Akalepse

As one of the brains behind New York’s Big Crown Records label, Danny Akalepse is a DJ, producer, and a mastermind digger with an ear for everything. Whether he’s DJing or finding something for his label to reissue, he’s playing something you’ve never heard. Finding records has never been an issue for him: “I really believe that records find you, or at least find me.”

After years of collecting over ten thousand LPs, he teamed up with Leon Michels of El Michels Affair to create Big Crown in 2016. For nearly 10 years, they have been pressing a range of upcoming artists on vinyl for the first time. They also press reissues of reggae, soul, and RnB rarities. 

For the first edition of Dust & Grooves, one of the ways I found collectors was by leaving postcards in record shops around NYC. Akalepse, of Greenpoint, came across one of the cards and reached out to me. It took me a long time to finish this one, but I feel it was worth the wait. It’s an excellent collection from a genuine music lover.

Hit the Play button on his mix and have a great dive into his musical world. 

This interview was conducted in 2010, and some aspects have been revised to reflect Akalepse’s career as of 2025.

 

“I really don’t think of myself as a record collector. I wouldn’t want to do this to myself. Having this much physical material is, at times, a hard thing. Getting more records is like learning more words in a language.”

What is your name, age, and where do you live? 

Akalepse, but you can call me Lepse for short, Brooklyn.

What do you do for a living?

I DJ. I make music. I run Big Crown Records and Plane Jane Records.

What was your first album? How did you get it? At what age? Do you still have it?

The first thing I ever had on vinyl was the Alkaholik’s “Make Room.” I didn’t start collecting records until I started DJing. That was 1992-93. I was 15ish. I still have it, I still play it.

 

“Music has always been something that makes sense without needing an explanation.”

Do you remember the day when you switched from being a record listener to a record collector?

I really don’t think of myself as a record collector. I wouldn’t want to do this to myself. Having this much physical material is, at times, a hard thing. Getting more records is like learning more words in a language. It gives me the ability to be more articulate as a DJ as far as listening goes; I am still doing that all the time.

What was your initial interest in music? Did you get influenced by your family?

Music has always been in my life, not from my folks or anything like that; although my mother was always very supportive of whatever I wanted to get into, musically, artistically, and passionately. Music has always been something that makes sense without needing an explanation.

 

“I love the sound of the needle on the record after the music is over, and in the forawhile (the groove that stops the needle from getting to the label at the end)—all records have different forawhiles, I love finding good ones.”

Why vinyl? Is it the sound of it? Or maybe the archival qualities? Or other romantic reason?

I love records. So many things about them. The music, of course, but the sound of the needle on the record before it gets to the music. I love the sound of the needle on the record after the music’s over, and in the forawhile (the groove that stops the needle from getting to the label at the end)—all records have different forawhiles, I love finding good ones. 

I like the art that comes with records, be it the label or the cover. I love the inserts in records that have pictures of other records. Finding places that are full of records, finding people in the street selling records, I mean, it’s captured music that turns up everywhere. Someone’s art from Brazil, I found it in a crate of records waiting for the garbage man, now it has a brand new life. Romantic reasons? I guess they all are. But what it started from is simply that that is what DJs use. I wanted to DJ.

How many LPs? 45s?

Maybe 10,000 to 15,000 LPs, maybe 2,000 to 3,000 45s. I haven’t counted them, but that is the question most people ask when they come by the house.

Do you collect any genre in particular?

I collect things that I like. I don’t really set out digging for records with certain ones in mind that I want to find, I am way more interested in discovering something new to me, just by putting the needle on it. I look for certain energies and textures more than I look for certain genres. 

I am always looking for things to sample and flip. So that may make me take home some really out-there records because there are three seconds of some sound on there that catches my imagination. I am also always, always, always looking for new music. This is by far what I want to find the most. Good new music, meaning current music. 

I love finding anything that is new to me, be it older music or newer music, of course. But what I am always after is current music that is good; it is harder to find. I always want new music to spread to people when I am playing records; recently, when I go to the record store, I often leave with nothing. Of course, there are some older, rare records I know I want to find, but I keep my mind open to each record in the store. You never know what you are holding until you listen.

Do you travel to find records? Where? How often?

