Soul Strut 25. This is the End.

RAJ · January 3

What's up everybody? Happy New Year! After much deliberation, I have decided to close the site on its 25th birthday (October 31, 2024). I realize this place is way past its "sell by" date, but there have been a few moments where I thought I could spend time to revitalize the community and get back in the game. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon with other real world movez taking higher priority. I would like to thank all of you (especially those who stuck around during in the lean years post 2012). It means a lot. I'll will try my best to post memories and give the site a proper send off... maybe do one last mix or two. Godspeed everyone!

- Raj

Jimster · January 3

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. I could see this coming and fully understand the move. Life, and social media ploughs on and on.

I'll miss it because it was one of the few places we could talk shit globally and generally agree. Made a lot of friends here and it's gotten me through a lot of tough times.

Pleasure to meet you, if you're in town again, holler.

billbradley · January 3

It's been a good run Raj. With so many social media options most of the forums have all died off one by one. Thanks for keeping SoulStrut running as long you have. I've made a lot of friends here also that I still talk to regularly. Hope to see you in Austin again sometime.

RAJ · January 3

Jimster said:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. I could see this coming and fully understand the move. Life, and social media ploughs on and on.

I'll miss it because it was one of the few places we could talk shit globally and generally agree. Made a lot of friends here and it's gotten me through a lot of tough times.

Pleasure to meet you, if you're in town again, holler.

Thanks Jim! I will always consider you a friend and will always holler when I'm in the UK again.

RAJ · January 3

billbradley said:

It's been a good run Raj. With so many social media options most of the forums have all died off one by one. Thanks for keeping SoulStrut running as long you have. I've made a lot of friends here also that I still talk to regularly. Hope to see you in Austin again sometime.

Thanks Bill! The death of forums and the Tik-tok-ization of social media was the nail in the coffin for me. I can't keep up and never will at 48. I will never stop digging and plan to frequent Austin many times in the future.

Electrode · January 3

Thank you for everything. To paraphrase Sly's "Sing A Simple Song", we've all shared life's ups and downs. We had our laughs, had our disagreements, made friendships and shared knowledge. It sounds corny, but this place also helped me grow as a person. With every record show, concert, DJ night or whatever meetup where people here have come through, I became more social and outgoing. Much appreciation.

RAJ · January 3

Electrode said:

Thank you for everything. To paraphrase Sly's "Sing A Simple Song", we've all shared life's ups and downs. We had our laughs, had our disagreements, made friendships and shared knowledge. It sounds corny, but this place also helped me grow as a person. With every record show, concert, DJ night or whatever meetup where people here have come through, I became more social and outgoing. Much appreciation.

Thanks Electrode. You're an OG that's for sure!

HAZ · January 3

It had to end sometimes. Soulstrut elevated the world of crate digging to another level. Music, records, friendships. I can't believe it's been 25 years, Thank you Raj.

ketan · January 4

Thank you for starting this majestic place and keeping the lights on the last few years. Even though the number of active thraeds has dwindled, it's been great having this small community of regulars to share a bit with. And the ghost bomps from the glory days continue to amuse and educate.

kicks79 · January 4

25 years is no joke. This site taught me so much about digging and introduced me to many friends and peers that I might not have met otherwise. I even kinda miss being hazed by Fauz Rillz back in the day.
Thanks for the memories Raj.

dizzybull · January 4

This entire website should be preserved by the Smithsonian. It’s important, dammit.

Yemsky · January 4

200+ Likes on FB and 100 comments
500 (!) Likes on Instagram and 150 comments
A mere hundred views views and a dozen comments on soulstrut.com
This probably explains that the struggle is real.

Thanks Raj for keeping it going for a quarter of a century. I was actually wondering over the holidays how long you would keep it going...

TWENTYFIVE years makes you realise how old many of us are by now or (if you were NOT around at the turn of the millenium) how much of this digging culture you missed when it happened "live".

A BIG Thank You to all who have contributed to this site and shared their passion and knowledge.

The alternative to shutting it down would have been to set up a 25th anniversary merch shop: Tee Shirts (!!!), coffee table book... bring it on! Maybe you can still do that!?!?!!!

RAJ · January 4

Thanks Yemsky. It's inspiring seeing all the response. How quickly I forgot how entrenched this place was in a lot of people's lives. I definitely feel there needs to be some mementos.

Danno3000 · January 4

Oh wow! This is sad but, i suppose, inevitable.

Raj, you created something special. All these years later and some of my closest friends originate from Soulstrut. It added to my life in a real, beautiful way.

I remember meeting you for the first time and being confused that you didn't look at all like what I expected from "Raj Mahal".

I will forever respond to Eli Lake's tweets with, "I know you from soulstrut, punk!". He never acknowledges me.

