stores - though I must say I had some of my best record shopping experiences lately at domestic stores like People’s Records in Detroit or Rooky Ricardo’s in San Francisco.

Are there some singles that you’ve always wanted to find that you don’t already have?

You bet there are! I keep a running list and it’s in the hundreds. Some of these records are totally unavailable anywhere and you have to keep a constant search and wait for your record to pop up somewhere in the world. I just won King Coleman’s “Down In the Basement” this week (a record I haven’t seen pop up in over a year) but recently lost auctions for two of my all-time favorites, The Renegades’ “Thirteen Women” (a heavy duty garage Bill Haley cover) and The Groupies’ “Primitive” (yeah the one the Cramps cover on “Psychedelic Jungle”) as both went for over my sadly flexible $100 ceiling.

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