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UPDATE – READ THE LATEST ON THE STORY HERE
The DJing community and the greater dance music scene mourns the loss of a clubbing staple today. No, Steve Aoki hasn’t hung up his record bag, but rather news has emerged that iconic turntable manufacturers Technics will be stopping production on their universally loved Technics 1200s and Technics 1210s.
In a statement re-posted on dance board Global Hardstyle, the company behind the production of the Technics turntables Panasonic announced that they would cease the manufacture of Tehcnics turntables in February next year, citing an increasing decline in sales as the motivation behind the line’s demise.
The Australian arm of Panasonic issued a similar statement today, expressing their disappointment that the brand’s 35 years-and-running legacy was to be put to bed.
“It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables,” Panasonic spokesman Ian North explained. “For Australia this means we will receive our last shipment in March.”
With the disappearance of Technics decks now imminent it’s becoming increasingly clear that the digital juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. We’ve already heard from trance icon Tiesto how he’s abandoned the ‘outdated’ medium in favour and gone for the ease and accessibility of digital tune libraries. Indeed, the new (and might we just say super-sexy) CDJ-2000s from Pioneer look to be making things easier than ever before with USB stick functionality, employed just last weekend by another digital convert Sasha.
Whilst we’re sure the classic Technics turntables will live on in the hearts of many club-reverent folk out there – not to mention in more than a few purist clubs – it’s still a crushing blow to lose the decks, and if nobody minds, we’ll be bringing beer o’clock around early this Friday afternoon.
UPDATE – READ THE LATEST ON THE STORY HERE
Jarrod_s says...
wow... R.I.P Technics ... what will A-Trak play at the DMC championships now...
CRoNic says...
:'(
Ruthykins says...
woah
hydee says...
shit no fucking way!!!!!!!!! this better not be a rumor daverh!!!!
Mickstah says...
Sad :
mofunk says...
HOW DARE YOU PANASONIC
JustForDima says...
that sucks :-(
thebrownhornet says...
this is just indicative of the demographic shift away from vinyl in the recorded music performance community. Sales of vinyl globally are actually on the increase - not something that can be said for any physical digital format (an anachronism anyway). As a collector you are either buying a 100k machine, or a groovy retro 400 dollar box, of which many new brands are popping up.
nova969 says...
man, march, snap em up!
NismoR31 says...
does this mean my 1200s will go up in value? :P
whambulance says...
lol this rumour comes around every year. I'll wait until slightly more reputable source than "dance board Global Hardstyle" before I panic and start snatching up spare parts.
JDxx says...
R.I.P, I had heaps of fun playing on 1200's. We mourn, we remember, we move on, the trick is to 'keep on trucking' & move with the times.
volts_wagen says...
"In a statement re-posted on dance board Global Hardstyle" are you serious...??? that's a shocking source!!
johnjay says...
is this just the mk11 or all of them?
Edstacee says...
hope whambulance is right..if not, there is the beginning of the end (actually Dim Mak was the beginning of the end).
moshman says...
R.I.P. to the best, most realible tool i have ever used All i can say is we r about to loose one of dance musics best friends back in 1988 i bought a ex listening station 1200 from John Martins music department I still have it, it still works. 1200 are what made me get into djing. I hope we dont loose the art of controlling a turntable.
theHordern says...
gutterbagged......
christiandl says...
So does this mean that Needles and other parts are going out of business as well?
Matthew de Groot says...
Sounds like a fake, a quick google shows nothing about this from anywhere else. But lets face it, they died long ago.
daverh says...
For those people calling this a fake, please read the whole article, there's a whole paragraph devoted to a supplementary statement from PANASONIC AUSTRALIA confirming, yes, confirming, this story. Sheesh guys.
Tranceologer says...
Thats technology for ya!
rayjay says...
"wow... R.I.P Technics ... what will A-Trak play at the DMC championships now... " shit electro house
jimbo_jones says...
I think I'll hang onto mine!
wasd says...
daverh: So, if there is a paragraph devoted to the statement. Why don't you give us link to it? Because I didn't find it.
TheZargon says...
