ANDREW GARFIELD SAYS YOU’RE NOT A ‘REAL DJ’ UNLESS YOU PLAY VINYL

Andrew Garfield has entered the vinyl-versus-digital debate, claiming that you can’t “legitimately call yourself a DJ” unless you play physical records.

The actor shared the controversial take during an appearance on Kareem Rahma’s Subway Takes, a series that invites guests to share their strongest opinions while riding the New York City subway.

“You can’t legitimately call yourself a DJ unless you use physical records,” Garfield said, quickly opening up one of dance music’s longest-running debates.

Garfield explained that his opinion was influenced by a recent experience in Berlin, where a sound engineer working on his film organised an impromptu rave for the crew.

According to Garfield, the DJ owned between 12,000 and 15,000 records and had spent an entire weekend digging through his collection to decide what to play based on the people attending the party.

For Garfield, that level of preparation made the set feel more personal.

“It’s a curated experience that requires time and energy and care and love,” he said, comparing the process to cooking and contrasting it with the ease of algorithm-generated playlists on streaming platforms.

Garfield later clarified that he wasn’t intending to dismiss DJs who perform digitally, but by that point, his comments had already caught the attention of the DJ community.

Unsurprisingly, the take received some strong responses.

Toronto DJ and producer Ciel pushed back against vinyl purism, arguing that thoughtful music selection can exist regardless of the format being used.

South African DJ DESIREE described Garfield’s comments as an “elitist take”, while Marlon Hoffstadt responded sarcastically: “Always wanted an actor to tell me what real DJing means, thanks so much.”

NTS Radio kept its reaction slightly shorter: “You’ve rattled me Andrew Garfield.”

The argument over what constitutes “real DJing” is hardly new.

Vinyl was once the dominant format behind the decks, before CDJs and digital music transformed club booths. Pioneer introduced its first CDJ in 1994, while the arrival of the CDJ-1000 in 2001 helped push digital DJing further into the mainstream with its vinyl-style jog wheel.

Despite the shift, vinyl has maintained a dedicated following, with DJs often pointing to the physical process of digging, selecting and mixing records as part of its appeal.

Interest in the format has also continued beyond the underground. UK vinyl sales reached an 18-year high in 2025, while major electronic artists have continued to put the format centre stage.

Earlier this year, Armin van Buuren announced plans to perform a vinyl-only set during each date of his 2026 [UNVRS] Ibiza residency, while Carl Cox opened for The Prodigy across their UK and Ireland tour with three-deck vinyl sets.

Garfield may not have settled the vinyl-versus-digital argument, but he has certainly managed to start it all over again.