Welcome to Burning The Ground.
My name is Paul (also known as DjPaulT), and this site is the result of a lifelong love affair with music—specifically the ’80s and ’90s 12-inch mixes that defined dance floors, radio shows, and record shops during a truly special era.
I grew up in Oklahoma City and now live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I DJ’d on and off for many years, but more importantly, I became a collector—someone who was obsessed not just with songs, but with versions. Extended mixes, dub mixes, club edits, instrumental flips—the magic that happened when producers took a familiar song and transformed it into something entirely new.
Falling in Love with the 12-Inch
Some of my favorite memories involve walking into Sam Goody, Sound Warehouse, Buttons, or Musicland, flipping through the racks, and discovering newly arrived 12-inch singles. There was nothing like buying a record, taking it home, studying the large-format artwork, reading liner notes and production credits, and hearing each mix unfold for the first time. Even the smell of new vinyl felt like part of the experience.
When those record shops began disappearing, something important was lost. Many of these mixes—once central to club culture—slowly slipped out of print and into obscurity. Burning The Ground exists because I never wanted that music, or that experience, to be forgotten.
How Burning The Ground Began
In 2007, frustration with the music industry and the disappearance of classic singles pushed me to start sharing what I loved. At the time, I didn’t even have a blog—I was simply transferring favorite mixes, posting them on forums, and talking about music with other fans. Donations never crossed my mind. I was doing it purely out of passion, even during times when buying music meant sacrificing basic necessities.
That same year, I officially launched Burning The Ground on Blogger. My first blog-related turntable was a Numark TTUSB, followed by a Stanton, then eventually the Pro-Ject Debut III. Like many beginners, I learned the hard way that a higher price doesn’t always mean better sound. I went through endless trial-and-error—hardware conflicts, software frustrations, soundcards, declicking tools, and mastering mistakes.
There were nights (and weekends) spent staring at waveforms, fixing one problem only to create another. I knew great-sounding vinyl rips were possible—I’d heard them online—but getting there required patience, money, and experience I didn’t yet have.
Learning the Art of Vinyl Transfers
What kept me going was encouragement from readers. My goal was always clear: preserve and present lost or overlooked 12-inch masterpieces in the best quality possible. Eventually, readers encouraged me to accept donations—not for profit, but to reinvest directly into better equipment and better results.
Over time, vinyl ripping stopped being guesswork and became an art form. I gained confidence, refined my process, and developed an ear for what these records were supposed to sound like. People began noticing—and appreciating—the improvement.
Burning The Ground grew quickly, reaching well over one million visitors before the original Blogger site was shut down in March 2010.
A New Era on WordPress
Later in 2010, I relaunched Burning The Ground on WordPress, where it continues today. Anyone familiar with the site knows that I’m extremely particular about sound quality, presentation, and accuracy. I’ve always hated downloading a rare favorite only to discover poor mastering, excessive noise reduction, or heavy-handed processing. Even official digital releases often fall short due to bad mastering or excessive compression.
Quality is what sets Burning The Ground apart.
I aim to go beyond just sharing audio. Each post includes artwork, liner notes, production credits, and historical context whenever possible. Someone once told me that if anyone wanted to learn about ’80s and ’90s dance music and remixes, all they needed to do was visit Burning The Ground—and I’ve carried that compliment with me ever since.
For many years, I’ve spent hours each weekday preparing and restoring a single release for posting.
Fundraising & Transparency
I’ve always believed in transparency. Traditionally, I raise funds only twice a year, over a single weekend each time. Donations are used strictly to keep the site running and to maintain or upgrade equipment when necessary—such as replacing a stylus only after years of daily use, or maintaining critical components in the signal chain.
Burning The Ground has never been about shortcuts or volume—it’s about care.
Current Equipment (2026)
As of 2026, my transfer chain has evolved significantly:
- Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
- Cartridge / Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
- Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
- Platter Mat: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
- Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
- Phono Preamp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
- Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 (Matched Pair, Gold Pins)
- DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
- Record Cleaning: VPI HW-16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
The Transfer Philosophy
Today, my approach is deliberate and minimal. Every record is meticulously cleaned and manually de-clicked by hand, one imperfection at a time. No aggressive noise reduction. No unnecessary processing. The goal is simple: let the record sound like the record, just without decades of dust and damage standing in the way.
Years of experience have sharpened both my technical skills and my ear. I now spend far more time focused on the music itself rather than fighting the process—and that’s exactly where I want to be.
Why Burning The Ground Exists
Burning The Ground is about preservation, respect, and love for a format that helped define generations of club culture. These records were meant to be played loud, explored deeply, and appreciated fully—not forgotten or reduced to poor-quality digital copies.
I hope you discover something new here—or reconnect with something you thought was lost forever.
Thank you for being part of this journey with me.
— Paul