DJDTL alias The Vinyl Pimp is the best seller no.1 at Discogs combining 99,9% positive reactions.
We just needed to meet the man behind the Vinyl Pimp-site and the no. 1 discogs account personally before he would leave his warehouse in Hackney/London going to travel hitchhiking for 6 months through Pakistan, Iran, India, Japan, Hong Kong…
Vinyl Pimp´s leaving party took place at his warehouse that is packed with thousands of records. We have been on fire to take a cab to Hackney right after a gig at Freedom Bar in Soho. Four o´clock in the morning we arrived at a grooveyard and DJDTL was playing a Detroit/Chicago Techno Set straight in our face. In the back a wall with 20 000 Records and the partycrowd was fired up by lasers & gas. We felt like in heaven. After I had the honour to deliver a last set in the morning combining Tech-House and Cosmic Disco, finally, the time was right to speak with the Vinyl Pimp.
Please introduce yourself: Whats your name and where are you residing?
My name is Man Hon Luk, you can call me Hon. I am based in Hackney Wick, London.
Which music styles are you selling and since when?
I started selling records part time around 5 years ago, selling stuff I no longer play, and picking up collections on Ebay. Vinyl Pimp started 3 years ago when I got a call from a man who had 2000+ records wanted someone to buy from him in one go, I said I would go 50-50 with him, I started going to his flat in South London and log the records onto my Discogs shop. When something was sold, I would go all the way there, pick up and ride my bike back to my flat to pack the orders.
How many records you got in store?
At the moment I have around 45,000 records in the warehouse, and I have the potential to go up to 60 – 70,000 if I follow agree all the requests I got.
Thats massive. Why did you decide to deal with records? Is it just love? Just business? Just …?
I have always enjoyed playing records and didn’t really find a job I liked, so I created my own.
Who are your customers? How old are they? Who could be your famous client?
I send records to 100+ countries, sure there are some famous Djs in there, its always a pleasure to see your Berlin lovechild Daniel Bell’s name comes up on an order.
Where do you get your records from?
I no longer buy records, professional Djs and collectors hand over their entire collection so I can sell on their behalf. My clients include Pendulum, Phil Asher, London Electricity, D Bridge, Ben Sims.
Do you yourself go digging e.g. at flea markets?
I must say I spend most time putting new stock onto my shop and only buy the odd records online. There are so much music in my bedroom (About 3 years worth of consecutive listening at pitch 0), I will always find new music to enjoy.
Are you connected to other stores? Do you exchange interesting, rare records?
Not connected to any store at the moment, but would welcome from someone as dedicated!
Do you have an archive system for your records? Where do you store them?
I live in warehouse unit so all the records are in my bedroom and lounge, we store them by the client, so in case they want their records back, we can pull them up in one hit (It has never happened though)
How do you recognise an interesting record?
When you see a combination of big wantlist and small ownership on Discogs, you know you have hitted a goodie.
Do you take any regular actions for preservation?
We clean our records once before shelving using a non cotton cloth and water, it has been great so far!
Is there any special record you are craving for, thats still missing in your shops collection?
I am the Vinyl Pimp, of course I crave for more, but I am open minded for suggestions.
Did someone ever steal your records? How many and how did this happen?
I hope it hasn’t happened, but I really haven’t found anything missing in the last 3 years.
Which one is your most valuable record?
Legacy / Code 3 – Girls Do It Just For Fun / Code-Of-Acid
How do you set your prices for rare records?
Check out Discogs, Gemms, Popsike, Ebay, Musicstack, then check out who are selling /sold it for how much, then work out the Mint value and use Goldmine standard to work out the price.
Which one has got the most beautiful cover?
All the old Fela Kuti records – such as:
Would you buy the biggest Vinyl Collection in the world (2,5 Million Records) for 3 Million Dollar?
YES! If I had the money, that is more than less 1 dollars a record, and some are worth up to $30,000 EACH? Its simply a great investment and a life-time of music in front of you. However, when you begin to think about moving, shipping, storing and shelving them, its another story altogether.
What will the vinyl business be like in the year 2030? Will there be just old and rare records or still new pressings?
Fashion is like a washing machine, it spin and spin in cycle, what you like now will be a hit again in the future, I don’t see why that can’t happen for vinyl, as its made in plastic and unlikely going to dissolve!
What is your top vinyl of the week?
It´s a Hip hop classic
