We’ve done the research and deemed it necessary to bring all our favourite digging articles together. Whether you enjoy getting dusty in the crates or scouring the internet for vinyl rips, this list should have you covered.
What is e-digging?
E-digging, short for electronic digging, describes the concept of looking for music on the internet. Digging refers to the traditional form of searching for records in music stores (more on that below). Places like YouTube, Reddit, vinyl rip blogs, and Spotify are great e-digging resources, allowing users to hear music they may not have physical access to otherwise.
What is crate digging?
Crate digging is the process of searching for music, particularly vinyl records, in record stores. The crates refer to wooden or plastic crates that used to hold records (and they’re still used today although it’s illegal to use milk crates for anything other than milk in countries like the USA, Canada and Australia – fun fact!).
List of articles on e-digging and crate digging
- 15 More Awesome Places For E-Digging – Links to channels and playlists featuring music from around the world to sample
- 21 Ways to Become the MacGyver of E-Digging – A fantastic resource of channels, blogs, and Instagram accounts dedicated to the art of digging. You’ll find inspiration aplenty.
- Leftover Links #13: Rare Grooves, White Labels And Crate Digging – As part of our Leftover Links series, we looked at stories about rare cuts and record hunting exploits from Egon, Madlib, and DJ Prestige.
- Egon, Madlib & J Rocc Digging Down Under – For RBMA’s Funk Archaeology series, Egon recollected the time he went record shopping in Australia with Madlib and J Rocc.
- SATURDAY MATINÉE: Scratch DVD – Digging In The Crates – A 9-minute clip from Scratch featuring Jazzy Jay, Cut Chemist, and DJ Shadow, as they talk about their record shop stories.
- SATURDAY MATINÉE: Beat Digging With Waajeed – The OG Waajeed talked about beats, women, and PPP, during a record run in Eastpointe.
- Crate Digging – A Crate Digger’s Guide – Clues in the title!
- Point Blank’s Guide to Sampling: History, Development & Techniques – This one’s more about sampling than the crates themselves but once you have the records, what are you gonna do? Chop ’em up!
- Need Some Sample Inspiration? Get An Internet Radio – A different kind of e-digging. I discovered this after watching a video of Quantic sampling music from an internet radio. Then I heard Exile’s Radio album and it blew my mind. Definitely worth checking out for quirky vocal cuts and music you may have otherwise slept on.
- The Backpacker’s Guide To Sampling #1 – The Basics – We should revisit this series. Again, more towards the art of sampling but like we said, looking for records is part of the process. Getting an idea of what sampling represents will feed into your motivation to dig.
- Crate Capers: Nice (France) – The time I went to Nice and picked up some awesome records. I also met the cutest Petit Brabançon in the world named Pilou.
No matter how you dig, it’s a fun experience. There will always be treasure online or “in the wild”. You just have to get your hands a little dirty first.
Psst! You can watch Brasilintime below, an incredible documentary filmed in São Paulo by Coleman and B+. Stones Throw’s finest dig through Brazilian crates and meet some Brazilian music legends. Dilla was also on the trip but due to illness, he had to leave before footage could be taken. The iconic image of Dilla and Madlib stooped over records was taken during that trip.
