Not a lot of people know this but back in the late '80s and early '90s, at the height of popularity for the personal stereo, U.K. electronics giant Currys released a series of signature headphones with top DJ's of the time putting their names to the hot product. After years of searching I finally tracked down a set of the 'DJ Premier HP550s' (box fresh and all). I would have preferred the Heavyweight HP1000s which were intended for club and studio use but for 50p I'm not complaining, the sound quality of these bad-boys is top notch.
As you can see from the illustrations on the box (click image to enlarge), these durable 'lightweight' headphones were designed for everyday use - not exclusively for the aspiring DJ. Suitable for lounging on the beach, Walkman in full effect or washing the dishes whilst humming along to the latest cassette by the B-I-Z. In fact you could comfortably use these headphones whilst skate boarding, gardening, hiking, walking the dog, fishing, boating, skiing, travelling by plane, painting and decorating, the possibilities were endless.
During the period of 1988 to 1991 Currys also manufactured Cash Money and DJ Scratch editions as well as one-off Heavyweight versions from Miz, Aladdin, Richie Rich (3rd Bass) and Steve D. Now, I'm not sure how true this is but I've also heard rumours that Rumbelows ripped off the idea and at one point had a set of 'Eric B Super Heavyweight' phones which were available in most of their big city branches. I've yet to find any evidence of their existence so for the time being remain slightly sceptical.
Accompanying sounds...
Gang Starr "Words I Manifest (Special Remix)"
(1989, Wild Pitch Records, U.S. 12")
3 comments:
This is very true i've got the Jazzy Jeff's had them for mad years (came with a free Poster of Jeff Scratchin')my mum bought them because my dad's called Jeff..nothing to do with the "DJ"...Great post Krum Im'a go dig them out...
Yeah G...need to see those Jazzy Jeffs...didn't know they came with a poster. What colour are they? The only other ones I've seen are the Cash Moneys which are super shiney Gold.
Hey those 'phones sound nice BD, do you wanna swap 'em for my Biz Markie pyjamas?
Kid Dyno
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