Diplo still owes me a Leon Thomas LP. I will never forget.

I miss the days when I'd meet someone into soulstrut music and i could expect that if they didn't pose on the strut, they'd lurk. The alternatives are just so underwhelming.

Excuse me i have something in my eye...

Danno3000 · January 4

Yemsky said:

200+ Likes on FB and 100 comments
500 (!) Likes on Instagram and 150 comments
A mere hundred views views and a dozen comments on soulstrut.com
This probably explains that the struggle is real.

Thanks Raj for keeping it going for a quarter of a century. I was actually wondering over the holidays how long you would keep it going...
TWENTYFIVE years makes you realise how old many of us are by now or (if you were NOT around at the turn of the millenium) how much of this digging culture you missed when it happened "live".
A BIG Thank You to all who have contributed to this site and shared their passion and knowledge.

The alternative to shutting it down would have been to set up a 25th anniversary merch shop: Tee Shirts (!!!), coffee table book... bring it on! Maybe you can still do that!?!?!!!

It makes me sad. FB and IG are so obviously inferior than this medium for fostering community and conversation.

HAZ · January 4

That there hasn't been a Soulstrut book is crazy. This was ground zero for so much stuff. Where would you even begin?

Danno3000 · January 4

HAZ said:

That there hasn't been a Soulstrut book is crazy. This was ground zero for so much stuff. Where would you even begin?

Howard come visit me in Toronto! It's been too long. I'm not even sure anymore whether the dollar cinema was real or just a fever dream.

HAZ · January 4

Danno3000 said:

HAZ said:

That there hasn't been a Soulstrut book is crazy. This was ground zero for so much stuff. Where would you even begin?

Howard come visit me in Toronto! It's been too long. I'm not even sure anymore whether the dollar cinema was real or just a fever dream.

Cote Des Neige plaza was great too. We saw Ong Bak there!

I think we walked out of "Are we there yet?" at Dollar Cinema. I remember us watching "Flight of the Phoenix" there. I completely forgot that movie until this moment.

I haven't been to Toronto in ages but I will visit this summer. We need to go for Indian food!

dukeofdelridge · January 4

main messageboard of the world

Danno3000 · January 4

HAZ said:

Danno3000 said:

HAZ said:

That there hasn't been a Soulstrut book is crazy. This was ground zero for so much stuff. Where would you even begin?

Howard come visit me in Toronto! It's been too long. I'm not even sure anymore whether the dollar cinema was real or just a fever dream.

Cote Des Neige plaza was great too. We saw Ong Bak there!
I think we walked out of "Are we there yet?" at Dollar Cinema. I remember us watching "Flight of the Phoenix" there. I completely forgot that movie until this moment.
I haven't been to Toronto in ages but I will visit this summer. We need to go for Indian food!

ok it's a date come visit and we'll get indian.

RAJ · January 5

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A post shared by Vinyl Crate Digging Community (@soulstrut)

RAJ · January 5

Danno3000 said:

Oh wow! This is sad but, i suppose, inevitable.

Raj, you created something special. All these years later and some of my closest friends originate from Soulstrut. It added to my life in a real, beautiful way.

I remember meeting you for the first time and being confused that you didn't look at all like what I expected from "Raj Mahal".

I will forever respond to Eli Lake's tweets with, "I know you from soulstrut, punk!". He never acknowledges me.

Diplo still owes me a Leon Thomas LP. I will never forget.

I miss the days when I'd meet someone into soulstrut music and i could expect that if they didn't pose on the strut, they'd lurk. The alternatives are just so underwhelming.

Excuse me i have something in my eye...

Thanks Dan! Those couple times hanging out in Montreal will be forever etched in my memory. Haz came through with the dorm crash pad. Still wish there was a time machine so I can visit Mars one more time!

mannybolone · January 6

Wanted to chime in my appreciation for everything that Soulstrut gave me and others when it launched. Even though I've been incognito for years now, this site was a vital part of my record education back in the day. S/o to Raj and all the Strutters over the years.

Most of all, I will miss the graemlins.

Frank · January 7

dizzybull said:

This entire website should be preserved by the Smithsonian. It’s important, dammit.

Nothing is important. The entire, regrettable story of humanity isn't more than a brief nightmare, this fucked up planet had to tumble through on its way towards the nearest black hole. Why should anybody care about what music we made? Why, of all that, the tiny fraction ever pressed on vinyl records? Why should it matter, how these records were bought, way past the official shelf life, by people who didn't have anything better to do at the time and then, gasp, posted about the experience on a message board that's been dead for more than a decade?

