Reviewer: Gizmo • Date: June 2006 • Price: £20/$20 • Link: D-Styles

Slipmats have but one function and that is to slip. It's not rocket science or brain surgery but bearing in mind the simplicity, the sheer variety of slipmats available is quite staggering. Granted they're all circular in shape but some are thick, some thin, some with holes, some plain and a great many others are adorned with all manner of decoration.

But the overriding necessity is that they give the DJ the exact feel they need and for this reason, people often resort to making their own. Every slippy material known to man has probably been used by DJs, and this probably includes... tablecloths... see what I did there?

Comparisons

Generally speaking, slipmats fall into 2 camps - super thin or thick felt. Both have their own characteristics and Tablecloths take the best of each and make something quite unique.



People are going to ask obvious questions, the most popular one being "what are they like". In reality, they're like a number of mats. Functionally and to a degree cosmetically, they're like Thud Rumble's Butter Rugs and Flying Carpets but in one pack. The mat itself is unlike anything else out there - one side is actually quite rough to the touch, kind of like a carpet tile and is emblazend with the face of the mysterious Mr Suzuki, the maker of these Tablecloths. I don't know if he personally makes them or just oversees other people, but he does look like a happy chap.

Click picture on the left for hi res.

The flipside of this mat is a woven and very slippy surface and quite obviously the face down side - unlike the Butter Rugs where I stumbled across many a forum post about which was the right way up. Together these layers make up something thicker than a Butter Rug but softer and springier to the touch. And very slippy on the platter. Only having TTXs, I don't know if they give different performance on different platters. And as a material, I have a good feeling about them lasting a while without fraying.

The second part is the thin plastic sheet. Just like Flying Carpets, they give an additional level of slippiness to an already slippy mat. You get 4 in the pack as the tendency is for these to wear quickly around the spindle. I've even had one grab the spindle. And at this time, this sheet isn't available as a spare so you'll need to use Flying Carpets to get the same feel.

In use, they feel as slippy as you'd expect. But then again, all mats do. One major issue with thin mats is static. The last thing you need mid-battle is to lose a fight with your slipmat due to excess static. I've tried old worn vinyl and factory fresh static laden wax, spent ages backspinning and scratching with them and I've yet to have a Tablecloth come off with the vinyl.

With some slipmats, there's often an issue with noise netween the platter and the mat. Thankfully, there appears to be no such problem. And this slightly rough feel has a nice side effect - it seems to clean my vinyl a little as well, but the potential is there to fill your Tablecloth with finger gunk.

In Summary

I'm not too fussy when it comes to slipmats. As long as they slip then I'm just as happy with pretty much any mat on my decks. It's just a matter of if the feel is right for you or not, and if indeed you feel the need to spend 20 of your local currency to use the same mats as the legendary D-Styles. I'd say that these do have the edge on Butter Rugs if only for the extra value of already having the slipsheets included.

They do work - there's no doubt about that. Any tablist looking to buy a new pair of slips would be happy with a pair. Thumbs up from Mr Suzuki and Gizmo as well.

Ratings

Build Quality - 9/10
A nice solid material. Unlikely to fray in a hurry.

Features and implementation - 9/10
A lot of thought has gone into this mat and it all comes together perfectly.

Value for money - 9/10
It's a nice package and the you get the equivalent of Butters and Carpets in one

Pros:
• Slippy or very slippy - your choice
• High quality material

Cons
• Slip sheets not available as extras (yet).

The Bottom Line

They slip and slip well with a nice feel and shouldn't fall apart. What more is there to say about slipmats?

Thanks to D-Styles for organising the mats for me and to Charles from Vestax for eventually tracking me down at MusikMesse to pass them on!