News: PRP x Que'd Up Vinyl DJ Workshop (PHOTOS)

In honor of Pride Month, Precision Record Pressing teamed up with Toronto-based queer DJ collective Que’d Up to sponsor a vinyl DJ workshop for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Taking place over the course of three hours on June 11 at Main Stage Rehearsal Studios, the workshop was facilitated by the producer and DJ duo, Jonathan and Andrew FranDisco. With over a decade of vinyl DJing experience under their belt, this event was the FranDisco Brothers first foray into teaching a workshop, however they were the ideal pair to lead the afternoon of music and knowledge.

Bringing with them several crates of DJ gear & vinyl in tow, they provided participants with a hands-on learning experience. The first hour of the workshop was an instructional portion going over the basics of handling vinyl and the applicable equipment required to start building this skill, passing around records and gear so everyone could get a closer look. As participants had a range of DJ skills from complete beginners to some digital experience, they went over the basic principles of mixing and how turntable DJ set-ups differ from a controller or CDJ set up.

Following this portion, participants split up into two breakout rooms with turntables and crates in each room to put their skills to the test. The FranDiscos brought a wide range of records with genres spanning from House, Hip-Hop, Disco, Drum and Bass, and Techno, so everyone was given the opportunity to practice mixing on the genres of their choice. The participants were also given the option to bring vinyl from their personal collections to try mixing under the guidance of the instructors.

While certainly not an easy skill to master in one afternoon, we had a great time playing music for each other and trying to navigate our way around the decks. We extend our thanks to the organizers at Que’d Up and our instructors, The FranDiscos for putting this event together and hope to see everyone at another PRP sponsored event soon.

For more information, visit instagram.com/quedup_toronto.

Photos by Lavinia Tanzim.