January Record Dig

Alright I feel a lot better about this dig than the last one [here]. 7 of these albums are actually pretty damn good on their own rights, and two are flat out crazy. Naturally, I'm talking about the two Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66 albums. Those are a pair of bossa nova jazz/funk masterpieces. I'm sure both have been sampled to hell and back over the years, but I'm still gonna have a lot of fun flippin em.

The "I ♥ NY album" has a bunch of Tourist Bureau compiled 70's era New York anthems, including disco (!) that should be fun to work with, and of course the Issac Hayes is a treasure trove of sample sources. The Vangelis album is full of wonderful synth sounds, as you'd expect from him, and any Genesis album is always good for drums. And shoot I couldn't pass up the Live and Let Die soundtrack; the title track alone is worth owning.

Not a bad dig, especially since I spent a whopping $5.50 haha!

DJ Clark Kent

Wow. I just watched DJ Clark Kent spin the turntables LIVE for 2-½ hours* on the Freddie Foxxx (aka Bumpy Knuckles) Ustream channel, Krupt Mob Radio. If you ain't seen Clark deejay before, whew, y'all got no idea how hot his DJ game is. As a hip hop music geek, I gotta say Clark blew my mind.

In case you didn't know, DJ Clark Kent is a hip hop DJ, music producer, music tour coordinator, CEO of his own entertainment company, and founding member of the "Supermen" DJ crew (which consisted of Richie Rich, Scratch, Alladin, Miz, & Supreme). Oh wait, did I forget to mention that he used to be an A&R for Mowtown and Atlantic records? Yeah, well while he was an A&R he signed and/or was responsible for a few artists you might have heard of: Das Efx. MC Lyte. 98 Degrees. Oh yeah, and a young kid from his own neighborhood by the name of Jay-Z. Maybe you've heard of him? Ha ha!

Just look at those albums--how many classics are in there? How many top tier artists? Those are just SOME of the albums that DJ Clark Kent produced songs on. Maria Carey, Jay-Z, Biggie, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Slick Rick, Mariah Carey, Poor Righteous Teachers, 50 Cent, Das Efx, and Rakim. Damn! Clark's been a beast in the music industry since the mid 80's when he was the DJ for Dana Dane--Cinderfella himself.

But on top of all that--as if it weren't enough--DJ Clark Kent also has THE hottest sneaker game around. No one can touch him--PERIOD--and most of the ones who can hang with him like All-Day, MAYOR, and DJ Greg Street are in his ATF sneaker crew (Addicted To Fresh, All Things Fresh, etc). Not only does Clark have several thousand pair of sneakers, he's also had the opportunity to design sneaker colorways for Nike--that's incredible. He has been featured in Sole Collector magazine (even though he doesn't consider himself a "collector", instead just a guy who buys and wears a lot of sneakers), has had his Top 50 Air Force 1s list featured in Complex magazine [here], and was on their panel of sneaker experts (along with MAYOR) that ranked the Complex.com Top 10 Sneakers of 2009 [here].

DJ Clark Kent: Music industry legend and the biggest sneakerhead in the game.


* Note - the live show Clark played is supposed to be archived on the Krupt Mob Radio Ustream channel [here] if you're interested in watching it--which of course you should be. It was hot; even Pete Rock and Prince Paul were watching/chatting the stream! BTW the last 20 minutes was a discussion between Clark and Freddie that broke down into sneaker talk, so sneakerheads should definitely peep that.

Speeches by King, Beats by Dre, Mixtape by Street

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in honor of the civil rights leader's birthday celebration, DJ Greg Street released this mixtape featuring the speeches of Dr. King mixed with beats by Dr. Dre. The cover art cleverly flips the cover of Dr. Dre's classic 1992 album, The Chronic, and caps it off with a pair of "Beats by Dre" headphones on Dr. King.

Here's what DJ Greg Street had to say about this mixtape:

This mixtape is dedicated to the biggest movement of all times. Every time I listen to these speeches it makes me realize how deep life really is. This man’s legacy is amazing & ask yourself after all he did for man kind. Did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. die a millionaire? How much is your legacy worth?

Download the FREE mixtape [here].