If this sounds like hot shit, why doesn't anybody collect or "dig" for the most memorable threads and fill up the space in between with the basic knowledge needed for civilians to be able and follow? To be safe, better first run those "most memorable threads" by a non-biased group to see if there's really anything of interest. Maybe this doesn't leave much meat on a cancerous bone but with records drying up and procreation having turned out as a shit idea, hopefully for even the most desperate and hormonally challenged amongst the dumbest of fuckers, perhaps someone will make this their new hobby.

*edit: hmmm... simultaneous post on the "other" forum by an alcoholic ex-record shop owner who seems like the perfect candidate. Brush that homeless beard to a shine Johnny and walk towards glory, even if it's just a hole in the wall.

PS: Should have called me for rare Kung Fu flix, bet you didn't even have the Crippled Masters or Kung F**k in your collection, been digging for og vhs rears since 1986

RAJ · January 7

Frank said:

dizzybull said:

This entire website should be preserved by the Smithsonian. It’s important, dammit.

Nothing is important. The entire, regrettable story of humanity isn't more than a brief nightmare, this fucked up planet had to tumble through on its way towards the nearest black hole. Why should anybody care about what music we made? Why, of all that, the tiny fraction ever pressed on vinyl records? Why should it matter, how these records were bought, way past the official shelf life, by people who didn't have anything better to do at the time and then, gasp, posted about the experience on a message board that's been dead for more than a decade?
If this sounds like hot shit, why doesn't anybody collect or "dig" for the most memorable threads and fill up the space in between with the basic knowledge needed for civilians to be able and follow? To be safe, better first run those "most memorable threads" by a non-biased group to see if there's really anything of interest. Maybe this doesn't leave much meat on a cancerous bone but with records drying up and procreation having turned out as a shit idea, hopefully for even the most desperate and hormonally challenged amongst the dumbest of fuckers, perhaps someone will make this their new hobby.
*edit: hmmm... simultaneous post on the "other" forum by an alcoholic ex-record shop owner who seems like the perfect candidate. Brush that homeless beard to a shine Johnny and walk towards glory, even if it's just a hole in the wall.
PS: Should have called me for rare Kung Fu flix, bet you didn't even have the Crippled Masters or Kung F**k in your collection, been digging for og vhs rears since 1986

Jimster · January 9

Hey Frank! I disagree. Humanity is important and this was/is one of the few online places you can glimpse the best of it and/or escape, momentarily, the worst of it.

It's possibly an age-R thing where the younguns are in their family phase and don't have time for distractions that don't pay the bills but the time will come back and this place will be missed.

Not by you apparently but everything's not for everyone. I get it. (Salute gremlin)

Thanks for the African digging stories, and the escape from Conakry caper with the fake satellite phones, AK47s in the garden, and digging the parasites out of the hounds. Good times.

Crocodile cases ftw.

dizzybull · January 9

Frank said:

dizzybull said:

This entire website should be preserved by the Smithsonian. It’s important, dammit.

Nothing is important. The entire, regrettable story of humanity isn't more than a brief nightmare, this fucked up planet had to tumble through on its way towards the nearest black hole. Why should anybody care about what music we made? Why, of all that, the tiny fraction ever pressed on vinyl records? Why should it matter, how these records were bought, way past the official shelf life, by people who didn't have anything better to do at the time and then, gasp, posted about the experience on a message board that's been dead for more than a decade?
If this sounds like hot shit, why doesn't anybody collect or "dig" for the most memorable threads and fill up the space in between with the basic knowledge needed for civilians to be able and follow? To be safe, better first run those "most memorable threads" by a non-biased group to see if there's really anything of interest. Maybe this doesn't leave much meat on a cancerous bone but with records drying up and procreation having turned out as a shit idea, hopefully for even the most desperate and hormonally challenged amongst the dumbest of fuckers, perhaps someone will make this their new hobby.
*edit: hmmm... simultaneous post on the "other" forum by an alcoholic ex-record shop owner who seems like the perfect candidate. Brush that homeless beard to a shine Johnny and walk towards glory, even if it's just a hole in the wall.
PS: Should have called me for rare Kung Fu flix, bet you didn't even have the Crippled Masters or Kung F**k in your collection, been digging for og vhs rears since 1986

See? They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore. It takes me back, young lads.

javonski · January 11

RAJ said:

What's up everybody? Happy New Year! After much deliberation, I have decided to close the site on its 25th birthday (October 31, 2024). I realize this place is way past its "sell by" date, but there have been a few moments where I thought I could spend time to revitalize the community and get back in the game. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon with other real world movez taking higher priority. I would like to thank all of you (especially those who stuck around during in the lean years post 2012). It means a lot. I'll will try my best to post memories and give the site a proper send off... maybe do one last mix or two. Godspeed everyone!

