Yes, Restless legs syndrome or RLS is in fact a neurological disorder that forces one to move their body, especially the legs, to ease uncomfortable sensations. This is exactly what the Austrian trio, Restless Leg Syndrome, aims to simulate, though naturally in a much more pleasant way.
Restless Leg Syndrome consists of DJ/producer d.b.h. and turntable national champions Chrisfader and Testa. The group came together with the intention of sampling bygone eras of music and using them to make hip hop, house and other dance worthy beats, often based on different themes. In 2011, they released an EP titled Swapping Swingers, in which they focused on the swinging '20s. On their second EP Dabke, they sourced Levantine vinyl and cassettes to incorporate the sounds of the Sham. Their newest album Rooted is their interpretation of traditional Tyrolean Austrian music, and features an impressive array of instrumentalists. It came out earlier this year.
Their weapon of choice is vinyl, if you didn’t get that from the whole “turntable champions” piece. We talked to them and got the dirt on, or rather how to keep the dirt off, vinyl.
According to them, vinyl collecting is not a cheap hobby, unless you are a die-hard crate digger with a huge amount of resources to explore. Even then, it can be expensive, which is why you need to take good care of your vinyl. “Dirt and dust cause noisy crackles and make a record uncomfortable to listen to. I think keeping the records in their sleeves when they are not in use is the most important.” This sounds simple, but we know it’s easy to get excited with your next choice, toss the other aside, and get sleepy or…something else. An especially important tip for us vinyl junkies here in Egypt is to keep “your records protected from extreme temperature and dust,” if that is actually possible.
They enlightened us on what we should have on vinyl. Those top five would be (*drumroll*):
BadBadNotGood – III
RJD2 – Dead Ringer
Anderson Paak – Malibu
Oddisee- The Good Fight
Portishead – Dummy
And in case someone in your family doesn’t have Elias Rahbani’s Mosaic of the Orient and everything by Abd El Halem Hafez on vinyl, you need those too. Obviously, they already have Om Kulthum’s Anta Oumri.
Last piece of advice from RLS: Isolate your deck, otherwise it might be susceptible to vibration.
Catch Restless Leg Syndrome live on Wednesday, December 13th at Cairo Jazz Club.
