I am soo on the same page as u... I am a huge vinyl fan. They are warmer sounding than cd's, you can manipulate tracks better (IMO you have more control over what you are doing), and then there is that whole scratching thing . Nothing like it, and I am so much more comfortable with the tables than with cd players. However, given recent developments I have begun to spin cd's AS WELL as vinyl. Now I still spin mostly vinyl but I also now use cd's which is something I never thought I would say. I used to be incredibly against it. Basically cd's are good for throwing accas over stuff (as someone mentioned before) and for tracks that can't be found on vinyl yet (and at the rate tracks come out these days that covers a lot of tracks). They also have fun looping functions that can help you fuck with a track or make it go on for 20 minutes if u really wanted to. And then there are the fancier cd players that have come out that simulate the feel and manipulation of vinyl (plus EFX). Also, they are a lot lighter to carry than a bunch of records. So using both is probably what most HOUSE dj's are doing these days. Even the ones everyone loves around here (Junior, JP, Danny, etc) yes, even they use cd's. The ones that travel around a lot I guarantee use them even more frequently than 12". But I think if you are just starting out it is important not to neglect the vinyl, learn how to use the tables too. Don't forget where the whole art form came from in the first place. However, if he wants to be a straight up LEGIT hip hop dj, don't even touch the cd. Also every club has cd players up in their booth. Haven't been to one yet that doesn't have that these days, so I guess you can say they are there for a reason.