Friends, roamers, record-hunters…
Welcome to Issue 03 of You Dig?, your monthly low-down on all that’s cool at the intersection of music, physical media, people, and photography.
This month’s lyrically-inspired watercolor cover art comes from London-based artist, DJ and sun-chaser, Mafalda Daniel. You may have spotted her in Dust & Grooves V2 with the cool Mac Miller slipmats… You can find her on Instagram , and behind the turntables for her monthly radio show on NTS.
Mafalda also pulls together some cracking recommendations for us in DG Curates this month. I’ve been listening to her recommended mixtapes while writing this, and I think you’re gonna love them. And she’s added more books and records to my read and wantlist. Damn, this newsletter keeps me broke! But like Theo Parrish says, in the interview Mafalda picks out, “There are the gigs that feed you monetarily, and the ones that feed you spiritually.” And if Dust & Grooves isn’t feeding your soul, then we’re doing something wrong. Right? Fittingly, DJ Food (Kevin Foakes) will provide the nourishment as next month’s guest curator.
Did you make it to the NY launch party for DGV2 and Portables? I had major FOMO–well, actual MO–from seeing the highlights on Instagram. Beautiful scenes. So I can’t wait for the London party this month. More news below, and we hope to see you there if you’re local!
Rich Headland
Resident Editor
Vinyl Quotes
“I never cared as much about the records as I enjoyed the adventure, I enjoyed meeting people, I enjoyed the community. Having the record without the story almost felt incomplete.”
–Thes One
Dust & Grooves Curates
by Mafalda
Olá,
I’m Mafalda, and I’m from the Sun!
I’ve been in London since 2014. I was the first staffer at Yo-Yo Records (which was Cosmos Records London at the time), then I ran Floating Points’ [Sam Shepard’s] label Melodies International for a few years. I’m still part of the Melodies party crew.
I DJ and do art, posters, zines, and record covers. I have a radio show called Tropic of Love, which I started at Red Bull Radio in 2018 and moved to NTS Radio in 2019.
It’s an honor to be curating November’s You Dig? for you. Music is a beautiful thing!
DJ Truths From Theo Parrish
Heroes and Villains: Long-form interviews that caught my eye
I have to pick this recent interview with Theo Parrish, by Marlowe Bandem, via Potato Head’s Youtube page.
Theo Parrish answers every question in such a thoughtful, honest, and kind way. He talks about being obsessed with music, while doing what you have to do; energizing yourself, while staying humble; looking out for the future while knowing your history; and looking out for each other while looking out for yourself.
This interview is a masterclass in what it means to be a DJ–not letting people’s expectations dictate what you do, while simultaneously getting people out there and caring for this music. And not starving while you’re doing it.
Bargain Bin Fire
Economy Class. Amazing finds from the $1 bin
A cheap find that never leaves my bag is Aquarian Dream’s “Phoenix”.
I also love Rose Royce’s In Full Bloom, a must-have.
Outfits From The Windy City
Hello, I Love You: Labels we dig
My favorite label is the legendary Chess and all its sub labels. I’m also a huge fan of Numero Group. I guess I like Chicago labels! Outside of those, I love Ubiquity and Melodies International–but this last one I might be a bit biased about 🙂
Headphone Groovers
Listen to This. Mixtapes and aural pleasures
I was obsessed with this mix by Richie DJ Love on the Run, I got it from Richie’s blog ‘Secret Rendezvous’ many many years ago (I was still in Lisbon).
After I moved to London, I e-met Richie through Sam and Melodies. But by then, I couldn’t find it anywhere anymore, so I asked Richie if I could upload it to my SoundCloud. It’s one of my favorite mixes.
Also the Groovotica Mix, by DJ Nature–on SoundCloud, too. I love the Groovotica box set–I was really happy when I could finally afford it, ha!
Zummo’s Vinyl Challenge
Dig Deeper. Get lost in music.
I had the pleasure of hearing trombonist and composer Peter Zummo in London a few times, with various projects. The first was when Tom Skinner released Watermelon Sun (2017), and it was magical. I had the honor of meeting Peter that night and seeing him several times since. I could listen to him talk and play for hours, so here’s an old interview he did where you can also share that pleasure, with a bonus vinyl mix by Peter at the end.
Party With a Purpose!
Plug Me In, Scotty! Props to the DG community and beyond.
I wanna give a big shout-out to Cosmic Slop!–other than being the coolest party for an important cause (a fundraiser for the Music and Arts Production charity based in Leeds) and having a dream sound system, they’ve started a DIY label as well. Check it out, and definitely catch the party if you find yourself in Leeds sometime.
Music Of My Mind
Books Are Magic. Music books that are not Dust & Grooves.
Here are a couple of my favorites from the last few years:
Conversations in Jazz by Ralph J Gleason
I don’t wanna spoil it, but I can’t recommend this book enough. These are late ’60s/early-’70s conversations between our jazz favorites and the author (the founding editor of Rolling Stone). They’re really stripped-down, when the musicians are young, and talking candidly–a treat for music minds.
Talking about minds… This book explains some music quirks, whether they’re related to nature, nurture, or happenings. It explains less ordinary brain and music connections, in a way we can all understand.
And I’m currently enjoying Organic Music Societies about Don and Moki Cherry’s lives in Sweden and the art communities around them, documented through several photos, tapestries, paintings, poems, diary entries, etc.
Floating Through Decades
We Love Lists. Top 5 records on my deck this month
Broadcast – Work and Non-Work
Gandalf – Gandalf
Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Hums of The Lovin’ Spoonful
Sam Evian – You, Forever
Far-Eastern Funk
New Releases. Catching my eye right now.
Check out the new Ayo Ke Disco compilation by Norsicaa (another DG contributor), on ’70s-’80s boogie, pop and funk from the South China Sea, out now on Soundway Records. I had the pleasure of designing the zine you can get with it.