- Raj

Hey Raj,

First, Happy New Year! Second, I am sad to hear this news. Although I rarely visit the site these days, I still have a lot of fond memories of Soulstrut! Even the times when Frank and I went at it lol! Throughout it all, this has been a place for a great community of record collectors and music heads.

You will be sorely missed! Best of luck with everything!

Cheers bro!

Amir

nzshadow · January 12

Fuck.

billbradley · January 12

ketan · January 12

Frank said:

dizzybull said:

This entire website should be preserved by the Smithsonian. It’s important, dammit.

Nothing is important. The entire, regrettable story of humanity isn't more than a brief nightmare, this fucked up planet had to tumble through on its way towards the nearest black hole. Why should anybody care about what music we made? Why, of all that, the tiny fraction ever pressed on vinyl records? Why should it matter, how these records were bought, way past the official shelf life, by people who didn't have anything better to do at the time and then, gasp, posted about the experience on a message board that's been dead for more than a decade?
If this sounds like hot shit, why doesn't anybody collect or "dig" for the most memorable threads and fill up the space in between with the basic knowledge needed for civilians to be able and follow? To be safe, better first run those "most memorable threads" by a non-biased group to see if there's really anything of interest. Maybe this doesn't leave much meat on a cancerous bone but with records drying up and procreation having turned out as a shit idea, hopefully for even the most desperate and hormonally challenged amongst the dumbest of fuckers, perhaps someone will make this their new hobby.
*edit: hmmm... simultaneous post on the "other" forum by an alcoholic ex-record shop owner who seems like the perfect candidate. Brush that homeless beard to a shine Johnny and walk towards glory, even if it's just a hole in the wall.
PS: Should have called me for rare Kung Fu flix, bet you didn't even have the Crippled Masters or Kung F**k in your collection, been digging for og vhs rears since 1986

Frank, I can't tell if you're secretly pro preserving this place in the Smithsonian or con. Those may have been rhetorical questions but...

Why should anybody care about what music we made?

Selfishly, it gives me great pleasure to listen to it, and being happy is part of my modus operandi.

Why, of all that, the tiny fraction ever pressed on vinyl records?

Because the raers remain greatly underrepresented on Spotify and such.

Why should it matter, how these records were bought, way past the official shelf life, by people who didn't have anything better to do at the time and then, gasp, posted about the experience on a message board that's been dead for more than a decade?

Because I have always learned a lot about the arts from my nerdy friends, and continue to hear good music that's new to my ears here. And in contrast to the stream of records that show up on the other board on the rare occassions that I check it, there's a much higher ratio of shit I'm down with on Teh Strut. (always been the case FOR ME/no diss to waxidermists, many of whom are also strutters/shoutout to Kingpin.)

Here's why else I'll miss this "dead" message board. I've been a member of online communities since the mid-80s when I was regular on my neighbourhood dial-up. I've always found a lot of value in being a part of online forums. Before Teh Strut, I was a active member of Cocaine Blunts and really grew to love that particular snakepit. I would lurk HERE during that period, way too timid to post anything because of how deep and hard the sonning was When Noz closed up shop, I made the shift to this community because by that point, I needed that kind of foolishness in my life and by the way, the knowledge being dropped here was incredible.

Even though the last decade has been relatively quiet and tame, I have continued to find music I love and people I can connect with. Given the glut of music we encounter these days (new and reissued), I appreciate being able to rely on the good taste of Strutters to find some bright spots in the recent finds or what have you. I've bought some incredible records from set sales here and made some real world and online friends. The one Duder once gifted me with a baggie of lettuce in Barcelona when I was on my way to a music festival and needed just that kind of support. (Thank you again, Duder! You will always be the Thriller-era Quincy to my Michael for that. Hee-hee!)

I'm going to have to look for a new forum to join for my sanity, and I kinda hope there's an option where I can stay in the mix with some of you! I see interesting stuff on WATMM - do they have a sense of humour? What other forums have seriously knowledgable record/music nerds and gags? (Oh yeah, Waxidermy!) I'd also love to see something new emerge from Teh Strut before it dies. I don't know what that means or looks like. Maybe it's just a sick mixtape swap or record auction before we say goodbye. Maybe it's a whole metaverse focused on swimming in raers where we make our own tanuki avatars (shout out to Pom Poko!). Rest assured, I will be a frequent/infrequent contributor until the last day.

Finally, as this chapter of planet Earth closes, I am missing some of the old regulars - the wild ones and ones who were too kind for life - and hope we see some more cameos so that I can sleep knowing that you're okay, and if you're not okay, that you're still capable of taking it out on record nerds and noobs online.

Peace/Flame on.

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Soul Strut 25. This is the End.

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