@daverth you wrote: "%u201CIt is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables,%u201D Panasonic spokesman Ian North explained. %u201CFor Australia this means we will receive our last shipment in March.%u201D I can also write: "It is a great day for all DJs in the world and specially Australia because, from now on, they can start using Vestax" said Panasonic spokesman Ian North. "For Australia this means no more crappy sound from those 1200s". Then I can say I read it on "The Future Music Belongs to Us" forum. The truth is that without any links, without any hard evidence, to me this is just a hoax. A hoax that just had benefits for Panasonic that is cashing in on the orders that were made in result of the fake announcement.
TheZargon says...
Hi! I am sorry but I am very septic regarding this. Why are there links to Tiesto and to Sasha and not to the press release itself? How come it is impossible to find any official information? Do you really want me to believe that Panasonic/Technics would do this and no where in the world this information would show up on traditional media? To start with the Financial Times and/or The Wall Street Journal? I took the liberty to call Panasonic Europe and they have denied this information and I am waiting for someone I know in Japan to get the word from Panasonic HQ relating to this subject. These days is very easy to spread a rumor but very hard to stop one. Also it is not very hard for anyone these days to check out if a information is valid or not before posting it and starting a whole mayhem. We all have a responsibility if we are posting explosive content like this.
deepsonido says...
shattered.
alistairrrr says...
they were big peices of shit anyway, had to resoldeer the bloody rca
El Kranky says...
Clarification came from Panasonic UK to squash rumours. And It's not what you might think. So here goes - the 1200MK5 and 1210MK5 WILL be discontinued leaving the 1210MK5G as the top of the range and most definitely NOT discontinued. It never was a limited edition, just a flagship special edition model. And the 1200 and 1210 MK2 will continue as normal. So now there's some distance between the MK2 and MK5G models instead having a middle MK5 deck to confuse matters. So it's vanilla Technics or the more expensive piano black extra pitched blue light luxury model left in the range.
FtMOde says...
Rip. all the comments below sum it up. a end to a not a chapter but a whole book.
rolaD says...
to all the sceptics and people doubting this i can confirm that it is true. i work in the dj hardware industry and we were told by the supplier ANd manufacturer earlier this week. march is the last shipment, sad sad times.
mangina says...
In the latest Store DJ mail out, they said, "Store DJ will have limited stock during the coming months, but then that is it, no more, ever." Looks like it isn't a rumour after all.
djwelly says...
This cant be, Gutted!!!! Hopefully, Vestax will continue to produce the PDX series for us tuntablists! Sad day indeed :(
toniette says...
very sad indeed. but times change.
j_hunter says...
nice brO
eddy96 says...
damn A-Trak is gonna be disappointed
Whagwan says...
This rumour comes around about every 2 years...
defected819 says...
I hope someone else picks them up, vinyl is coming back and we'll need the tables!
daverh says...
Agreed that the GH source is kind of dubious but we were forwarded an email from Australias Panosonic rep, which was enough to convince us to run the story. If the Aus arm of Panosonic has different information than other territories then they shouldn't have issued a statement, obviously. The aim of this article was not to rumour monger but rather mourn the reported loss of a club icon.
deadmau5 says...
good riddance.
TECH120010 says...
It can happen i just never thought that day would come when they get whiped out like dinosaurs. Im glad i have 2 pairs of tweleves in case of a crisis. i hope it some rumor... Technics turntables are original .
Matthew de Groot says...
daverh, if your getting info from Panosonic (not Panasonic) maybe things cant be believed...
bryan says...
THIS REPORT IS WRONG!!!!!!! CLARIFICATION HERE... http://www.skratchworx.com/news3/comments.php?id=603
DJ TAKT says...
Theyll be back in fashion sooner or later.
macc4 says...
"The aim of this article was not to rumour monger but rather mourn the reported loss of a club icon." I mourn the loss of researched news stories and comments that are free from censorship. Even if this article was true, you are throwing praise at Pioneer products under the guise of mourning for technics.
Tyler Durden says...
Damn I just sold my 1200's 6 months ago... if only I waited a year I could have been rich! :(
Noticeably F A T says...
A good friend of mine whose clubbing career spans twice the length of mine would tell you that this is a sad day for the DJ. While I am not adverse to the idea of new technologies, from a cultural standpoint I wholeheartedly agree.
underground_radio says...