Get Out!
Put your phone down and feed your soul with live events
London:
I’m so excited that I will get to play some records at the Dust & Grooves launch party in London! Nov 19th at the BBE store.
London also welcomes the Jazz Festival this month. Billy Cobham, Seun Kuti, Kenny Barron, plus lots of other bands and musicians that are worth checking out. From November 15th-24th.
Moodymann will be on ones and twos on the 29th at the Jazz Cafe.
There’ll also be an event dedicated to the life and music of Arthur Russell–Travels over Feeling with Richard King on the 10th at the Walthamstow Trades Hall.
Other picks from the DG crew:
Amsterdam:
On Friday 15th November, Floating Points is playing the iconic Melkweg. With support from Kirkis, this is sure to be a hell of a way to kickstart your weekend into one of unstoppable fun and dancing.
New York:
Be sure to keep Friday, 29th November free to go see Quantic at Good Room, Brooklyn. The first-release tickets have already sold out, and the second release is almost gone, so move quickly!
Recovery Sunday
Let’s kill more time and reassure ourselves with high-brow viral scrolling
I love @lostcanyonsla. It’s full of incredible stories and cool vintage photos about music, art and fashion, especially from the countercultural mecca of Laurel Canyon in the ’60s and ’70s. Give it a follow–you’ll be hooked!
The Book and Record Bar. London.
You Dig Where? Recommended local record spots
Digging with DJ Food at Michael Johnson’s wonderful Book and Record Bar in South London, and getting up close and personal with some of Alex Paterson’s rare Orb acetates.
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Our Cover Artwork
Me About You by Mafalda
This month’s lovely cover art comes from London-based artist, and very own guest curator Mafalda. You can get your own copy from our online store, just follow the link in the button below.
We would like to thank Mafalda once again for her fantastic recommendations and her unbeatable attitude to life. We will never get enough of you ❤️
Be Our Next Cover Artist!
Friends, we’re calling all music-loving visual artists for our brand-new newsletter, You Dig? For every copy, we feature a different artist for the cover art—could this be you? We know that we’re a talented community, so we would love to see submissions to be included in the next issue. Contact us for more info on the submission process here.
Dust & Grooves Memberships and Support
By now, we’re sure you can see how much love goes into Dust & Grooves. It’s a pure passion project, and Eilon has worked super hard to keep it an independent endeavor—always completely ad-free. This has been going for over a decade, and in that time Dust & Grooves has seen the building of a genuinely great community that celebrates record collecting, and one that has a huge love of music. We absolutely love to see it, and it means a lot to us.
We’re going to kindly ask that you consider to continue this support by looking at becoming a paid member, or make a one-time donation. There are some real groovy benefits to this and discounts on a range of merch, lovely!
Your support means we can preserve the culture we all cherish.
Dust & Grooves Books
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Dust & Grooves Vol. 2
Further Adventures in Record Collecting – First Limited Edition
Renowned photographer and publisher Eilon Paz returns after the successful release of Dust & Grooves: Adventures In Record Collecting. For Volume Two, Paz highlights the planet’s biggest proponents of vinyl collecting, bridging stunning images with extensive interviews, revealing the motives and backstories behind the global vinyl community. Ten years after the first release, with vinyl sales skyrocketing and a booming popularity among Gen-Zs, Volume Two digs deeper than its predecessor, underscoring gorgeous collections from astute everyday enthusiasts to venerated DJs, musicians, and producers. Veteran journalist and editor David Ma handles the editorial end to this sequel, making Volume Two a cultural leader in the field, expertly accentuating the world’s unifying devotion to vinyl.
Tailor made for lovers of world-class photography, novice and expert collectors, and music obsessives alike.
Foreword by Prince Paul
Includes interviews with A-Trak, DaM Funk, Quantic, DJ Spinna, Kid Koala, Don Letts, Andy Votel, Mayer Hawthorne and more.
First limited edition of 4000 copies.
Ships locally from 5 main warehouses. US, Canada, Europe (Belgium), UK and Australia.
Portables
A Visual & Historical Exploration of 222 Vintage Portable Turntables
A 470-page hardcover book featuring highly detailed photos and comprehensive research on 222 portable vinyl record players, sourced from the collections of Paola Puente, Kalle Aldis Laar, Eric Cohen, Bas Bogerd and Mark Cruz.
Once considered little more than a children’s plaything or a grade school accessory, the portable record player has gained newfound respect in recent years. Whatever they may lack in high-end audio fidelity, battery-powered turntables more than make up for it with their convenience and ease of use. Just ask any crate digger: a cult favorite portable like the Columbia GP-3 or the Audio-Technica Sound Burger (or even the Fisher-Price Big Bird model) can be an absolutely essential companion on an all-day vinyl hunt.
Portables features lavish, detailed photos of 222 portable turntables from around the world, including rare record players from Japan, the UK, Germany and the Soviet Union as well as the USA, and ranging in vintage from the 1920s to the early twenty-first century. They’re all gorgeously captured here by photographer Eilon Paz, with accompanying commentary from music historian Dan Epstein.
Whether you’re a hardcore turntable collector, an aficionado of cool vintage audio gear, a student of industrial design, or a vinyl lover curious about the wild world of portable record players, Portables will make your head spin—and will soon have you scouring thrift stores, antique malls, and even your grandma’s attic for the portable record player of your dreams.
Dust & Grooves: Vol. 1 & 2
Deluxe Limited Box Set
A deluxe slipcase box set of Dust & Grooves Vol. 1 (10th Anniversary Edition) & Vol. 2.
Includes:
4mm cardboard slipcase with foil stamping and blind deboss
The Dust & Grooves Sleeveface Poster
