While the ever-contracting DJ industry continues to deliver their vision of what they want us to buy, it’s down to the little guys to bring the niche things that are too small to be of interest to the major players. And one such small thing comes from the mind of our friend DJ Woody. When he’s not wowing audiences (both online and off) around the world with his staggering displays of deckmanship, he’s also beavering away turning his ideas into reality. One such idea is his new Grind Strip. And no — it’s nothing to do with skateboarding.
You only need to watch the video to understand what’s Woody’s Grind Strip is about. For the uninitiated, it sits alongside the platter on your turntable of choice, and when you rub your digits against it while scratching, it enables a signature warbling grind sound. It has but one function, and does it perfectly. And it comes in 7″ and 12″ varieties too.
Having rubbed knuckles raw performing similar manual techniques, my hands welcome this invention. Who’d have thought that smooth nails would cause so much damage? Skin thins as you get old apparently. My days as the DJ industry’s international hand model are no longer in jeopardy, thanks to the Grind Strip.
The backstory of how it was proposed as a feature for Vestax’s Controller One turntable is interesting, not least for a gear nerd like myself who did a frame grab of the line drawing just for further nerdiness. It’s always interesting to see how designs evolve, and to see what makes it to the final product.
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Essentially it’s just another thing for portablists to stick on their PT-01s, not that they need an excuse for that. And you can preorder your portablist flavoured 7″ version for the paltry sum of £15.99, and the full sized 12″ model for an insultingly cheap £17.99.
GALLERY
