Brooklyn, NY | Razor-N-Tape to launch record shop in Brooklyn: The fun loving record label is solidifying its presence in New York with the launch of a new record store. Razor-N-Tape is best known for records packed with dancefloor euphoria drawing upon the early hedonistic days of funk, soul and disco and reinventing them for the present. Over ten years the label has released music by the likes of Tom Noble, Don Carlos, JKriv, Late Nite Tuff Guy, Dimutri From Paris, Daniel T and many, many more. The sound has evolved and grown – resulting in a fluid collection of music which spans classic edits, remixes, originals and beyond drawing upon the free spirited nature and influence from the cult New York era of nightlife and disco. Now Razor-N-Tape will cement themselves with the launch of a new Brooklyn Record store which has been described with an exciting announcement…
Charlotte, NC | Catching Up With Gene Brown, Charlotte’s Famed Vinyl Dealer: The longtime Charlottean’s deep dives into stacks of vinyl have built a career, a series of hits, and maybe a movement. …He’s not a rapper. He’s not a producer. He’s not a DJ. “Gene Brown is my dealer.” Or so say the T-shirts for sale in the lobby. Tonight is the Gene Brown Beat Down, a music showcase where star producers, including Just Blaze (Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement”) and Jake One (J. Cole’s “m y . l i f e”), will combine vinyl record samples and recorded sounds to create energizing, crowd-swaying beats. It will unspool into the wee hours of Sunday morning, a tapestry of sound stitched together by the man in black boots, a black sweatshirt, and a black beanie who circulates through the crowd. This is Brown’s creation, a step toward a more inclusive music culture in Charlotte, and he orchestrates it from the unique perch he occupies in the world of hip-hop.
Princeton, NJ | Princeton Record Exchange is the one-stop-shop for all your vinyl needs: Princeton Record Exchange or ‘PREX’ is one of the top-rated record stores in the country, and it’s located in Princeton, NJ! They have been trading records and movies since 1980, and their inventory just continues to grow. PREX was originally located a few blocks from where it is today. They quickly outgrew that space and today the store sits at about 4,800 square feet, carrying over 100,000 titles. “Creating a little microcosm in which everyone is appreciating the art of music… it’s a real feeling of camaraderie and family almost. It’s just fun to come to work everyday” owner Jon Lambert tells us. Jon goes on to say that he tries really hard to make PREX a pleasant place to be. Courtesy, respect, and a shared passion for music are at the forefront of the policies he strives to implement everyday. Jon seems to have achieved his goal of making PREX a pleasant place to be, given the years of success the store has seen.
Dalton, MA | At the Central Berkshire Record Show in Dalton, it’s all about the hunt for that long-lost vinyl record: At the Central Berkshire Record Show in Dalton, it’s a collector’s effort. “I’ve been a collector for 40 years,” said Adrian Sicam, a vendor selling records out of his home in Greenfield. “I started when I was 12.” It was a collection that started with a lot of Beatles records, he said. Sicam has two turntables in his home, and a basement chock full of records. He estimates that all told he has about 3,000 vinyl records in his collection, and about 500 on display with him at the Stationery Factory, 63 Flansburg Ave., in Dalton. …Events like this are good for meeting some, he said. Sicam is set up across the way from Justin Cohen, better known by his stage name, Studebaker Hawk. Cohen is a vinyl-spinning DJ and record merchant who sells the discs online and at record shows like this one. He’s based out of Springfield, and organizes record shows in Northampton. In its heyday, his collection of vinyls was about 13,000, he said. He’s since culled it down to a moderate 5,000.
Niagara Falls, NY | Something different everyday for Falls records, comic shop owner: Mike Conte didn’t start out with a grand plan to make a living selling vinyl records and comic books out of a store on Portage Road in Niagara Falls. It just sort of turned out that way. Conte, 59, originally went into business for himself because he planned to antiques. With some urging from his daughter, he changed course, recognizing that vinyl albums and issues of comic books coveted by collectors were selling better — and in some cases for much more money — than pieces of antique furniture and dinnerware sets. For Conte, owner of Good Omen Records and Comics, days filled with bartering over classic rock and jazz gems or issues of relevance within the Marvel and DC universe of comic book characters beats his old day job any day. For 12 years, Conte worked at the Olin plant on Buffalo Avenue before deciding to open his own store. Now he spends his work hours making deals with customers while spending more quality time inside his store with the Good Omen mascots—his dog, Poopsie, and his bird, Sammy.
WI | The Syrian Cassette Archive, preserving a disappearing history: When Yamen Mekdad was a teenager in Damascus, Syria, there was one place he’d go almost every day: his friend’s cassette shop. “So I’d just sit with him, hang out with him, smoke cigarettes and just listen to the new music,” Mekdad tells All Things Considered. “Punk music, or like Gregorian … so it was always a trip to explore the unknown for me.” At the same time, unbeknownst to Mekdad, Mark Gergis began to rediscover the Arabic music from his childhood – which eventually brought him to Syria and its multitude of music kiosks. “They’d often just be blaring that week’s popular tape at full volume – just next to another cart, whose owner would have his favorite tape blaring at an even greater volume,” Gergis recalls. “So it was this beautiful cacophony.”
Binghamton, NY | Broome County Regional Farmers Market Hosts Record Fair: Hundreds gathered at the Broome County Regional Farmers Market on Sunday to get their hands on vintage records. For over 30 years, record sellers from across the Northeast have set up shop in Binghamton. At the annual fair, an array of over 100 thousand vinyl records, CD’s, and DVD’s can be found. Some date as far back as the 1920s. Organizers said turnout has been on the rise over the years as vinyl becomes more popular. The fair closed its doors at 4pm.
Brighton, UK | Courtney Marie Andrews to play live in Brighton: Grammy-nominated and critically-acclaimed songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews returns with ‘These Are The Good Old Days’; a new single from her forthcoming album ‘Loose Future’, which arrives on 7th October via Fat Possum. The new music arrives as Courtney announces a run of UK & European headline dates for 2023, following a series of intimate in-store shows in October 2022. New single ‘These Are The Good Old Days’, was inspired by a favourite saying of Courtney’s uncle, and is a gently-arranged reminder to live in the moment. …In support of the LP, Courtney has just announced a tour in the UK/EU which this month includes seven intimate instore appearances across the UK, including an instore live performance and album signing at Resident music in Kensington Gardens, Brighton on Tuesday 11th October. Details of this can be found HERE.