DJ Premier x Nike Air Force 1

These Nike Air Force 1 lows were designed by DJ Premier as a counterpart to the DJ AM x Nike Dunk High Premiums I posted yesterday [here]. Originally, these were to be part of Nike's East-West "Rivals Pack" series, which I've blogged about before [here], but the Rivals aspect was dropped in respect to DJ AM's untimely passing.

For those not in the know, DJ Premier (aka Premo) is one of the most important Hip Hop producers of all time. In fact, I mentioned him in one of my very first posts here on this blog [here]. Look up any "best Hip Hop producers" list and you're bound to find Premo on there, likely occupying the top spot. As the deejay half of the seminal group Gang Starr, along with emcee Guru, he helped define the New York Hip Hop sound of the 90s. Premo is one of those producers who has a signature sound--usually a repeating 2-bar structure with scratched choruses--that is instantly recognizable as his own. When you hear a DJ Premier beat, you know it's a DJ Premier beat.

Gang Starr dropped four truly significant albums in the 90's, with Premo handling about 99.9% of the production on them. If you wanna know what classic New York 90's Hip Hop is supposed to sound like, just listen to any of these albums: Step in the Arena (1991); Daily Operation (1992); Hard to Earn (1994); Moment of Truth (1998). Yeah it's true, Guru isn't the most exciting emcee, but something about his monotone voice works with Premo's beats. Of course, since you're reading my blog, you probably already know all this, right? I mean, you're probably a hip hop head, am I right? Well if by some chance you're not, but you still wanna know what a Premo beat sounds like, go watch this old Gang Star video from 1992 [here].

As for the design of these Air Force 1 lows--whoo! SHIT these joints are as hot as a Premo beat. The quality of the materials used are top notch; smooth black suede, smooth dark green leather, embossed brown and blue leather, orange contrast stitching, leather tongue tag, lasered logos, customized lace tabs, and that clear icy sole with turntables printed underneath. Damn! They look nice in pictures, but they're so much better in person--really an outstanding choice of materials in these kicks.

BY THE WAY...

One thing I haven't seen any sneaker news website mention is what that logo on the insole pattern and front of the shoe stands for. You know, the circle with the "yR" in it. Most sites point it out but just call it "DJ Premier's logo" or just gloss over it completely. But hey, since no one else seems to know what it's about, allow me to drop that knowledge on you:

The logo represents DJ Premier's independent record label, Year Round records.

If you don't know, now ya know

DJ AM x Nike Dunk High Premium

These Nike Dunk High Premiums were designed by the late Adam Goldstein, known to the world at large as DJ AM, one of the highest-profile club DJs in the world--but within the sneaker culture, he was probably better known as a celebrity with a serious sneaker collection [peep it in this video]. After Adam passed away last summer, hundreds of his sneakers were auctioned on eBay with 100% of the proceeds going to the DJ AM Memorial Fund, a charity helping people struggling with drug addiction.

Last year, LA-based DJ AM designed this Dunk High Premium as part of Nike's East-West "Rivals Pack" series, which I've blogged about before [here], to match up against an Air Force 1 low designed by NY-based DJ Premier that I'm posting about tomorrow [here]. Out of respect for his passing, Nike dropped the "rivalry" aspect of these and just released the kicks with his logo on the tongue--very classy move from the folks in Beaverton.

As for the shoe design itself, it really combines DJ AM's passion for both DJing and sneakers: the BRED colorway is as classic as it gets; the Dunk is one of the most loved sneaker profiles in Nike's catalog; black patent leather always makes sneakerheads excited, and the shiny black looks kinda like a vinyl record; and the turntable platter strobe markings just scream out "DJ" in the most obvious, awesome way possible. In fact, when I first saw a photo of the sneakers from the front I thought "those are hot" but then when I saw the turntable markings, I instantly knew I'd own these kicks--I see that pattern everyday on my own tables right next to my Mac. How could I not buy these?

I mean geez, just look how the reflective 3M material shows through the perfed black patent in that pic where the sneaker is sitting on my tuntable--it's a perfect rendition of strobe markings, reflection and all! Wow, just incredible.

If you like this sneaker, make plans to try and track it down first thing when it releases this Saturday, January 9th. This is a limited quickstrike release that's bound to sell out instantly. I managed to snag mine a bit early, and from what I've seen these are already selling online some places at well over $200. Don't sleep.

