The company Matsushita began manufacturing turntables in 1972, under the brand name of Technics. Since that time, over three million units have been sold all over the world, and the turntable that was launched as a domestic record player has undergone something of a transformation.
Turntables before the SL-1200 could be problematic, and so this unit was conceived as an answer to various design problems such as acoustic feedback, resonance and speed errors amongst others. For example, the base was heavy-duty and built to eliminate feedback, while the direct-drive design got rid of the belts that had a tendency to stretch with age and use and lead to sound distortion. This resulted in a quiet turntable with much better torque.
This high-fidelity record player quickly became a success, and its popularity grew particularly amongst radio and club DJs. Its reliability and durability led to it becoming the most widely used DJ decks in the world, and the role it has played in turntablism and electronic music cultures has resulted in iconic status for the product.
According to a certain journalist, these legendary Technics SL-1200 DJ decks have been the most important musical instruments in the last twenty-five years. It is incontestable to say that their role in the development of hip-hop and dance music has been pivotal, and they have been instrumental in the cultures that have led to the questioning of the very nature of music.
The London Science Museum has a Technics on display as an example of a piece of technology that has shaped the world we live in, and yet, in November 2010, Panasonic, the last owners of the brand, announced that they were to cease production of the reference in DJ decks. Citing a change in the global marketplace, and the move away from analogue to digital, the company announced that the turntables are no longer a viable product.
So, it looks as though the CDJs and laptops have finally usurped the legendary turntables, but will they achieve the same iconic status? The DMC World DJ Championships used to offer golden turntables to the DJs who made history by winning the contest. Now it looks like the DJ decks are firmly part of history themselves.
Turntables before the SL-1200 could be problematic, and so this unit was conceived as an answer to various design problems such as acoustic feedback, resonance and speed errors amongst others. For example, the base was heavy-duty and built to eliminate feedback, while the direct-drive design got rid of the belts that had a tendency to stretch with age and use and lead to sound distortion. This resulted in a quiet turntable with much better torque.
This high-fidelity record player quickly became a success, and its popularity grew particularly amongst radio and club DJs. Its reliability and durability led to it becoming the most widely used DJ decks in the world, and the role it has played in turntablism and electronic music cultures has resulted in iconic status for the product.
According to a certain journalist, these legendary Technics SL-1200 DJ decks have been the most important musical instruments in the last twenty-five years. It is incontestable to say that their role in the development of hip-hop and dance music has been pivotal, and they have been instrumental in the cultures that have led to the questioning of the very nature of music.
The London Science Museum has a Technics on display as an example of a piece of technology that has shaped the world we live in, and yet, in November 2010, Panasonic, the last owners of the brand, announced that they were to cease production of the reference in DJ decks. Citing a change in the global marketplace, and the move away from analogue to digital, the company announced that the turntables are no longer a viable product.
So, it looks as though the CDJs and laptops have finally usurped the legendary turntables, but will they achieve the same iconic status? The DMC World DJ Championships used to offer golden turntables to the DJs who made history by winning the contest. Now it looks like the DJ decks are firmly part of history themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment