Notes from the Crate

Where DJs Actually Get Their Music in 2026 (It's Not Spotify)

Nobody good is playing the Discover Weekly. The actual source stack working DJs use: pools, Bandcamp, netlabels, white labels. And

2026-08-01

Rare Vinyl Records: How to Spot, Value and Actually Find Them

Rarity is not age and it is not price stickers. What actually makes a record valuable, how to read a pressing, and how to find the

2026-08-01

Crate Digging in 2026: How to Find Music Nobody Else Plays

The algorithm feeds everyone the same 400 records. Here is the digging method that gets you the other twelve million: dollar bins,

2026-08-01

Obscurity Mode, explained

One switch that inverts the strongest bias in music discovery. What it demotes, what it promotes, and why.

Energy, groove, mood: the three numbers that decide a blend

What the match score actually measures — and why groove predicts a good blend better than genre or BPM.

Digging beyond the algorithm: how to find records nobody plays

Play counts are a popularity signal, not a quality signal. Where to dig when every feed shows you the same records.