Vinyl Tap 215
Common Beat Music
4916 Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia
May 30, 2026
When the subject of DJing comes up, what do you imagine? Probably a packed nightclub with a dark dance floor full of sweaty, inebriated bodies? Or maybe you’re picturing a massive festival stage, outfitted with bright, psychedelic visual effects and a superstar jock delivering bass-heavy drops from on high? While those scenes are part of it, they are a small part of DJing when you consider the culture in its totality. Before DJs were elevated to headlining status at major clubs and festivals, the sport of spinning and mixing records was a communal affair. The relationships between DJs, dancers, listeners, musicians and record stores all constituted a communal ecosystem that kept the music moving.
Vinyl Tap 215 is not just a series of events — it is the very definition of a musical community. Founded by DJ and organizer DuiJi Mshinda nearly a decade ago, Vinyl Tap hosts workshops, parties and regular meetups throughout the city and surrounding areas. Operating under the simple motto: “Play Records, Have Fun, Be Family," I’m happy and proud to be a member of the Vinyl Tap Community. Our regular meetups are some of the most musically fulfilling parts of my life. These meetups are coordinated through Vinyl Tap’s email list of DJs. Mshinda will get the ball rolling by setting a date and putting out an open call for DJs to fill a 40-minute slot. The network of DJs in the community is what makes the events special. Paying no deference to status, clout, or even experience level, a Vinyl Tap event can feature experienced DJs who have toured the world on a lineup with someone who just got their first pair of turntables.
On Saturday, the May 30 edition of Vinyl Tap, the crew touched down at Common Beat Music, the record store between 49th and 50th on Baltimore Avenue, for West Philly Porch Fest. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, I packed a bag of rare and semi-common underground hip-hop records and made the trip out to West Philly with my partner. With a lineup of heavy hitters like Dj Nine, Comrade Cota, Michael The Lion, Chick da Funkman and others, the day was packed with non-stop music as folks hung out, shopped for records and enjoyed pizza, fruit and snacks. Nine played one of my all-time favorite cuts, Donald Byrd’s jazz-funk groover “Change,” and Steve Ferrell spun a fantastic set of deep funk 45s. At a Vinyl Tap event, you are liable to hear anything, as the music is as diverse and deep as the community around it. As West Philly bustled with the warm and slightly chaotic energy of Porch Fest, Vinyl Tap did what it always does: connect people through the power of music.
