From childhood dance practice records to two decades behind the decks, DJ Fifi LaRoux’s life has been soundtracked by vinyl. In our conversation, she talks about what makes records so comforting, how she got hooked on DJing via college radio, and why she loves baffling Shazam with rare international finds. She shares her advice for aspiring vinyl DJs, reveals the prized French pop gem in her collection, and gives us her go-to crate-digging spots from Los Angeles to Paris.
How did you get into record collecting?
I grew up in the 1980s when records were cheap and it was normal for children to own them. I started taking dance lessons when I was 3 years old, and for my earliest dance classes, we had to buy records to practice with at home. (My first dance teacher was Al Gilbert, who was famous for recording dance syllabus records and releasing him on his own label, Stepping Tones Records.) As a result of needing to have records to practice tap and ballet, I always had a turntable in my bedroom and could listen to records whenever I wanted to. I remember my first record I got for myself and not for dance class was the 45 of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” I played that until it wore out. Collecting and playing records has always felt comforting to me, like it brings me back to my childhood.
What is it about vinyl that you love most?
I love the feeling of taking a record out of the sleeve and putting it onto the turntable, cuing the needle, starting the record, and then sitting back to relax and listen. It’s like a warm, cozy blanket for the soul.
“Every record carries with it the memory of where I first heard the song/album, where I found the record, and why I chose to buy it. And when you put them all together, in a way, they add up to my life’s story.”
When did you start DJing?
In 1999 I went through DJ training and then started hosting my own radio show at my college radio station, KSPC 88.7fm in Claremont, California. I loved it so much I never stopped. I still host two weekly radio shows on KSPC – Atrocity Exhibition (goth, post-punk, industrial music) airs every Friday night at 8pm Pacific, and Le Show (French pop music) airs every Saturday at 5pm Pacific.
What can we expect from one of your sets?
Hopefully something you’ve never heard before! Maybe in a language you don’t speak! I love it when people come up to me and ask me what song is playing because they couldn’t find it on Shazam. For me, a big part of the thrill of collecting records and DJing is finding obscure records and introducing them back into the world.
What advice would you give someone wanting to try vinyl DJing?
Know your records and know your equipment! Records and turntables can be tricky in a lot of ways that computers and CDJs just aren’t. Knowing how to gracefully deal with a skipping record, busted needle, wonky tonearm, etc., is just as valuable a skill as learning to beat match.
What’s the most prized record in your collection?
This is a bit like asking me to choose my favourite child, but I will go with the first one that popped into my head: a NM original pressing of the Jacqueline Taieb “7 Heures du Matin” EP. But really, every record I own is special to me. Every record carries with it the memory of where I first heard the song/album, where I found the record, and why I chose to buy it. And when you put them all together, in a way, they add up to my life’s story.
What’s your go-to crate digging spot?
I live in Los Angeles, which has so many great record stores, it’s almost impossible to list them all! These days, when not on Discogs, I buy most of my records at Record Safari in Atwater Village, where you might also find me working on occasion. A huge part of my collection also came from the never ending treasure trove that is Factory Records in Costa Mesa, down in Orange County. I also have to give a shoutout to Pop Overbite Records in Eagle Rock and Salt Box Records in Little Tokyo for stocking so many of the obscure international goodies that I love. If you’re in Southern California (or really anywhere in the US) and looking for a place to get things like Japanese City Pop records, French Boogie records, Turkish Disco records, Belgian Coldwave records, or maybe some bizarre self-released single in an unquantifiable genre from a country you’ve never heard of, without paying zillions in overseas shipping, these are your places.
And, because the question I probably get asked the most as a DJ after “what was that song, I couldn’t find it on Shazam?” and “is that your natural hair color?” is “what are the best record stores in Paris?” here is my list:
Born Bad Record Shop
Plus De Bruit
Pop Culture
Balades Sonores
Etoile Disques
Crocodisc
Find DJ Fifi LaRoux over on Instagram.