RIP DJ AM. You passed away far too young.



REMEMBER: go read about the other half of this pack, the DJ Premier x Nike Air Force 1 low [here]

Favorite Albums of 2009

Music nowadays might now be what it once was (especially hip hop) but there's still a lot of quality stuff coming out. I mean come on, you know there's still some heat left in the oven when two certifiable bangers, BP3 and OBFCL2, drop on the exact same day.

Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Links II
Direct sequel to the 1995 classic which was one of the very best Wu-Tang solo efforts. Picks up right were the first left off and the Chef don't miss a step. My favorite hip hop album of 2009.

El Michels Affair - Enter the 37th Chamber
Wu-Tang inspired live instrumental album. I thought it might be stupid at first, but damn I keep playing this one over and over--gonna wear the vinyl out!

Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini, Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City
Pretty Tony gets a little bit RnB on us but doesn't cheese out. Maybe not as good as his last couple albums, but still a very solid effort. Spun this one a lot.

Jay Z - The Blueprint 3
The third installment of the Blueprint trilogy spawned one of the best NYC anthems in years. A bit long, but nowhere near as sprawling as the BP2 mess.

Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World
My favorite album of 2009 hands-down, and one of my favorites of the whole decade. Authentic soul that coulda been lifted straight outta the 1970s. Highly recommended.

Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
White kid from Detroit channeled 60's-style Motown proper. Totally unoriginal, but that makes it even more perfect. I even cop'd the heart-shaped 12" single for my wife.

Mos Def - The Ecstatic
He dropped two classics early in his career--Black Star with Talib Kweli, and Black on Both Sides--and then fell off, seemingly focused on acting. He came back strong on this though, back in true form.

Drake - So Far Gone
This man seemed to come out of nowhere, caught me totally by surprise. This isn't the style of hip hop I typically listen to--it's definitely a softer, pop-ier sound--but I like it.

Wale - Attention Deficit
Another album that's outside my normal preferred style of hip hop. I admit I slept on this at first; glad I woke up tho, it's a solid album that caught me on the first listen.

Honorable Mentions:
These are some more albums and mixtapes I liked this year, but didn't quite make my top-9 list for one reason or another. Good stuff tho, definitely worth checking these out too.

• Braille & Symbolyc One - CloudNineteen
  
• Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood Ferguson - Suite for Ma Dukes
  
• De La Soul - Are You In?: Nike + Original Run
  
• Diz Gibran - Soon You'll Understand
  
• Doom - Born Like This
  
• Exile - Radio
  
• Fashawn - Boy Meets World
  
• Frank Ramz - Make The Road By Walking
  
• Has-Lo - You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It
  
• J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
  
• Jabee - Must Be Nice
  
• Jazz Liberatorz - Fruit of the Past
  
• KiD CuDi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
  
• Large Professor - The LP (originally recorded in 95/96)
  
• Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute To...
  
• Method Man And Redman - Blackout! 2
  
• Panacea - Corkscrew Gaps EP
  
• Royce Da 5'9 - Street Hop
  
• Saigon - All In A Day's Work
  
• ScholarMan - The Pull Forward EP vols. 1 & 2
  
• Waxolutionists - We Paint Colors
  
• Wu Tang Clan - Chamber Music
  

December Record Dig

Here's a bunch of mostly junky vinyl records I bought for 50¢ each. Now, I've bought plenty of crappy records before, but most of this stuff here is just flat out unlistenable--but thankfully that's not why I bought em. You see, crappy records like these can provide all sorts of sounds suitable for sampling. One of the fun aspects of creating sample-based music is trying to flip a wack record into something good...and I got plenty to work with here. haha

The one real gem here is the Smokey Robinson album, A Quiet Storm. It's actually one of the great soul albums of the 1970s.

You know, this might sound weird, but I really love buying and playing vinyl records (click the vinyl records category tag to see all my posts about the subject) and even when they're total crap, I still love 'em. I'll hit the "next" button on an iPod or CD player in a heartbeat when a bad song plays, but on vinyl I just let it ride--and it doesn't bother me one bit when the music sucks.

Strange, huh?

