The trajectory of the legendary SL-1200 that changed the future of music

Cultural History of Turntables

This book talks about the history of Technics SL-1200, a turntable that has contributed to the birth and spread of hip-hop, which has now become a global music, and the prosperity of DJ culture in general, from both equipment and culture. For 40 years, this miraculous industrial product has been loved all over the world without changing its design. We will approach by interviewing us.

The project was planned by OVERHEAT MUSIC's "EC" Shizuo, who is a leading figure in the domestic reggae scene and has been working on the promotion of the SL-1200 series for some time. Written by Katsuaki Hosokawa, who has been watching the DJ/club scene for a long time as the former editor-in-chief of the DJ magazine "GROOVE" (suspended publication). It's been 40 years since the release of the SL-1200MK2, the first turntable for DJs, and this is a special project to celebrate the release year of the much-anticipated SL-1200MK7!

CONTENTS

PART 1 SL-1200 development story

New technology, invention of direct drive/Birth of SL-1200 “/An encounter with a different culture called disco/Evolution from SL-1200 to SL-1200MK2

PART 2 Honeymoon with hip hop

The Birth of Hip-Hop/The New Expression of Scratching/The Movie “Wild Style”/The Shock of DJ KRUSH/The Scenes Seen by Dub Master X/The First Turntables Used at a Grammy-Winning Live/The Seeds Sown

PART 3 Maturity of club culture

From Disco to Club / “Further Deepening” from MK2 / Scratch DJ Culture Created with DMC / Epicenter of the Record Bubble, Shibuya Udagawacho / DJ Transformation, and End of Production

PART 4 The continuation of the legend

Revival of the Technics brand / Reconstruction of lost technology / Development of the MK7 as a rival to the legend / Spectacular debut in Las Vegas / SL-1200 "miracle"

Interview cooperation: DJ KRUSH, DJ NORI, Dub Master X, Tatsuo Sunaga, DJ KENTARO, DJ KOCO a.k.a. SHIMOKITA, Shinichi Takei (Face Records), new and old Technics staff