Todd Hart
Todd Hart
05-09-12
Our good friend Todd Hart will be joining us in the laser basement this Friday night as part of Hyperstore. Known to most as the man behind the popular Dalston Oxfam Blog, Todd is somewhat of a local legend, having DJ'ed at some of our favourite nights over the years. In addition to this he also has a long-standing association with London party Durrr and has thrown parties with artist and DJ Matthew Stone. We caught up with Todd to get the lowdown on his blogging, photography and ever-evolving taste in music...
Why did you decide to start your blog Dalston Oxfam Shop?
I started the blog as a lark because I thought it would be fun to bring back sounds on cassettes that were not otherwise easily available. I've always been into the obscure and weird.
Where you surprised at its success?
I was very surprised because I thought it would be a joke that would only amuse a few friends for a few weeks.
What has been your favourite tape cassette you've featured so far?
Probably this underground Belgian tape I found in Hackney. But I'm also a huge fan of course of all the Smylonylon tapes.
We hear you LOVE vintage suits and ties... what's been your most outrageous purchase?
Outrageous??! I generally don't think the suits are that outrageous. I have some vintage Gaultier and Westwood suits that are very nice. But I do like to buy a weird dress now and then. Last halloween when I DJ'ed at Dalston Superstore I wore a long black sleeveless turtle neck knit dress with a slit up the leg.
And can you describe in detail your favourite vintage suit and tie?
Probably a vintage Gaultier boiler suit and a vintage Gaultier striped tie.
You just shot the cover for Erol Alkan's new Bugged Out album- can you tell us the thought behind the shot?
We shot a bunch of photos at his house with ambient lighting. I like to work with simple lighting and then do a lot of work afterwards in photoshop. We were looking for some effects that are bit like simple Warhol polaroids. I took a lot of great shots of Erol. But credit for the design cover goes to Erol and his friend Phil - I just took the shot. I'm really happy with it.
Why do you like shooting with analogue cameras?
When I started shooting a lot of photos back in the late '90s there were no digital cameras that could compare with film for someone at my level. Over time my taste in photos came to look a lot like film and less like digital. Now I find that even reasonbly priced digital cameras can produce quite excellent shots - especially if you have photoshop skills. But I still can't seem to get the same quality as with my Hasselblad.
How do you feel about Hipstamatic and Instagram?
Love 'em. But people probably are not thinking about the fact that in the next 10 years the quality of resolution on devices we use will improve dramatically and all of their memories are going to be stored in what will become low res tiny instagram pics. This is what happened to me for some digital photos I have from 2003. Now they look really small on my high res screens. Shoot at high res and get a bigger memory card. They're cheap.
What does Todd Hart bring to the Hyperstore crew?
A very diverse taste in music, and unlike lots of DJs that have been around a while, a real love for lots of really new pop that comes and goes quickly. I really like all of the new rave riff hip hop and dubstep influenced sounds from the US and Canada. But I know that disco and nu disco and house will always be around.
And finally, as we asked Shaun, what are your 5 quintessential Hyperstore tracks?
I post most of the music I'm into these days on a tumblr - the cousin of the Dalston Oxfam Shop blog. D.O.S. tumblr
Girl Unit - Club Rez
Azalea Banks vs. Paris is Burning
Sinjin Hawke!!! He can almost do no wrong. Check out his recent Rinse FM mix.
Boylan - High Lite (Sinjin Hawke Remix)
I people are hatin on Iggy Azalea but I still like this.
Fire Pu$$y
This is the track I recommended to the BBC when they asked you I thought was going to break out in 2012. Brenmar!!
Todd Hart plays at Hyperstore this Friday 7th September from 9pm - 3am alongside Shaun Bass, Sick Bwoy, Alexis Knox and Portia Ferrari.
Todd Hart