Uncommon Burners 2

Whoa, check this out: an album cover I designed is actually out there for real, like gracing an actual album! Sweet, huh? Yeah I know, I never really talk about graphic design stuff on my blog--I mean come on, this blog is supposed to be about stuff I like, not my day job. But this is different because I designed this project strictly for the fun of it; to do something other than the typical day-in, day-out corporate work I do .

Oh and guess what? This album is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from Above Ground magazine (get it here).

About the cover art: Uncommon Burners 2 is the second in a series of compilation albums put out by the label Uncommon Records. When trying to come up with an idea for the artwork, I kept circling around the thought of using fire, but didn't have any concrete way of tying it back to "burners" or "burning". Then I ran across an image of a Chinese Fire Breather and it hit me: hot MCs "spit fire" on the mic. So then I went and found a photo of a Shure SM58 mic and Photoshoped it in there, painted up the background some, and added the dragon line art to represent how the fire comes from inside you. The "Uncommon Burners 2" text I struggled with a bit, finally ended up sitting down with a sketchbook and hand drew a mess of thumbnail pencils to come up with how to work the various elements together, and then finalized the type in Illustrator.

FYI here's the back cover that I also designed:

Notice how I credited myself with my Twitter screen name? I dunno why I did that, guess it's partly because I've been meeting so many people from Twitter in real life recently that I've repeatedly been hearing "Dsicle" said out loud--first time since San Diego really. So I guess it's kinda sticking in my head now. Thanks, Wade. LOL

All said, I had a blast designing the cover art for this album. Big ups to Tyler for thinking of me to design the project, and also to my homie Ross for the advice/critique.

Academy LPs

Academy LPs in the East Village is one of three stores run by Academy Records, each with its own unique focus. The Flatiron location sells Classical and Jazz LPs and used CDs, the Williamsburg annex sells rock and jazz LPs, while the East Village shop specializes in Jazz, Rock, Pop, R&B, and Hip Hop. Naturally, that's the location I was most interested in.

The selection at the shop is extensive--in my opinion, one of the best in NYC for diggers looking for sampling material. The dollar bins are deep and full of gems. I bought an armload in there, more than any other shop I hit on my vacation.

There's also a very respectable selection of classic hip hop joints and even some new reissues. You may not find exactly what you're looking for if you're hunting for something specific, but you certainly won't have any trouble finding lotsa good stuff to buy. There's also a listening station where you can check out your potential purchases.

Nice spot for diggers. Recommended.

Reed Space

Reed Space is store that sells--well, cool. That's the best way to describe it, really. They carry such a wide range of street lifestyle goods that it's hard to pin down exactly what they specialize in, except to say that it's all really cool shit.

Shirts, jackets, caps, sneakers, books, magazines, mixtapes, toys, jewelry, watches--man you name it, if it's part of the streetwear culture, Reed Space probably sells it. Brands represented include 10 Deep, Acapulco Gold, Crooks & Castles, Burton, The Hundreds, Stussy, Rogue Status, Alife, Benny Gold, Diamond Supply, Freshjive, Kangol, In4mation, Mighty Healthy, Mishka...man it just goes on and on and on.

Of course the star attraction--at least in my mind--is the brand Staple, purveyors of the Pigeon (complete with poop). Staple is one of my very favorite streetwear brands--probably because I got a soft spot for pigeons, comes from living downtown I guess--which is the brainchild of graphic designer Jeff Staple, who also happens to own Reed Space.

They literally put a picture of shit (pigeon shit) on clothing people step all over themselves to buy it--including me! If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what else is.

If I could only shop for streetwear at one store in the whole world, Reed Space would be it.

Highest possible recommendation.

The Sound Library

The Sound Library is a great little vinyl record shop located in the Lower East Side neighborhood of NYC. The selection seems to be focused on Hip Hop with a bit of Funk, Soul, and Disco as well--which pretty much describes the kind of records I buy, so needless to say I was impressed.

The vast majority of their well-organized and extensive selection is used vinyl, and there are a couple of listening stations so you can drop a needle on most everything you might be interested in to see if you really wanna buy it. That's a good thing since the prices--while very fair--are exactly what you'd expect them to be; that is to say, they know what they got and they price accordingly. Most LPs seem to be in the $5 to $15 range, but there are some classics and rare joints that command more. If you wanna do some diggin, there are plenty of dollar bins to sift through as well.

