Tec 12

While digging through old instruction manuals in the library today, I came across some information on the Music Library’s very own “Technics Quartz Direct Drive Turntable SL-1200 MK2“, otherwise known as that turntable along the back wall. Turns out that very same turntable has been made by Technics since 1972, and has sold over 3 million copies. The SL-1200, or "Tec 12" was central to the development of hip hop, the earliest hip-hop DJ’s using the Tec 12 almost exclusively because of it’s high quality and relatively low cost. The entire system of “breaks” (the part of a disco, funk or hip-hop song where the music “breaks” away, leaving only the drums and, occasionally, the bass) was probably developed on a Tec 12. In fact, the Tec 12 has been so central to the development of moderjn music that the London Science Museum has one on display as one of the great inventions that shaped the modern world. So, find something to spin and come down to the music library. Try something that is truly a part of pop history.