Drew Albins’ introduction to DJing began by chance, but he has spent his life immersed in music.
From performing in local bands, training professionally as a vocalist, and aspiring to be a Broadway star at a young age, that love of music sent him to Full Sail University in Florida to study recording arts.
However, Albins says a lack of musical opportunities in Florida prompted him to move back to Maryland around 2008. Soon after, he quickly discovered a natural talent for disc jockeying after stepping in for a sick DJ at a friend’s wedding. He explained that his heightened musicality and theatrical influence brought an exciting energy to his DJ’ing.
“I thought ‘I could do this better,” he said. Six years later, Albins’ is now better known as Bmorefortherecord, a Parkville-based DJ.
Albins didn’t just see this as an opportunity to utilize his musical expertise professionally, but a way to bring a unique presence to each wedding through vinyl.
Since college, he has amassed a collection of over 5,000 vinyl, ranging in genre from country to rock to even top 40 hits.
His love for vinyl comes from his mother—who had her own impressive collection during his childhood —and his own preference to the sound and tangible connection one has when holding a physical record.
“[The music] being on the records sounds different, it’s gonna sound fuller. It’s not compressed like digital music is these days. It’s just different — it hits differently.”
Albins begins designing a set list with an eight-page questionnaire. He asks couples about their genre preferences, what music they want for the dancefloor, and what favorite unconventional tracks they might like played during cocktail hour and dinner.
Albins explains that it matters for couples to cater to themselves instead of what their DJ believes could be best. “Music is so important to me,” says Albins, but urges his clients, “when it’s personal to people you need to play [songs] that are about you, and forget everyone else/ It’s important to play things that don’t make other people happy, but make you happy.”
The turntablists begins making his physical space by wheeling in carts of vinyl and placing them behind his table. Attendees are invited to come browse through the selection, and excitedly watch him drop the needle on the next record he queues up.
While the majority of contemporary DJ’s load their setlists on computers, Albins’ prides himself on bringing an “old school” element to his space by placing individual, physical records on his turntable, and letting a song play completely through rather than mixing it with other tracks halfway.
“If you hear me DJ, you’re going to hear the actual music,” he says.
There’s various moment’s where Albins says he isn’t sure what he’ll play next, but enjoys the spontaneous nature of the moment, as well as the excitement on attendees faces as they watch him pull out the next record.
He also knows couples rely on his expertise, so that includes choosing music on the fly that matches the energy of the room. This can include understanding what song would work best to keep spirits high on the dance floor, or how to bridge the generations with the latest hit viral on TikTok and with classics that make Grandma smile. “Dancing Queen” being a top request.
Albins ultimate goal is to eventually DJ full time and grow his social media presence. Until then, he says he’ll continue doing what he loves part-time, and enjoy the pop cultural resurgence vinyl continues to have.
“People will come up to my booth and say ‘You’re actually playing vinyl, that’s so cool. Nobody does that,’” says Albins. “You have an instant connection with people just because you’re playing something they’ve grown up with.”
