Inside the record collections of 10 prolific Brooklyn crate diggers

By Jessica Lipsky

Brooklyn has no shortage of record stores — and no shortage of residents who dig deep for killer tunes.

A handful of the borough’s collectors are featured in “Dust & Grooves: Further Adventures In Record Collecting,” a recently released book highlighting more than 150 vinyl enthusiasts from around the world. The second volume of the popular 2014 coffee table book, “Further Adventures” features photos and interviews with the likes of DāM Funk, Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Spinna, Don Letts, Shawn Lee and many more. Across 650 pages, each collector shares the stories — both historical and personal — behind their favorite records.

Dust & Grooves Vol. 2 is the project of Carroll Gardens resident Eilon Paz, whose images contain worlds within worlds. Collectors are photographed in their homes — some surprisingly tidy, others overflowing with albums — digging, dancing and proudly showcasing the music that moves them. The photos manage to be both intimate and incredibly cool, a peek into the not-so-quiet lives of aficionados.

“I feel I grew older, I grew into this scene, into this community,” Paz says, reflecting on the 10-year evolution between “Dust & Grooves” releases. “The new book is deeper and it’s more mature; maybe less flashy photos of huge walls. It’s more about looking inside and digging deeper and also doing some investigatory journalism, in a way.”

Paz — an Israel-born photographer whose other works include a photo book of guitar pedals called “Stompbox” — spent years traveling the world shooting the collectors who would come to comprise “Vol. 2,” visiting cities as disparate as São Paulo, Tokyo and Oakland, California.

But, there’s no place quite like Brooklyn.

The borough, and New York City as a whole, have a particular musical community that’s informed by its population. For example, finding reggae records is much easier locally than it would be in, say, the San Francisco Bay Area.

“A Brooklyn collector would be different than a Bay Area collector, because the music that is readily available in the wild is different,” Paz notes.

For David Ma, the book’s editor and co-owner of Bay Area record store/label Needle To The Groove, the Brooklyn collectors in “Vol. 2” represent what makes the local music scene so special. “This book was truly an international project, but it seemed like collectors from Brooklyn, especially, all literally knew one another,” Ma says. “This went far beyond just having clusters of shops nearby, or wanting the same obscure holy grail, but a real sense of community.”
Collecting vinyl records has become increasingly popular in the decade since Paz released the first volume of Dust & Grooves. Each of the subjects chosen for this latest release put significant effort into culling their collections, going beyond searching for a single “holy grail” record or buying vinyl simply to post on Instagram.

“A good collection is a connection where you put in blood, sweat and tears. Shopping online and building a collection from looking at other people’s Instagram posts is okay, but I think the real, meaningful collections are the ones that you really put the work in,” Paz says. “It means that you have to go and research and talk to people and dig and get dirty fingers. To me, these are the interesting collectors.”

Here, 10 Brooklyn residents featured in the book share, in the own words, a few special items from their collection.

All photos courtesy of Eilon Paz.

Jonny Go Figure
DJ, singer, East Village Radio host, Dubstuy emcee
Album pick: Aswad, “Showcase”

Being the Brooklyn bloke that I am, Aswad had a huge influence on me, not only on how I approach creating music, but my sense of fashion as well. “Showcase” is one of those albums that you can play front to back without a skip. Quality roots music from one of my favorite bands.

Read Jonny Go Figure’s full interview on the Dust & Grooves blog

Binky Griptite
Guitarist, singer, formerly with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Album picks: The Isley Brothers, “Get Into Something”
The Ohio Players, Self-titled

These two LPs are very near and dear to Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ hearts. We would listen to these records all the time on tour. We’d get in the van, light a blunt, and…

Read Binky‘s full interview on the Dust & Grooves blog

Carter Van Pelt
DJ, WCKR host, Coney Island Reggae On The Boardwalk organizer, curator, VP Records director of catalog development
Album pick: Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Midnight Ravers”

“This is one of my all-time favorite recordings, and finding it on 7-inch became a bit of a quest. When I started listening to popular music around 1980, reggae was a very hip influence, and it was the Police that initially hooked me with their blend of mainstream pop and reggae.

