dj turntablism has origins in the invention of direct-drive turntables. early belt-drive turntables were unsuitable for turntablism and mixing, since they had a slow start-up time, and they were prone to wear-and-tear and breakage, as the belt would break from backspinning or scratching. the first direct-drive turntable was invented by engineer at matsushita (now panasonic), based in osaka, japan. it eliminated belts, and instead employed a motor to directly drive a platter on which a vinyl record rests. in 1969, matsushita released it as the sp-10, the first direct-drive turntable on the market, and the first in their influential technics series of turntables.