To the best of my knowledge, I was the first to take turntables and vinyl into a coffee shop to fill the atmosphere with groovy tunes back in my hometown of Milwaukee. These were very special times for me as this was the height of my Dj'ing adventures. Not being a coffee drinker myself, I didn't want to inundate patrons with rap music which was all I was about at the time. I had just begun to experiment with Acid Jazz and was pretty excited to share some of the new records I discovered. Also, I knew some guys and gals who were "all over the board" with their musical tastes and invited them to bring some jewels to share as well.
This first flier was from 1997 and took place at a coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings on Brady St. We actually started this night in 1996 but didn't make fliers for another year. I'm happy to hear that this spot is still around.
Soon after I moved to Arizona in 1998, I was able to start another weekly at a coffee shop in Tempe called The Underground Lounge. Again it featured a variety of eccentric vinyl disc jockey's and you never knew what you were going to hear. I miss those days of dj's being free and creative and look forward to a time when we can all express ourselves musically again without the pressures of pleasing the "Top 40" crowd.