NO WAY THEY CAN'T DO THIS I HATE CDS
igor7773 says...
No medium will ever last as long as what the turntable lasted. think about it. dj's played on turntables for 30 or so years. cd's have been popular in the last 15 years but with all the mp3 and laptop dj emergence i dont see it lasting more than 10 years. what will come next? armin's and the like will probably be djing to 10K ppl off their ipodphones. we are all resistant to change but its something that you either accept and move with the times or reject and live in the past. there will always be vinyl dj's just like there are people who still send their letters via the post.
LOVETHYBROTHER says...
@Brian & @El Kranky.... You realize the article you guys are quoting is 3 years old?
Portal says...
"Global Hardstyle" What a credible source! It must be true! There is no offical word from Panasonic, until there is it's all speculation.
macc4 says...
You need to research your stories better daverh, as this is just fuelling rumours. Do you reference Global Hardstyle in many of your articles? Where is the link to the source of this 'new information' that you added to that other persons article? Do the ITM editors realise that you are essentially remixing unsubstantiated stories from a hardstyle site? Did you know that djing off a usb stick is nothing new? This technology has been around for years. Why did it take pioneer so long to catch up with usb technology? Technics have sold over 3 million SL1200's. The combined sales of all pioneer cdj models is less than 1 million units. Cd sales are dropping drastically, whilst vinyl sales are increasing. Worldwide, more vinyl has already been sold in 2009 than any other year in history, and there is still a month to go.
daverh says...
Portal, if you read the article you'll see a quote from a Panasonic rep. macc4 you'll see that too. Seems kind of substantial doesn't it? As for 'new information' that we 'added to somebody else's article' i have no idea what you're talking about. The quote from Ian North was in this piece from the beginning. There'll be a follow up piece coming on ITM soon, so meanwhile go cry into your record bag douche.
Worth says...
Still not 100% but apparently they aren't dead: http://www.cnet.com.au/analog-in-decline-but-technics-not-dead-339299759.htm
rolaD says...
they are not ceasing production. i wouldnt be allowed to show the email im sure it will leak like the first one, but got confirmation today from the same person who released the first statement that they fucked up or " due to miscommunication " and productions will continue.
stevenwoolley says...
They have only stopped makin a certain model!!! Its not the end of Technics FFS
DirtyFuzz says...
UPDATE - 30/11/09: Panasonic Australia seem to be backtracking. This email was sent to Jeremy Leitch, Managing Director of Store DJ: Regarding an email I sent last week regarding the end of manufacture of Technics turntables. We have had a misunderstanding in communication with the factory and my original email is incorrect. Panasonic will continue to manufacture and supply Technics turntables for the forseeable future. We regret any problems this may have caused in the meantime. Regards. ______________________________ ______________________________ __________ David Blair | Sales Executive | Consumer Electronics Group| Panasonic Australia
whambulance says...
Regarding an email I sent last week regarding the end of manufacture of Technics turntables. We have had a misunderstanding in communication with the factory and my original email is incorrect. Panasonic will continue to manufacture and supply Technics turntables for the forseeable future. We regret any problems this may have caused in the meantime. Regards. ______________________________________________________________________ David Blair | Sales Executive | Consumer Electronics Group| Panasonic Australia
macc4 says...
oh, whats this? It's another quote from your spokesman "Panasonic's Ian North has denied reports saying that he is uncertain where the rumour originated and while he is still waiting on clarification from Japan, news that sales would end in Australia was "premature". http://www.cnet.com.au/analog-in-decline-but-technics-not-dead-339299759.htm
mofunk says...
this article has been on so many websites since it got posted... im actually really upset at how you guys havent done sufficient research on a topic like this, as it affects dj's / musicheads worldwide and unfortunately this article is to blame for being linked to countless twitter, blogs and websites now heightening this unclear drama... lets get this straight, technics have only discontinued the MK5??? who gives a shit then. the 1200's etc are still here
Jumpy1 says...
Inthemix did have clarification of the rumour FROM PANASONIC AUSTRALIA, the distributor of TECHNICS in Aus.... if the manufacturer tells you its not going to be made anymore then you will believe it? that is what happened!!