Dust and Grooves Present: Photo Exhibition

This magnificent photo of 78 collector Joe Bussard is one of my new favourites.  Firstly, everyone wants a wall that large.  When I went house hunting, 'vinyl relistate' (as my wife would call it) became my biggest concern.  Will I find a place that has a nice 'nook' for my collection?  Will my floor boards hold that much weight?  Yes, I even got my home inspector to inform me of the load bearing walls to attaching my shelving to.  For many collectors, our record room is quite important.  It's how we display and how we organize.  Some choose to have their space utilitarian - just holding records.  Others have fancy cabinets and plush rugs. Regardless, a record room is a portal into the collectors mind. Visiting a collectors space is a sacred journey. 

Photographer and owner of 'Dust and Grooves' Eilon Paz is having a Photo Exhibition with this in mind. Eilon has visited notable collectors around the world and photographed them in their space.  As a fellow collector, I've enjoyed learning about what makes these collectors continue.  Each interview offers deep insight in the hobby, ultimately answering larger questions about a collectors compulsion. 

When asking Eilon about his personal collection, he responds ' I was always into music and I was always into vinyl, but I’m not such a dedicated vinyl collector myself. I love going digging for records, but I would always go records that usually are not more than $5-10. This is why I really admire and am obsessed about the people I document.'

Eilon mentions that the music is often a bonus from his brief encounters with each of his subjects.

 'It’s first of all about meeting different people from all over the world with different life styles. Sometimes it’s a short acquaintance, sometimes I make friends. One day I could be drinking tea in a suburb of London listening to Rockabilly music with one of the world’s most appreciated collectors, and on the other end of the spectrum I could be sitting down with a retired truck driver in a muggy basement in Istanbul listening for the first time to some Turkish kitsch sung by this phenomenal transvestite entertainer. I’m always attracted to the actual personality, so I get to meet these characters though the music. That’s the main reward. The music that comes with it is a bonus. '

Friday July 6th, 2012

Tropicalia In Furs Record Store

304 E 5th St. New York, NY 10003

7PM -10PM 

Crate Digging - Pete Rock's Vinyl Collection

Here's a gem, folks.  I'm a sucker for a watching real people talk about their vinyl love.  Check out Pete Rock.

Music Means Everything To Me

Get Down...

Shop Feature - June Records, Toronto

The latest record shop in Toronto proves to be a hit.  June Records, which opened last weekend, is the brain child of Ian Cheung and his business partner Dennis Reynolds.  Ian, former KOPS employee and all around good guy, knows a lot about vinyl.  Discussing music with Ian will range from Suffocation to Curtis Mayfield- what else would you want in a shop owner?

During my hour long stay I quizzed Dennis on his CTI/Creed Taylor related knowledge.  Admitting ignorance, within seconds he had beamed up the catalog of the producer and asked me a few questions.  As a lifelong record geek, I love meeting fellow lovers of music knowledge. 

June Records is a vinyl only shop.  Though the store is in its infancy, Ian has already stocked June Records with choice R&B, Reggae, and Soul reissues, as well as a decent selection of Psych and Classic Rock. June Records has a very nice selection of Indie and Pop greats, pulling from the genres major labels.  It's also nice to see turntables for sale, with the Music Hall mmf 2.2 on display for $449 (a fantastic entry level deck).  The store stocks tube pre-amps, MFSL sleeves, wooden crates, and vinyl cleaning products.

Ian's approach to growing the shop is simple- bringing in the albums that people want to hear.  This 'all killer, no filler' attitude will hopefully bring in a steady clientele.

There are few record shops that my wife will enter.  Like most of my readers, I can deal with the dank, dingy atmosphere of any shop as long as there is promise of some good tunes. But our partners- No way!   As far as aesthetics goes, June Records looks brilliant.  It's open, well lit, and Ian is already looking for ways of sprucing up the space. In our brief chat Ian mentioned looking into getting music related photography on their  walls.

June Records is open daily at 662 College St.,  a few blocks West of Bathurst.   

Visit June Records' Website:  http://junerecords.ca

Visit June Record's Facebook:  JUNE RECORDS FACEBOOK