Although you might not know it yet, you need look no further than a dark little cubby on Thompson Blvd. for the most colorful nightlife in Ventura. Inside, the ceiling is a signature patchwork of old, slick records – their album sleeves quilt the walls and breath with music, melding into an ever evolving art gallery of local masterpieces – from photography to acrylic, with many of which for sale. And If you find colorful, artfully crafted compositions more appealing to the pallet than the eyes – you will be delighted to sip on one of Dirty Vinyl’s cocktails, served up by artisan drink maker, Erik Myles (voted best bartender in Ventura, 3 years running!).

Splashing together drinks with the speed and style of Jackson Pollack, Erik Myles is likely to help you discover your new favorite cocktail. For instance, have you ever been served a “Gonzo’s Revenge?” No? If you haven’t – you’re missing out. And once you wash down some fine drink – you’ll no doubt be swept up by the live music and mixing by Ventura’s most skillful artists and Local Ventura DJs.  Dancing is a must, and if you can bring a little rhythm to those feet of yours you’ll be dancing in a pool of pastel colored lights to the vibratory joy of the best local Ventura entertainment. And who knows? You might even have an interesting conversation, or ten. This is made all the easier by an elegant and spacious, heated patio that connects to the accessible back parking lot. It’s easy to move inside and outside. And because the bar is an island and the staff is swift, service is available from just about anywhere inside. Dirty Vinyl is a dive bar with soul and a diverse crowd of regulars, both young and old, from every walk of life.

That cozy, cool beat-poet atmosphere may just be haunted by Alan Ginsberg. How else could a little Ventura establishment just off of Main be so seductive? Red lights glowing and pulsing, the heart of Dirty Vinyl pounds through the night – electrified with spirit.

More from Dirty Vinyl, Ventura DJ Venue and Art Gallery

Dirty Vinyl Info

Erik Myles Artist and Bartender
Dirty Vinyl on Facebook

Ean Golden posted a great article on DJTechTools concerning DJ etiquette that I would certainly recommend giving a good read. He provides some very good insight into dealing with other DJ’s, patrons, owners, and bouncers–whom I never see mentioned in DJ advice articles. I would have liked to see something about promoters in this article, but I could understand promoters needing an entire article unto themselves, which is why I plan on writing on that point very soon. That being said, give Ean’s article a read!

For the past five or six years, the art of Dj-ing has become increasingly more accessible to the general public. Becoming a disc jockey used to require a substantial investment into gear and media to play, as well as plenty of practice in mixing and beatmatching. The advent of timecoded vinyl systems such as Final Scratch, Scratch Live, Ms. Pinky, and many others along with completely internal systems such as PCDJ, Virtual DJ, etc. changed the game entirely. Downloading of music through torrents and other methods was already widespread, so quickly accumulating a music library at zero cost made Dj-ing far more attainable and thus more Dj’s entered the market. The fully internal software mixing options, though certainly not as popular as timecode systems in the professional world at that time, began getting greater attention because not only were they even lower cost than most timecode systems, they were easier to transport, had more features such as effects, and could bpm sync to tracks or a master clock automatically– almost completely bypassing a need to understand manual beatmatching. Software applications such as Traktor Pro can even quantize events and auto-gain tracks to create perfectly timed mixes even if the user makes a mistake, and programs like Mixed In Key reduce the chances of mixing clashing songs.

All things considered, the new emerging technology certainly felt like a threat to already established Dj’s because of software’s ability to do a lot of the work for the Dj, and the implication that this combined with lower cost-of-entry would bring many more Dj’s into the already diluted pool. The way I’ve always seen it is that if new technology arrives, one must understand and utilize it where needed to stay on top of the game and use it as an opportunity for more creativity. I use Traktor Pro, and set-up beat grids to keep my songs in sync, despite that I know how to beatmatch, because this affords me the chance to do things that would be very difficult otherwise. Mixing three decks in sync, using a sampler, and manipulating effects all at the same time using midi controllers; my mixes sound far better, and are more creative than what I could do with two turntables and a mixer alone (which I started with) and so I have the competitive edge and bring a new sound to the table. The new sound which I create, and the method of doing so is called controllerism, which is the generation of DJ from which I belong (turntablism being the alternate generation). But controllerists and digital Dj’s alike have been experiencing an exponential flood of new products and will subsequently receive a wave of new Dj’s.
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