The record collection of Keith McIvor, the Scottish DJ and producer known as JD Twitch, is to be sold at World of Echo, a record shop in London. The first part, about 8,000 records, goes on sale next month, with a second instalment to follow in 2027. The sale covers a collection that McIvor built up over his whole life.
McIvor died of a brain tumour around a year ago. He was one half of the Glasgow club night Optimo with Johnnie Wilkes, who has continued to play under the Optimo name since his partner’s death last September. Before Optimo, McIvor founded the techno club Pure at the Venue in Edinburgh, and he was a prolific producer throughout his career. Optimo became one of Glasgow’s best-known club nights during his years behind the decks.
The collection began in his childhood in Balerno, on the edge of Edinburgh, when he spent an inheritance from his grandfather on records, much to his father’s disapproval. It grew over decades of DJ work. Some of the records have been kept in protective sleeves, while others show the wear of years of being played in clubs around the world. His widow, Marissa Costello, describes it as a working collection, built to be used rather than kept on a shelf.
Every album has been graded and will carry a “World of JD Twitch” sticker so buyers can identify its origin. The records will be released over several weekends at the shop rather than in a single sale. Costello said: “Keith believed records are ultimately there to be played, discovered and loved.” The family’s aim is to put the records back into circulation among DJs and listeners, so that the music McIvor played for decades is heard again. Spreading the sale over several weekends also gives more buyers a chance to find something from the collection.
McIvor’s family has set up the Keith McIvor Glioblastoma Research Fund to support research into the disease in Scotland. A limited run of fanzines made by his friends and family will be available in person at World of Echo in return for a donation to the fund. Glioblastoma is the aggressive brain tumour the fund is named after, and the money it raises will go towards research into the disease in Scotland.
