Cut-up/DJ

Cut-up/DJ on vinyl: collages built from record snippets

In short: Cut-up/DJ turns many short pieces of other records into something new – on the turntables, with tape edits or with a sampler. Double Dee & Steinski helped shape this form of sample collage in eighties hip-hop; today it stretches to album-length collages. The Vinyl Room currently has 16 cut-up records.

What is cut-up/DJ?

The roots: in the eighties Double Dee & Steinski built their “Lessons” from breaks, spoken snippets and familiar hits; “Lessons 1 - 3” is regarded as a milestone of the technique. From the same era comes “Where's The Party At?” by Cash Money & Marvelous.

Taking it further: Cut Chemist with “The Audience's Listening”, Kid Koala with “Some Of My Best Friends Are DJ's” and the Copenhagen group Den Sorte Skole, who weave records from all over the world into new pieces on “Lektion #1” and “Lektion #2”. Mr. Scruff with “Mrs Cruff” and The Wiseguys with “Executive Suite” add wit and groove.

What to look for

Among our cut-up records the 2000s are the largest group; most come from the US and the UK; label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell which edition you have – it’s noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

New in

→ Boom bap · Abstract · Breaks · Hip-hop on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What does cut-up/DJ mean? Music put together from short pieces of other records.

Where does the technique come from? Tape collages existed earlier; in eighties hip-hop Double Dee & Steinski shaped the sample collage with their “Lessons”.

Is it the same as turntablism? Related: turntablism treats the turntable as an instrument, cut-up puts the collage first.

Which cut-up records do you have? Here, for example, Double Dee & Steinski’s “Lessons 1 - 3” and Den Sorte Skole’s “Lektion #1”.