Every musical genre conveys a unique narrative. While some genres are thoroughly documented, others persist through obscure records, independent labels, radio broadcasts, personal collections, and the expertise of dedicated collectors who have spent decades uncovering their histories.
Vinyl Digest was established to preserve and share these stories.
Published by Dust & Grooves Editions, Vinyl Digest is an ongoing series of reference books, each devoted to a specific musical genre, movement, or cultural theme. Each volume features hundreds of carefully selected records, accompanied by concise, well-researched commentary that offers both historical and musical context.
Rather than compiling definitive ‘best of’ lists, Vinyl Digest serves as a guide for discovery. Our books are intended to spark curiosity, deepen appreciation, and encourage readers to explore beyond familiar boundaries.
Every genre merits thoughtful documentation, encompassing not only its defining artists but also overlooked records, regional scenes, and the unexpected connections that have shaped its evolution.
Each volume is independently curated by specialists with extensive knowledge of the subject. While every genre calls for its own perspective, every book adheres to the same core principles: historical significance, musical innovation, cultural impact, influence on artists and scenes, regional representation, and each record’s contribution to the broader narrative of music.
Our selections are informed by historical and cultural context rather than collectibility. Rarity and market value are not primary criteria; our focus remains on the music, its history, and its enduring cultural impact.
We believe the best music books do not provide definitive answers but instead open new avenues for discovery.
Photographer, publisher, and founder of Dust & Grooves Editions, Eilon Paz has spent almost two decades documenting record collectors and vinyl culture around the world. Through his photography, books, and editorial work, he has helped bring global attention to the communities preserving music history through records.
A native Parisian, Manu Boubli played an important part in the birth of the French acid-jazz scene in the early ’90s. He went on to found Comet Records, producing drummer Tony Allen while spinning eclectic DJ sets, writing for magazines, and compiling rare-groove collections. As a producer under the name Rare Moods, he launched Mind Records in 2005. In 2012, he co-founded Superfly Records, one of the world’s leading record shops and reissue labels.
Author of Vinyl Digest #1: Spiritual & Cosmic Jazz (with Amir Abdullah) and Vinyl Digest #2: African Funk, Soul & Disco (with Uchenna Ikonne).
Andrew Mason is a writer, editor, and music historian with decades of experience documenting the stories behind soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, reggae, and global music. He was the founding editor of Wax Poetics Magazine, where he helped establish one of the most respected voices in contemporary music journalism and built a platform dedicated to exploring the deeper histories and connections behind recorded music.
Every Vinyl Digest is written by people who dig. Our authors are DJs, collectors, music historians, label founders, and compilers who have spent decades digging in the field. They have bought these records, played them out and lived with them, and they know which ones still matter.
That is the principle behind the series: the people who found the records should be the ones to write about them. Their knowledge comes from the field, not from a list, and every entry carries that first-hand experience.
Amir Abdullah (DJ Amir) is a music historian, curator, record executive, and founder of 180 Proof Records. With more than three decades in the music industry, he is recognized internationally for his work preserving musical heritage, particularly through the restoration of Detroit’s Strata Records catalog. A former Vice President of Fat Beats and host of The Kronicles on NTS Radio, Amir lectures, curates, and DJs worldwide.
Uchenna Ikonne is a filmmaker, record producer, and author specializing in the histories of the music of Black America and West Africa. He played a key role in the ’00s revival of vintage African music via his blog With Comb & Razor and reissue imprint Comb & Razor Sound. He has DJed across the globe and worked as a research and licensing consultant, and has curated compilations for Soundway, Now-Again, Luaka Bop, and Analog Africa.
A Los Angeles-based DJ, veteran record collector, label owner, and compiler, specializing in rare gospel soul, funk, disco, and vocal harmony on original vinyl. He hosts The Divine Chord Gospel Show on dublab. He’s released groundbreaking compilations, including the Divine Disco series for Cultures Of Soul and the acclaimed The Time for Peace Is Now (Gospel Music About Us) for Luaka Bop.
Chris Menist is a London-based writer, DJ, and musician best known as the co-founder of the Paradise Bangkok label and the Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. He co-curated Sound of Siam Volumes 1 and 2 for Soundway, Thai? Dai! for Finders Keepers, Qat, Coffee and Qambus for Dust-To-Digital, and Life Is A Heavy Burden for Strut, and hosts the monthly Paradise Bangkok show on NTS. His writing has appeared in Songlines and The Wire.
For more than twenty years, Maft Sai has been chasing records across Southeast Asia and beyond. Based in Bangkok, he founded the Zudrangma Records shop and label, and Studio Lam, a bar and music venue, to share these discoveries. He is the founder and co-producer of the Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, helping bring molam to audiences around the world, and hosts the weekly United Sounds of Asia radio show on ROVR.
Anna Blumenthal is the editor of Vinyl Digest #3: Gospel Soul and Vinyl Digest #4: Folk, Rock & Psychedelia in South & Southeast Asia, and conducted the extended author interviews in both volumes.
Fiona MacPherson-Amador is the managing editor of the Vinyl Digest series. She co-conducted the author interview in Vinyl Digest #1: Spiritual & Cosmic Jazz with Andrew Mason.
Every Vinyl Digest volume shares a common visual language while allowing each subject to develop its own identity.
Creative direction and design by Jonathan Sandridge, whose layouts balance clarity, readability, and visual rhythm.
