Fun times this past weekend for what was a long overdue return of a proper record show to the Philadelphia Area with the debut of VinylCon. A long time in the works, VinylCon came together at the Philadelphia Armory and was filled with dealers from all over and it was exciting to see that a 2-day event of this size could actually happen in the city once again. I honestly can’t remember the last large scale show here in Philly but this definitely made up for it’s absent. In addition to dealers with great selections, there were also DJ’s on hand spinning which I had the pleasure of joining the lineup alongside a few favorites and heavy hitters including Aaron Levinson and Froz1.
One of the highlights of the first day was playing a set of deep funk and rare groove and having Bert Willis come up to the booth an say “that’s my record”. The record that I was playing was Philly’s Brutal Force which Bert wrote and produced. It was also great to see quite a few young brothers and sisters there that might not get the opportunity to go to DJ nights to hear the type of selections that I was playing and especially seeing someone Black play them. And it was even more special seeeing faces go “oh shit”, or “yo, that’s that sample”. Nothing makes me feel better that receiving that type of reaction from those whose lineage created this music.
Overall, the VinylCon weekend was amazing and has me waiting for year 2 of what will hopefully be an annual event. Time to dig through and listen to the stack of records that I copped at the show while enjoying this 85 degree weather that we’re having.