Kristine Barilli
DJ, The Lot Radio host, Music supervisor
Album pick: Peter Ivers, Self-titled

Peter Ivers was an American musician, songwriter and television personality. He was best known for his work as the host of the music and interview television series called “New Wave Theatre.” The show aired on public access television in L.A. from 1981 to 1983 and featured performances by punk and new wavebands, as well as interviews with the musicians and artists.

He also composed music for film and TV, with cult status scenarios like the theme song for David Lynch’s epic “Eraserhead.” Peter Ivers’ tragic death and unsolved murder are still a mystery, but his music lives on as beautiful, haunting, silly and queer, whilst running the gamut of human emotion and never breaking its unique sense of humor and its worldview.

Read Kristine’s full interview on the Dust & Grooves blog

Mickey Perez
DJ, The Lot Radio host, Co-organizer of Public Service
Album pick: Orquesta Original de Manzanillo, “A La Hora Que Me Llamen Voy”

Orquesta Original de Manzanillo is a 13-piece Cuban orchestra that formed shortly after the Cuban revolution. To avoid a forthcoming thunderstorm rolling into Havana, I went into a secondhand bookstore my friend knew that had some records. I saw that cover and knew it had to come with me, because no record with a cover that incredible could have bad music. I was proven right, and this record never leaves my bag whenever I’m playing Cuban music or any son montuno or salsa.

Quantic
DJ, musician
Album picks: Martin Carthy, ”This Is… Martin Carthy: The Bonny Black Hare and Other Songs”
Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger, “Singing The Fishing (A Radio Ballad)”
Shirley Collins, “False True Lovers”

My mother and father were both musicians. As a teenager, my mum taught herself to sing from these records. She was active in the U.K. folk revival of the ‘60s, and an environmental activist later in her life. I inherited her record collection when she passed; a lot of these recordings are acoustic and a sole singer with an instrument — it’s a beautifully reductive approach to recording.

John Devore
Founder of Devore Fidelity, drummer
Album picks: Vangelis, “Blade Runner: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” and “Soil Festivities”

Starting at the end of high school, I got into ambient music, which would take me out of my body or, more accurately, my busy mind. The “Blade Runner” soundtrack from 1982, also my favorite movie, is one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. It is so pitch-perfect, I cannot imagine the movie without the music, and I can’t imagine listening to the music without it evoking the movie. It has this very expansive, dark, foreboding electronic feel to it; ominous, even.

“Soil Festivities” from 1984 is much more minimal. It includes natural sounds and has a more organic and natural feel, so these two records make a very nice yin/yang compliment

Read John’s full interview in the Dust & Grooves blog

Jonathan Weiss
Founder and CEO of Oswalds Mill Audio
Album pick: Muddy Waters, “Folk Singer”

It’s Muddy Waters. Need I say more?

This record sounds absolutely amazing, but that’s not why I like it. It is extremely raw, direct and exceptionally honest music that would probably get you arrested these days. I just never tire of listening to it. It’s like an old friend.

Shawn Dub
DJ, Human Head staff, Public Records resident
Album pick: James Mason, “Rhythm of Life”

James Mason is a guitarist and keyboardist who, in the late ‘70s, was a member of Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity band. This was his only solo album. Front to back, it is one of my favorite albums of all time. I was fortunate to have my OG copy signed by Mustafa Ahmed, who played congas on the album.

Morgan Jesse Lappin
Artist, podcaster and founder of Brooklyn Collage Collective
Album pick: Flash, Self-titled

Flash was seductive to me in a few ways. Mostly because I didn’t realize till later that Peter Banks was the original guitarist for Yes. In 1970, after having trouble finding inspiration with the band, he left and formed Flash. Besides the bad-ass early prog sounds, the album art was some of the most provocative of its time.

On Saturday, October 26, Paz will hold a release party for “Dust & Grooves: Further Adventures In Record Collecting” at Public Records in Gowanus from 4 to 10 p.m. where some of the folks mentioned here will be spinning their picks. 233 Butler Street. Free.