Scott Ohtoro’s Cassette DJ set

Records are fragile objects. They require careful packaging in orderto send in the mail. In fact, specially designed boxes are made just for shipping records.

I realize I often geek out over vinyl. So much so that when I went to the Lunalilo post office recently (to ship records, of course), I noticed another guy in line holding a square, flat box under his arm, just like I was. From afar, I easily recognized the box. But I didn’t realize the guy with the telltale mailer was local musician/beatmaker Scott Ohtoro.

Scott was shipping a copy of his self-released solo LP, When The Right Time, to a listener in Switzerland. (I wrote about his album last October. You can read my review at metrohnl.com). I took the opportunity to catch up with him; it turns out Scott has been preparing for a special cassette DJ set this Saturday at The Dragon Upstairs.

DJing with cassettes? Not only has a cassette DJ set yet to be attempted by anyone in Honolulu (am I wrong?), the acronym DJ itself stands for disc jockey — and there’s no disc in a tape.

Props to Scott, because it really is happening. “I wanted to do something challenging and unique,” Scott tells me.”Hip-hop sounds amazing on cassette.It’s what I grew up listening to.”

With this gig, he hopes”that people will take away a new-found love of hip-hop and soul music of the 90s.”

Scott’s been preparing for weeks now, “selecting songs, tracking the BPM, and then organizing the set list,” he explains.”Hip-hop tends to be around the same BPM, which makes sequencing easier.”

But you also could say he’s been preparing for years to do this special gig.

“I still have cassettes from when I was in high school and the rest I pick up either at record stores or online,” Scott says.”It’s tough because it took time to collect enough tapes to do a full set plus have some popular jams.”

From what I’ve gathered, Scott’s set will mix golden-era hip-hop jams — think De La Soul and Black Eyed Peas, late 1990s — with new generation beats from the likes of Jon Wayne and Madlib. (Scott has a Facebook event page with more photos of the tapes he’s gathered for this gig. Type in ‘Ohtoro Cassette DJ Set & Kimmy V’ to find out more.)

Cassettes are pretty inconvenient, considering they break easily, and you can’t exactly skip to the next track like vinyl or digital.”It is a very fragile way to listen to music,” Scott agrees.

Which makes me think about the fragility of all music we encounter, regardless of format. Tapes and records break. Digital libraries can be erased in an instant.Even the quality of a live performance depends on a delicate balance of setting, audience, entertainers and equipment.

But whenever we engage with music, we strengthen the bonds that bring forth friendships, fuel creativity and allow for human expression.

Scott Ohtoro’s cassette DJ set also features a live performance by Kimmy V. this Saturday, Jan. 24, at 10:30 p.m.atThe Dragon Upstairs.

You can buy Scott Ohtoro’s cassette and vinyl releases at ohtoro.bandcamp.com.

For more from Roger, visit his blog at alohagotsoul.com