AN IMMERSIVE trip on an eclectic tip from one of sydney’s finest.

Something Else Records co-founder Dave Stuart lays down an all-vinyl mix traversing a collection of his current favourites from the Newtown store’s racks.
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Firstly, could you please tell us a little bit about your journey into electronic music? How/when did the dance music bug bite you and when did that lead to DJing?

Not sure if unfortunately or fortunately, but it’s a rather unassuming story. I used to party a lot back in my mid 20's and was always listening to as many DJ sets and CDs that I could - hunting for tracks from the mixes. I eventually bought a set of very early CD decks just to muck around on at home. I was putting together mixes to listen back to myself so I could hear my favourite tracks over and over and over. I never really put any thought into actually DJing in a ‘professional’ sense for quite a few years (truth be told, I was pretty terrible).

One day I got talked into playing a set at an up-and-comers night. I was a bucket of nerves and anxiety, almost cancelling at the last second. But I got through it and fell in love with playing out.

How did you decide to approach your lazydaze mix? Any favourite tracks or moments in there for you?

I listen to a lot of ambient and electronica during the day in my record store and have been thinking for a while that I needed to record something that includes all these amazing tracks. So I wanted to pick just one track from each of my current favourite albums/EPs and try to make a relatively cohesive mix. tThe downside is that there were a lot of tracks that I didn’t include because of my self-imposed selection process.

What setup did you record the mix on?

Nice and basic; just picked out the records over a couple of days in the store, then one quiet weekday I turned the speakers, turntables, mixer and recorder on and just let what happened...happen. It was done in one take, so it’s not perfect, but that's what sometimes gives a mix a bit of character.

It’s been a year since you opened Something Else records. How have things been going?

To be honest, surprisingly well. I hadn’t actually planned to open a record store, although I think it is every DJ’s dream. It kind of just happened out of nowhere. From the day I thought, “Hey I should open a record store,” to actually opening the doors to trade, was just shy of two months. Add that to the fact that I have never worked in a record store prior to opening one, and the whole endeavour might actually surprise some people!

It's been a great first year and we've been pretty humbled by the support. It has been very refreshing to meet so many great local DJs, both new and experienced. We've also been blown away by the support from some international DJs who have made a point of stopping by the shop while they were touring Sydney to grab some records for their gigs.

Though all that pales in comparison to the two people who've been the biggest help; my wonderful business partner Alex - who always backs me up - and my supportive wife, Renae, who lets me do my thing with no judgement. Also big shout outs to the staff who've helped out and are a big reason people visit the store: Dan, TJ, Tim and new members, Cam & Val!

What did you notice in the market that made you decide to take the plunge of opening a vinyl shop this digital age?

I always felt that there was a little gap in the market for a record store that was focused more on house, techno, electro and, well, solely electronic music. There are already some amazing stores around that do great work, but as a DJ I couldn’t find the music that I really wanted to play out. After talking to a lot of other DJs in Sydney I found I wasn’t alone.

From the perspective of someone who runs parties and still goes out clubbing, I don’t really get into the digital vs vinyl debate - a good DJ to me is someone who has good taste in music, plays appropriate music for the time and place and can mix proficiently. Good music is good music, no matter the format.

In saying that, as a DJ I also really do enjoy playing vinyl. I do find it harder and more of a challenge than using digital, but there is something about the tactile feel of using something analog to mix with that gives me the tingles. So as long as I’m not alone in feeling those feelings, there will always be the need for a record store.

You can checkout the tracklist for Dave’s mix over at SoundCloud.

What’s your all time favourite album or DJ compilation in the realm of home listening?

Given that, (a) I have such a terrible memory (I wonder why that is?), and (b) I'm constantly searching for new music, I tend not to have favourites or listen to a lot of music from a long time ago.

So on the new music tip, if you are after some beautiful electronica to listen to at home, Bvdub's ‘Drowning in Daylight’ on Apollo is just a masterpiece and is something you can truly get lost in. Every time I listen to it I hear something new and different.