All in all, I'd say this is one of the best hip hop centric used vinyl record shops I've ever been to. If this place was in Dallas, I'd be broke as hell!

Highly recommended.

Turntable Lab

I was really excited about heading down to the East Village and checking out Turntable Lab--and the TTL Annex next door--because I order stuff from them all the time. Hell, I check their website everyday for the new goods.

Turntable Lab sells music, gear, and related accessories while the TTL Annex sells clothing, caps, bags, books & magazines, gadgets, toys, sunglasses and...well pretty much anything they deem cool. You never know what's gonna be popping up for sale next.

The stores are really pretty damn small, even by NYC standards, but they seem to pack a helluva lot of product in there. I imagine that if you have a need for something turntable or DJ related, they can hook you up. And if you just want to see what's new and cool in the scene, they got you covered there, too.

Highly recommended.

Bleecker Bob's Records

Bleecker Bob's is a famous vinyl record store in Greenwich Village; it's one of the oldest record shops in New York and has one of the weirdest and most eclectic collections of music you'll find anywhere. There are categories for every music taste imaginable, and probably entire genres of music you've never heard of. There are plenty of rarities behind the counter as well, one of the better selections I saw for collectors.

Unfortunately, while I was able to find some interesting stuff, there really wasn't a lot there that really interested me. The hip hop section had plenty of odd, off the wall records, but nothing I'd really pay money for in order to listen to that I didn't already own. Their dollar bins might have been fun to dig through, but I didn't have the time to do that right then.

There's a strangely large selection of water pipes for the pot heads--in fact from the outside, the places looks more like a head shop than a vinyl record collector's store.

I'd go again if I was looking for something oddball, especially if I wanted something outside of my normal genres, but it's not really my kinda shop.

Fat Beats

Fat Beats is a vinyl record shop in a second floor walk-up on the edge of the West Village in Greenwich Village, NYC--and it's the best hip hop centric vinyl record store I've ever seen.

I've been ordering online from their website for several years now, so it was sweet being able to hit up their actual brick & mortar store, but even though I knew sold new vinyl I had no idea just how extensive their selection really was. I mean really, it's crazy how much shit they got--I kept hearing myself say, "damn I didn't even know this was available on vinyl!" And on top of that, every one of my favorite classic hip hop albums was there, available for purchase, on shrink wrapped virgin vinyl. It was like heaven, but it hurt the hell outta my wallet. I spent more at this record store and any other in NYC.

You know that this place is for real when you see the lineup of folks who do album signings, promos, releases, and other events here: Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, 88-Keys, EPMD, J. Rocc, Large Pro...and then the day after I was there, Raekwon was gonna be doing a signing event for OBFCL2 that dropped that week. Damn.

If you're looking for hip hop on brand new vinyl, either classic releases or new joints, then Fat Beats can hook you up better than probably anywhere else on earth.

Highest Possible Recommendation

NYC vinyl purchases

While in NYC last week, I hit a whole slew of record shops and bought quite a bit of vinyl. Most of it was cheap 50¢ and $1 records for sampling, but I bought a few things just for my own listening pleasure:

• Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988; reissue)
• De La Soul - is Dead (1991; reissue)
• De La Soul - Art Official Intelligence 2: Bionix (2001)
• Common - Resurrection (1994; reissue)
• El Michels Affair - Enter the 37th Chamber (2009)
• Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab (2007)
• Blu & Mainframe are - Johnson & Johnson (2008)
• Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement (2009)
• Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So, Maybe no 12" single (2009)

Except for De La's AOI:Bionix (top right), all these were brand-new, shrinkwrapped virgin vinyl. I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of slicing open vinyl shrinkwrap with a pocket knife, but there's just something about it that makes me so much happier than fudging with a CD jewel case and a bunch of dumbass security/ barcode stickers.

And then whew, playing that fresh virgin vinyl? It sounds so sweet, ain't nuthin like it.

Adidas + Def Jam T-shirt

Seriously y'all, this might be the Holy Grail of T-shirts for me. It combines so many of the things I love: Adidas sneakers, vinyl records, Hip Hop, and of course T-shirts.

