No set of turntables are complete without a pair of slipmats to brighten them up. We’ve scoured the net to pick out our ten favourites.
Victoria Topping’s Once Upon A Time in Japan slipmats// £25
Victoria Topping’s passion for music is clear to see in her art, having made bespoke wallpapers, hand painted murals, done interior design for a record shop and club and created the artwork for several festivals. One of the cheapest pieces of her art you can own (that isn’t sold out) are these new limited edition slipmats, borrowing the design she made for Brawther and Alixkun’s excellent Japanese house compilation.
Keith Haring’s Larry Levan slipmats // £14.99
Keith Haring is one of America’s most celebrated 20th century artists, whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality, and war. His artwork became intrinsically linked to the Paradise Garage in New York where he was a promoter, and like many of the Paradise Garage patrons he suffered from AIDS, a disease that led to his death in 1990. His Paradise Garage connection lives on with these slipmats featuring a Haring drawing of NYC legend Larry Levan.
The Cork Branch’s Mandala slipmats // £17.91
Cork slipmats are great for audio fidelity and also look slick on your turntable. They’re not great for DJing but are perfect for audiophiles looking for an aesthetically pleasing finish to their setup. A selection of laser etched patterns are available from Etsy, with our favourite being the mandala pattern.
Kofie slipmats // $9
Augustine Kofie is one of the most renowned street artists in the world, forming a retro-futuristic aesthetic into a soulful, yet highly mathematical form of abstraction. Taking inspiration from the LA street art where he grew up, these slipmats encapsulate a bit of his experimentation and bring it to the platter. And they’re now on sale for a bargain.
Ashes57 Day and Night slipmats // £20
Ashes57 has been faithfully doing artwork for UK bass crew Swamp81 since the labels inception. Her unique take on urban landscapes and club culture has formed an instantaneously recognisable style that has seen her do installations across clubs, galleries and international festivals. Her ‘day and night’ slipmats are a stellar example of her simple but effective use of inversion and colour.
Mister Saturday Night Slipmats // $24
NYC based label Mister Saturday Night have made waves across North America and Europe with their high quality releases and infamous parties. Their vinyl carries their trademark moon-face stamp (aka Mister Saturday Night), which have been lovingly transferred onto slipmats for the vinyl enthusiasts.
Earworm Records slipmats // £9.99
Small, independent record shop Earworm Records called upon the skills of York based artist Nigel Naylor for their poster designs and in creating these slick slipmats.
Tape-Echo’s dubplate slipmats // £12.99
The dubstep hype may have died down in the UK but the dubplate culture has never been stronger. The heads-down, lighters-up attitude of the dubstep scene lives on and this is embodied by Tape-Echo who created these slipmats.
Peoples Potential Unlimited slipmats // £18.99
Specializing in 80’s funk preservation, Peoples Potential Limited have been turning heads with their consistent quality releases and dreamy take on house and techno. They have certainly turned heads with their glow in the dark slipmats which carry their logo.
Moodymann slipmats // £8
Kenny Dixon Junior has arguably got the coolest label in existence, with Mahognai’s sexual and classy take on house music cementing it as one of the cornerstones of the genre. KDJ knows he’s a cool mofo, and unsurprisingly the slipmats don his face along with a little message from the D. We think we’ve found some still available in Japan, alongside some Theo Parrish mats too.
