Editorial Notes | February 2024

Greetings from the Dust & Grooves HQ, be it in our humble space in Brooklyn or in a car, on the road, running around picking up the last bits of photography and interviews for Volume 2. It’s been a busy month for sure and it’s going to get busier. Lot’s of logistics, text and photo editing, all in favor of having Volume 2 book ready for print in April and launch it in October 2024.

The vinyl nomad has hit the road again, this time on a shorter but equally jam-packed journey to Chicago, Detroit and Canada. 

I flew out to Chicago, traveling light as always. First up, Jen Lemasters. She’s got an ever-growing collection of female-led punk, post-punk, and new wave 7” records. Meeting her and her partner, Mike, was like a trip back in time to the heart of American pop culture. Their house was filled with music, movie posters, action figures, and lots of Mr. T. appearances. We spent hours taking photos of her favorite records, barely making a dent in her collection. I even got to stay in the X-Files room for a night. Sharing a room with Scully? What an honor.

The next day, I made my way to Numero Group’s HQ to meet up with Rob Sevier, who showed me around and revealed some secrets about the process, and sources he uses to research for some of their re-issue projects.  I was also given some tips on how to keep your office tidy and clean. 

Later that afternoon, post-taco pit stop at a local taqueria/convenience store, I hit the freeway bound for Detroit, with a 5-hour drive ahead.

In Detroit, my first visit was with Bart Belmear, a writer, archivist, and collector of Tax Scam records. His insights wrapped up our deep dive into the bizarre world of Tax Scam, rounding off the story for our upcoming Vol 2 book. After a morning of shooting, what could be the best reward? A tray of Detroit-style pizza at Buddies. In the showdown between Chicago’s Deep Dish and Detroit’s Pizza, Detroit takes the crown!

The next morning, I drove out to visit Kenan, one half of the DJ duo “Chances with Wolves”. We’ve been trying to schedule this photos shoot for over 7 years now, and finally we’ve made it happen. His collection has not disappointed. Private press and oddities, some soul classics, reggae and African music, among many other genres. We spent a few good hours shooting, chatting and listening to great music. Relaxed, insightful and inspiring. Thank you Kenan. 

Continuing on, I headed to the Third Man Pressing plant. Our bond with TMR has grown over the years, starting with capturing Ben Blackwell’s record collection a decade ago for Volume 1. We also featured Jack White and his favorite guitar pedal in our Stompbox book. This visit, they gave us a private tour of the plant, showing us the entire vinyl production process, from recording and mastering to final packaging. A big thanks to Ben and Eddie for their hospitality.

A visit to Detroit won’t be official without visiting at least one or two great record stores. I was thrilled to visit People’s Records in their larger incarnation and finally meet Brad, the longtime owner of the store. On the same day, I continued to Melodies & Memories, probably one of Detroit’s longest standing record shops. 

The following day, I embarked on another 6-hour drive, crossing into Ontario, Canada, to meet DJ Strobe, an American collector and DJ with an impressive collection of portable records. We dedicated the entire next day to setting up my mobile studio and shooting about 35 different models of portable players. I guess it’s time to unveil that “secret project” I’ve been working on during my travels.

Portables is the working title of our new book, which showcases over 200 different models of portable record players from various countries and eras. The idea sparked about a year ago during a visit to Paola Puente in Vegas, where we delved into her collection and meticulously photographed each one of them. As one collector led to another, we’re now nearing 200 models. I’ve teamed up with long-time friend, writer, and editor Dan Epstein, who’s tasked with researching these funky artifacts and crafting the book’s content. We pulled off a similar collaboration with our Vintage & Rarities book, and I’m thrilled to work with him again. Portables is set to release alongside Dust & Grooves Volume 2. Stay tuned.

After a 6-hour marathon shoot starting at 6 AM, we wrapped up and I hit the road back to Chicago. Another 10-hour drive, fueled by travel plaza food and copious amounts of coffee. The next day, before flying back to NYC, Jen and I hit another Chicago staple, Out of the Past Records, for some digging and photo ops. This wrapped up this chapter of The Vinyl Nomad. Now, it’s time to park myself and sift through all the photos and editorial material.

Back at the HQ, we’ve got some exciting news from the editor’s desk. I’ll hand it over to Dave to share some details:

“Volume Two And Rising: Things are hitting the home stretch, as we finalize touches on wonderful photos, prepare the cleanest layouts, and edit the amazing features we have in store. We’ve recently been with blessed hip-hop royalty, who’s graciously a part of the project. We won’t name names, but he’s a Grammy award-winning Handsome Boy who’s been called the fourth member of De La Soul, aka The Undertaker, aka one of the most progressive and creative producers of all time. Volume Two is no doubt shaping up to be a juggernaut and we think it’s a mighty good problem to have.” – David Ma, editor.

As always, we’ve put together another monthly mixtape of what we’ve been grooving to at the Dust & Grooves HQ. Enjoy that, and if you’re feeling inspired, check out our Patreon page for some extra perks and a way to support us. 

Earlier in January, I had the pleasure to be invitied to spin som eof my favorite records at Port Said, a new vinyl themed join in NYC. Here is a 5-hour set from that night. It builds slowly and has some kind of theme going on. At least in the first hour. Fore-play anyone?

This month, I caved into a somewhat popular IG post type… #NowPlaying. So, twice a week, I’ll be posting short reels with favorite records from my collection and short anecdotes. It’s been fun sharing these and hearing your feedback. As a fan of cheap (but great) records, it’s cool to see others with the same passion for these gems. Isn’t that what record collecting is all about? Being part of a community?

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and keep digging. 

We’ll be up here, working our ass off to get this Volume 2 out to the world on time. 

Do not disturb sign – on

Endless ambient music to increase concentration – on

Eilon, AKA The Vinyl Nomad, checking out. See you on the other side of the cave.