When my father, musician and producer Tommy West, died in 2021, I inherited a few thousand records, a mix of LPs and 45s, some of which probably were in my grandmother's collection judging by the condition. I meticulously catalogued them and realized that I only recognized about a quarter of the tracks, mostly from "compilation" cassettes (dad never said mix tapes) that he created for me when I was barely able to read through when I went to high school. I was curious about what else was in there, but self-aware enough to know I would never patiently listen to singles if left to my own devices. When Hi-Note opened, I pitched the idea that I would "just play the collection," often hearing songs for the first time. "Just play the collection" would occasionally turn into a "fuck around and find out" as some pretty racist, sexist, and otherwise unsavory shit was released back then under unassuming and un-googlable titles. (To date I think I'm the only Hi-Note show to ever come with a disclaimer.)
But for the most part, the experience has been awesome. When you listen to My Dad's Record Collection, you hear everything from your favorite tracks off of the second Dirty Dancing soundtrack album, to songs made famous via TikTok meme (played at the proper speed, of course), to Italian folk songs, to cautionary tales about how if you try to prevent teens from dating they will inevitably die in car crashes. Yes, this is a genre vast enough to make an entire hour-long set. I also recently piloted "cozy sets" when the weather is below freezing or otherwise unpleasant, where no song ever exceeds adante (110 bpm or below), perfect for a date night or smokey cocktail.
And finally, the promised disclaimer: My Dad's Record Collection contains vinyl from all genres dating from the 1940s through the 1960s, and the music can be reflective of the time in some ugly ways. While I try to screen for material that blows past "it was a different time" into indisputably vile (ex. outdated gender roles or murder ballads OK, insult comedy songs which include obvious racial slurs NOT OK), I don't always catch everything, so the occasional track may make it to air that is offensive.