Each volume features original commissioned cover artwork from established and emerging artists. Throughout the series, we also celebrate the visual legacy of legendary album cover designers whose work has helped shape the history of recorded music.
400 essential African funk, soul and disco records, selected and annotated by Uchenna Ikonne, music historian and founder of Comb & Razor Sound, and Manu Boubli (Comet Records, Superfly Records). Seven chapters run from raw 1970s funk through Afrobeat, jazz fusion and disco to the global diaspora, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.
“Writing a book on African music is like deciding you want to write a symphony — but before you can write the music, you first have to invent every instrument in the orchestra.” — Uchenna Ikonne
For years, coverage of African popular music outside the continent has been sporadic and incomplete, left to a small number of academics, collectors, and a handful of labels exporting the artists deemed marketable. Many African artists, wildly popular in their own regions, reached listeners in the Global North only through those scattershot channels. Recent years have brought serious reissue work and DJs pushing beyond Fela Kuti, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba — but few attempts to dig deeply and authoritatively into the subject.
Authors: Uchenna Ikonne & Manu Boubli
Edited by: Andrew Mason
Cover Design: Lemi Ghariokwu
Managing Editor: Fiona MacPherson-Amador
Series Editor: Andrew Mason
Release Date: November 30, 2026
First Edition: 2500 Copies
Specifications
Soft Cover with Die-Cut
Full color wood-free paper
400 Albums Covered
240 pages with front cover album covers reproductions
Interview with Uchenna Ikkone and Manu Boubli by Andrew Mason
Standard A5 size
SRP: $35 / €35 / £30
400 essential gospel soul records, selected and annotated by Greg Belson, DJ, compiler, and host of The Divine Chord Gospel Show on dublab and Divine Discotheque on Soho Radio. Seven chapters move through boogie, disco, choir, funk, modern soul, soul and vocal harmony, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.
“People are starting to see that these records aren’t just about God, Jesus, or the devil. They’re beautiful songs that talk about the world’s condition.” —Greg Belson
As a distinct genre, gospel music took shape in the early twentieth century. Guided by songwriter and pianist Thomas A. Dorsey, the combination of sacred hymnal lyrics with the emotional power and rhythmic drive of blues and jazz created a new sound. Throughout the century, gospel soul was increasingly influenced by secular sounds, dividing conservative audiences but creating legends like Sam Cooke, the Staple Singers, and later, Al Green.
Author: Greg Belson
Edited by: Anna Blumenthal
Cover Design: Bráulio Amado
Series Editor: Andrew Mason
Managing Editor: Fiona MacPherson-Amador
Release Date: November 30, 2026
First Edition: 2500 Copies
Specifications
Soft Cover with Die-Cut
Full color wood-free paper
400 Albums Covered
240 pages with front cover album covers reproductions
Interview with Greg Belson by Anna Blumenthal
Standard A5 size
SRP: $35 / €35 / £30
400 essential gospel soul records, selected and annotated by Greg Belson, DJ, compiler, and host of The Divine Chord Gospel Show on dublab and Divine Discotheque on Soho Radio. Seven chapters move through boogie, disco, choir, funk, modern soul, soul and vocal harmony, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.
“People are starting to see that these records aren’t just about God, Jesus, or the devil. They’re beautiful songs that talk about the world’s condition.” —Greg Belson
As a distinct genre, gospel music took shape in the early twentieth century. Guided by songwriter and pianist Thomas A. Dorsey, the combination of sacred hymnal lyrics with the emotional power and rhythmic drive of blues and jazz created a new sound. Throughout the century, gospel soul was increasingly influenced by secular sounds, dividing conservative audiences but creating legends like Sam Cooke, the Staple Singers, and later, Al Green.
Author: Greg Belson
Edited by: Anna Blumenthal
Cover Design: Bráulio Amado
Series Editor: Andrew Mason
Managing Editor: Fiona MacPherson-Amador
Release Date: November 30, 2026
First Edition: 2500 Copies
Specifications
Soft Cover with Die-Cut
Full color wood-free paper
400 Albums Covered
240 pages with front cover album covers reproductions
Interview with Greg Belson by Anna Blumenthal
Standard A5 size
SRP: $35 / €35 / £30
300 essential LPs and 45s from across South and Southeast Asia, selected and annotated by Chris Menist and Maft Sai, co-founders of the Paradise Bangkok label and party. Five chapters trace modernized folk and devotional music through surf, garage, psych and disco, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.
“We wanted to include records that people won’t be able to read about elsewhere. There are some records in this book that are being properly documented for the first time.” —Chris Menist
Western bands have long been influenced by the music of the Eastern hemisphere, but simultaneous sonic conversations have occurred in South and Southeast Asia among local bands amalgamating imported sounds with tradition. The psychedelic repetitions and drones that Western groups have drawn inspiration from have long been crucial elements in music from South and Southeast Asia, and too often overlooked.
Authors: Chris Menist and Maft Sai
Edited by: Anna Blumenthal
Cover Design: Marigold Santos
Managing Editor: Fiona MacPherson-Amador
Series Editor: Andrew Mason
Release Date: November 30, 2026
First Edition: 2500 Copies
Specifications
Soft Cover with Die-Cut
Full color wood-free paper
300 Albums Covered
192 pages with front cover album covers reproductions
Interview with Chris Menist and Maft Sai by Anna Blumenthal
Standard A5 size
SRP: $35 / €35 / £30