Back in 2000 or 2001, I submitted a list of records to Turntable Lab, which back then was a pretty small but hip site for people like me who were into a certain type of records. They put up my post (under the name Parakitachi Crew, the name of the dj collective I started back in 1998).
These were all my picks and I was surprised when they told me they wanted to put it up b/c I had just started making a name for myself as a dj. I had been djing low key up until 2000. I didn't even have a dj name. I was working under a few aliases to see which one stuck. I got feedback from people saying they didn't like some of them b/c they were too corny. At the time, I didn't think more than 20 people would want to listen to me play records, so I just had fun with the names (Frankie Shoeshines, Peace Frog, Faustus Papetti, and The Magic Lesbian were some of the more memorable ones I was considering).
I finally decided on Kool DJ Hollywood Starshine La Rock, the ultimate tribute name to old school hip hop (Kool Herc, DJ Hollywood, DJ Starchild, LA Sunshine, Coke La Rock were all important figures in the pioneering days of hip hop). Again, it was meant to be lighthearted. But when I actually started getting booked, it was a mouthful, so I shortened it to DJ Hollywood Starshine, and eventually down to DJ Starshine.
There, I had a real DJ name. The thing was that the first few times people said my name, they said DJ Starsign instead of DJ Starshine. I got tired of correcting people and it finally became DJ Starsign (but to me it's still Starsign La Rock).
That name was the one that got me the most attention. Since I was making moves, I figured I would promote Parakitachi as a collective and not just me. Parakitachi was originally an idea that I hatched up with my friend Les, the Arubian Boy Wonder, the eyebrow mega Don supreme. He and I were both obsessed with hip hop, funk, new wave, indie rock, indie cinema and photography. Les was also into dancehall and reggae and was way into books. I was getting into house music and disco. We had an idea of just doing our own thing and playing good music/ dope music regardless of rules or genres.
We wanted to play anything and everything that was good. We weren't the best scratch djs or turntablists, but we were good at mixing and blending records. I moved to Houston, Les moved to Fort Worth and we still had big ideas about Parakitachi (a name that was an inside joke to piss of our anime-loving friends) being a dj and art collective. Now I had a chance of actually doing it.
So the dude at turntable lab emails me back and asks me for scans of the records I submitted. Cool, I was real jazzed about it since I was a huge fan of the site and felt honored they thought my selections were worthy. This was right around the time of the funk 45 explosion that happened shortly after DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came out with Brainfreeze. Nearly every dj I knew started collecting funk 45s, even me. But I realized there was a whole enormous and expensive road ahead, and I didn't like cueing up 45s because they were so small, so I didn't get too caught up in it.
I thought my entries were pretty average. A very young, up and coming dj named Diplodacus had submitted some pretty bizarre records that were on a psychedelic and weirdo vibe. He's now better known as Diplo and is making big moves, spawning a whole bunch fanboys. He's cool though, the dude's got talent.
But back to the Record Check. One of the coolest things about the record check was the descriptions people put up for each record. Diplo's were pretty amusing, especially that McDonald and Giles record. One of my records actually sampled that same record but I didn't know it at the time because I didn't find that record until 2004.
The record checks ended in 2002 and were lost indefinitely. I just found out they put them back up and I wanted to revisit my entry since it had been years since I had seen it and pretty much forgot I even did it. TTL is pretty huge now. They're probably one of the more successful online record stores.
I don't know how I even came across it, but I ended up on Fool's Gold and recognized my Kenny Dope record with the sticker on it. I realized that my Bomb The Bass record was also used. So without further adieu, here it is in all its glory, my TTL Record Check from back in the day.
Note, you have to click #29 to view mine and again, it's not under Starsign, but Parakitachi Crew.
The Record Check
Fool's Gold Blog
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