While digging through a box of old keepsakes, I stumbled across some photos of my dad in his disc jockey days, circa 1980. There he was—suit and tie, spinning vinyl in a studio full of retro tech. Looking at those images, I couldn’t help but think about today’s conversations around AI and the so-called “end of art as we know it.” Back when digital came knocking, the purists screamed that photography was dead.

Spoiler: it wasn’t.

Those records my dad spun back then? Now they live as ones and zeros, floating somewhere in the cloud. The medium changed, sure. The magic? Still there—if you know where to look.

I don’t know what the future’s cooking up. Maybe that’s the point. But I do know this—my dad wouldn’t want us sweating it. He was about groove, the story, the art. So in honor of his love for timeless creativity (and a martini that could knock Sinatra off his stool), here’s a compilation of hits to take you somewhere.

Backwards, forwards - doesn’t matter. Let’s keep on spinning.

ERICA HERNÁNDEZ x YOUR SMITH