So now you might be asking yourself, "what's the deal here, how's all this connected?" so lemme tell you the story: back in the day, Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons founded Def Jam, which turned out some of the most important Hip Hop of the 80's and early 90's, including RUN-DMC, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, and EPMD. Now at the time, music singles destined for radio airplay came out on 12" vinyl in relatively simple sleeves--as opposed to the more expensive photographic album covers found in retail--and Def Jam had a great iconic logo incorporating a large "DJ" and a turntable tone arm on the sleeve; they was basically screaming, "hey DJ, put me on!"

In 1986, Def Jam artists RUN-DMC put out a song called "My Adidas" extolling the greatness of the Adidas Superstar "shell toe" sneakers--which I've got a closet full of--and thus began a deep connection between Adidas sneakers and hip hop.

This summer, Adidas celebrates their 60th anniversary in collaboration with Def Jam's 25th anniversary, and when they announced the product line I just knew I had to cop this shirt. The 12" single vinyl record design is classic, and then they topped it off with shiny reflective silver ink, silver thread shoulder stitching, and a nice crown logo on the back.

I'm lovin' this shirt.

Shure Record Tote Bag

I'm going to NYC soon and got plans to hit several record stores while I'm there--and Manhattan ain't exactly car friendly, so I'm gonna have to hoof it on foot with whatever records I purchase.

To help me carry records all over town, I picked up this Shure heavy-duty record tote bag a few weeks ago. It's got big heavy handles on top, a shoulder strap, pop-out backpack straps, a bunch of interior pockets, a strong fold down floor, cinch straps, and can hold 50 records. That'll probably be enough space. Maybe. Hopefully? LOL

For those not in the know, Shure is one of the leading brands of record needle cartridges--they're what I use on my turntables.

If you're looking for one, they run around $40 on Amazon.com

San Diego Record Dig

So I've already posted all the record stores I hit on my San Diego vacation, but I haven't posted what I actually bought. I ended up with over a dozen records, here are the best:

• Lee Fields - My World (2009)
• Barry White - Just Another Way To Say I Love You (1975)
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu (1970)
• Diana Ross and The Supremes & The Temptations - On Broadway (1969)
• Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)
• Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr - I Hope We Get To Love In Time (1976)
• Commodores - Midnight Magic (1979)
• Commodores - Natural High (1978)
• Earth Wind & Fire - Powerlight (1982)

The only non-soul/funk album here is the CSNY album (folk rock) which is a classic of its genre. Oh yeah, and while that Lee Fields joint is brand new, it sounds like it came right out the '70s. All in all, I'd say this is one of my better digging results.

Record City

Record City is the fourth and final record shop I hit on my digging trip in San Diego. The selection here is flat out amazing--especially the dollar bins, which are one of my favorite places to dig in a record store. The dollar bins here are organized alphabetically instead of just randomly tossed in boxes like most other shops, and there's like 20+ crates of 'em. You could spend days just in the dollar bins alone.

The icing on the cake for me was in the very back corner of the store--four creates of records marked "Dollar Soul"...and it was jam packed full of great stuff. I filled my bag up with as much as I could carry.

Record City has great organization, both by genre and alphabetical, and every record (excluding the dollar bins of course) is in a protective poly sleeve. I even found my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers album, the George Clinton produced Freaky Styley, on vinyl LP.

Recommended for all vinyl enthusiasts and collectors--and highly recommend for those inclined to dig in the dusty dollar bins.

Thirsty Moon Records

Thirsty Moon Records was the third record shop I hit in San Diego. I was actually on my way to a different record shop, but I saw a sign that said "Records & CDs" on it so I followed the arrow to a tiny little record shop--possibly the best record shop I've ever been to.

The shop is tiny and they don't have a ton of records, but it seems like every album they have is awesome. As I dug through the soul section, I literally thought "every single one of these is a classic", which is so unusual--typically at any other record store, you dig through tons of crap in hopes of finding a gem. Granted, a lot of that's due to the fact that they carry a lot of reissues, but for listening purposes that's meaningless--bad for hardcore collectors, but otherwise they're great because they're new and fresh and clean.

Thirsty Moon caters to my vinyl music tastes almost perfectly. I love the place!

Highly recommend for vinyl music fans who like Soul, Funk, Reggae, Jazz, Psychedelic, Punk, Garage, and even some Metal--but not necessarily for hardcore vinyl collectors looking for original pressings.