I have mixed feelings on this subject. When I go out and DJ I personally play all original wax if i'm doing a northern/modern 45 type event. But do use CDR's if i'm doing a contemporary venue.
But I also feel the rare original only thing has got out of hand over the years.
Someone said earlier that our scene was built on rare soul records. It's this use of rare and original only that I have a problem with. The scene as I see it was built on underexposed, harder to find soul records; yes some of them have turn out to be very hard to find.
But back then, there seemed to be a greater focus on finding new things and getting them played. I would spend hours on the stage of many events watching top dj's playing there sets, the rest on the dance floor dancing badly, but having a great time. Many top dj's would play the odd acetate, so they could bring the latest indemand tune to their venue. I watched while all the top names pulled out the odd acetate, Richard Searling, Pep, Colin Curtis and later Ian Clark, in the early days I have to admit I played the odd thing too. When Ian first got Frank Beverly-Because of my heart, he cut me one. There was an etiquette to this, I would never play it at any event where we both were working or where anyone else who had one worked, back then we tended to know what each had in their boxes.
In some cases where only one copy had turned up, records would never been as big as they were if some dj's did not played the track on acetate. The dj's I admired then were the ones that put together great sets, found 'new sounds'.
Today this focus on original wax only, although understandable with the price some go for, can be be prohibitive to new things gaining acceptance. Also through the soul police approach, only the guys with the big check books get a look in, pushing out new more inventive young dj's cuz they can't afford the top prices. So what we have today is alot of dj's who can't dj but have boxes stuffed full of tunes they have seen other people break, or know are classic dancefloor winners filling the sets at venues. DJing has to be more than just the formate.
Extreme example, I would pay any day of the week to see Sam play off all MP3 or CDR, cuz he is a true dj, inventive, bags of enthusiasm, a true entertainer. Opposite, I went to a venue the other week a dj came on I have never scene before, the promoter said, "This will be interesting I've never seen him dj". I couldn't believe it he had booked someone to entertain his customers, he had never seen. The guy came on played some stunning, supa rare tracks in the wrong order, mumbled in monotone between each track, so each track was in fact a suprise. and nearly killed the night.
Whats the point of all this. Ian's question has some merit, get back to the values of the early days of the scene, the best dj's/entertainers playing the best music. General spirit of original wax where possible, but don't let that hold back dj's playing exciting inventive sets. Or heavens forbid, we could end up with guarenteed floor filler only please nights, no one chancing a new tune. We have too many dj's on now who think that they are good cuz they have purchased all the 'Right tunes' for big bucks, slag off new dj's that have to be more inventive about what and how they play. Promoters that bow to the pressure of these check book dj's, so we might as well have software which picks random classic tune, with phases like Stafford, Wigan in between, as thats what they are doing anyway.
Everyone will be glad to know I'm starting to feel better and these outbusts should subside soon