I will go pretty much anywhere I hear that there are records; I don’t really want to elaborate on that, as it seems kind of silly, like bragging. It is just something you do when you want to find records. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t find any good records, but I wouldn’t call it losing. I have been in some pretty funny situations. I have also met a lot of really great people through music, there are other collectors who are now friends.

 

“I am way more interested in discovering something new to me, just by putting the needle on it. I look for certain energies and textures more than I look for certain genres.”

You mentioned that you go to people’s houses and buy records. Is that pretty common for you? How do you know about these sales? Does it feel awkward for you to be at someone’s house and go through their records?

I do it whenever I can, which really means whenever I find someone selling records. Sometimes it is not their personal collection, they might be antique collectors or something, and they came up on a lot of records cheap, so they took the lot. Sometimes it is someone’s personal collection. I am yet to have an awkward experience with that. 

I understand how much my music means to me, so when I am around someone’s personal collection, I step lightly. By the time I leave with the records, the people are happy that I am the one who is taking them. I don’t buy records to resell records. I am their new home, I am going to air them out to people for as long as I live. God willing. People can dig that, it makes them feel settled. I think this applies to anything someone passes on. Regardless of the money. I do my best to carry the torch. 

What are the most records you bought in one go?

I have taken them in by the thousands. I’m always open to doing it again. When I go to some of my spots, I always get like two to three crates. I have my work cut out for me, but I will accept more, with records, it is on their schedule, when they show up, well, that’s when you have to get them. If I come across an interesting collection that is in good shape, and they only want to sell the whole thing (this happens a lot), and the price is fair, I’m calling my guy Adam with the van. He is always down to help me out.

 

 

How do you organize the collection?

My collection is organized in different ways depending on genres. Some shelves are organized just plain old alphabetically, some based on how they connect to each other in my mind. I saw a funny thing in that movie, High Fidelity, where the dude is down and out, so he rearranges his record collection. I can relate to that, it is nice going through everything, rediscovering things. It brings up a lot of memories, and it takes up your mind.

Have you ever battled (not physically) for a rare record? What happened?

Outside of getting outbid on the Internet, no. I am not that hard up for records. Besides, in most places that I look for records, there is no one to battle with. I really believe that records find you, or at least find me. There have been a few times that I learned about a record, and I really want to have it, so I go digging somewhere that I would never expect to find that type of record, and it is in the first ten records I look through. Also, sometimes I am working on a mix, and I need a record to get from one place to another, and there it is—the record I never knew that finishes the sentence.

Tell me a particularly sad record story!

Not really sad, but I just missed 10,000 dead stock unplayed funk and soul records by a few days a couple of years ago, the guy had them in his attic since the eighties. He bought a commercial space in Connecticut back in the day, and all these records were in there. He then kept them in his attic for years. I went up there to look through the records he had, and it was cool, I was finding stuff. I asked if he had soul 45s, and he said no, he had just sold the whole lot to a Canadian guy who had owned a record store. 

 

 

What’s your partner’s reaction to this obsession?

Could I really even hang with a woman who didn’t get it?

Out of your great collection, there must be a few records that you like going back to at any time. What makes them so special to you?

I am stuck on all kinds of records. I can hear a lot of the same things over and over. Some artists that never get old to me are Gang Starr, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, and Sade. There are a bunch of other names, though. A lot of times, I come up on a new record and it takes over for a long time. Usually just one song, and I play it over and over. By now, I have realized the value of going back to things, this is why I rarely get rid of records. 

 

“I really believe that records find you, or at least find me.”

Anything else you want to say, add, observe, criticize, or compliment?

I can trace almost everything important in my life back to music, whether it made the introduction to a person, a place, a thing, or taught me something about life. To the people who made/make the music that has made me who I am, your life has helped mine. Give thanks and praises. I hope I can give something back that will continue that.

 

Danny Akalepse is a DJ and label owner who runs Big Crown Records and Plane Jane Records. Big Crown Records is an NYC-based label that has pressed artists such as El Michels Affair, Clairo, and Lee Fields. Plane Jane Records is run out of Brooklyn, and pressed 45s from 2013-2017.

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Big Crown Records

Plane Jane Records

 

Edited by Sam Cohen 06/16/25

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Groove on,
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