I started out buying cassette albums and a few LPs and 45s here and there, but as soon as I caught the DJ bug I no longer bought cassettes (only blank ones to record my mixes).

My media of choice was (still is sometimes) the 12" single. Back then the 12" basically meant a unique extended version of the original, and sometimes a dub, instrumental and/or acapella track thrown in. Anymore 12" remixes are of any song out there, time-stretched or compressed to about 130 beats per minute.
