I am an Analogue Addict.

I am an Analogue Addict

My name is Thorsten.

I have not always been an Addict, but I think it started early. I was listening to Aida and Satchmo on my parents record player (it was STEREO! Wow). This was one of the all in one units where the Speakers (or rather the poor excuse that passed as such) where also making up the lid.

Later I had my own Record-Player (the first of many). So begun the downward slide that led to me being the sad case of analogomania dementis. In the years to come, I was no longer content to regularly visit the Record-Shops and Libraries to get my "fix". Sadly I became involved in the production of this addictive substance called Vinyl. Actually I used to do Mastertapes - much worse than only pressing records or pushing [selling] them....

Then I walked away from my-home-country (East-Germany) into the sunset and started a new life. Still I continued with this unhealthy habit and soon the record-collection I had left behind looked small compared to the one I had now.

Luckily another change in my life brought me to London. Here the remains (I only kept few records with me) of my old record collection where sitting on the shelf for a long time due to the lack of anything to play them.

How happy I was. I was cured...happily I listened to small silver disk's spinning in a cheap piece of Lo-Fi.... I had an "honest" job at last, no more mixing desks, late night jam sessions and spinning dem records as DJ.

My life was finally turned around (or so I thought).

Then I decided to buy a Home-Cinema system and so I did.

While I was buying things I noticed a cheap old second hand Sansui turntable.

How nice it would be if I could have another listen to these old treasured records. How much we had been through together...

Having put the Turntable into my new system; I found that I could handle it.

I would listen to a side of a record every now and then and then put a CD in the Player again.

I finally controlled the old disgusting habit. That was a relieve.

Then it happened. I noticed that the music just did not sound right. So I tweaked, build, modified...

Now again I have a "good" Stereo and my addiction has come back worse than ever.

Now I am haunting seedy London 2nd Hand Record shops regularly just to feed the habit. I am Spending more money on vinyl than on food....

I am doing all sorts of things with my stereo no normal and sane person would do, just to make the sound from the Vinyl that little bit better....

My social life is in ruins. My bank-balance lethal negative, my girlfriend left and my friend's and relatives disassociate themselves from me while I sit "glued" in the sweet spot...panting...

"Just this record, only this one side of Fleetwood Mac and than I will go down to the pub (and when I arrive they called time an hour ago....) or to meet a date or......"

Such is state of affairs. Doctor HELP!
Thorsten (Analogue Addict)