I’m Losing My Edge
Too Old to Be New Too New to Be Classic
Published: 5/25/2022
By: Kareem Elgusain
DFA is a record label based out of Brooklyn, New York. Over the past twenty years, they have released numerous titles. Many of their records have become the foundation & gateway to much of my musical influence & inspiration.
With the formation of the record label, founders Jonathan Galkin, James Murphy, and Tim Goldsworthy were looking to fill a void and recapture the spirit that was gone from New York. DFA was born out of frustration from the absence of the music they wanted, as Jonathan Galkin states, “we were nostalgic for something we didn’t actually remember.”
DFA’s breakthrough came from the arrival of James Murhpy’s formation of LCD Soundsystem and their self-titled album. This LP contained the track “Losing My Edge,” which became twice Grammy-nominated before their following records, “Sound Of Silver” and “This Is Happening.” These three records helped cement LCD Soundsystem and the label’s legacy as we know it today.
My introduction to the label came in 2012 through the lens of their largest known artist, LCD Soundsystem. Their music was revolutionary to me. I hadn’t heard, felt, or understood anything like it before, and as a fourteen-year-old living in Midwest suburbia, what they had to offer invigorated me. Fast forward ten years since my discovery, and I am still finding inspiration through the music DFA has helped release.
Though vinyl wasn’t widely popular in my household growing up, I found myself beginning to collect them in my late teens. The year was 2017, and my roommate at the time started his collection. He and I used to kick back, listen to some of our favorite tunes, and get lost in the music. During those listening hours, I knew my journey for vinyl wasn’t far behind.
A few months had passed and I had yet to buy a record player or sound system, but I knew exactly what record I had to buy first. The collection began with my favorite album at the time, LCD Soundsystem’s 2010 release of the record “This Is Happening.” That first purchase lead me to discover a deeper understanding of the medium as well as a connection to the music; inevitably, my collection of records has grown a healthy amount since.
Currently, my library of records includes many DFA-released projects. I’ve been lucky enough to stumble across these records while digging through crates and crates of vinyl from cities across the US. For me, it isn’t so much about the quantity of records; it is the quality of content that this collection embodies. The passion for music doesn’t stop with LPs. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of experiencing many DFA artists perform live, with each event deepening my admiration for the work.
As I have grown, the music I love has also grown with me. There are fundamental values in the music they produce that I believe kept me around for so long. However, it has always been the frequency, consistency, range, and evolution of sound that continuously has me searching for more.
Over the years, DFA as a label has evolved and experienced change but through the 20 years of ups and downs, you can still find them in Brooklyn, New York, producing, supporting, and playing the hits we never asked for.
Context
Then to Now, A collection of DFA releases over the past 20 years or so.
Too Old To Be New Too New To Be Classic
Directed by Max Joseph
Thoughts
– What has been a constant in your life for the past ten years?
– What characteristics help define the music you love?
– How do you prefer your music?
