Back in the day

Old-school picks

The gear and books that keep old-school culture alive. Simple categories and real titles, linked to an Amazon search.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy or book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. We do not invent reviews or ratings, and it never changes what we recommend. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Music

Search on AmazonA belt-drive turntablePlays your records with a built-in preamp; plug into powered speakers. Search on AmazonA portable cassette playerYes, they still make them. Great for old mixtapes.

Read

Search on AmazonCan't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff ChangThe history of the hip-hop generation.

Snap it

Search on AmazonAn instant film cameraPrints on the spot, the way photos used to be.

How we pick

We list well-known books and simple, widely sold product types that fit what we cover. We have not been paid to include anything, we do not publish ratings or reviews we have not done, and prices change, so always check the seller's page. Store and booking pages are run by those companies, not by us.

Newsletter

The OG weekly

One throwback story a week: classic rides, retro kicks, arcade legends and the gadgets we grew up with, plus first word on new pages, Shorts and collabs.