Dante Calderona
When a new identity popped up on the Dust & Grooves radar, we knew we had to dig further. A couple of our Philly collector friends made mention of a local young man with a very rare collecting focus: Sesame Street records. And, they said, he digs hard for them.
Expert of None
A four-part listening series with Cut Chemist, mapping the path from early listening to artistic voice. Told live through records, each session unfolds as a continuous, narrated “storybook” album—blending records, memories, and live mixing into a single cinematic experience.
Louise Chen
Louise Chen is an iconic DJ whose incredible hard work has made her a crucial figure in the music scene at an impressively young age. She rose to success in 2012 after organising the renowned Girls Girls Girls club night at Social Club in Paris.
Platurn
When DJing went digital in the mid-2000s, and vinyl fell out of favor on the dancefloor, Iceland-native DJ Platurn decided to throw a party to celebrate the 45 rpm 7-inch format. What started as a get-together among vinyl-admiring friends has turned into the 45 Sessions–‘the West Coast’s premiere all-45 RPM outlet.’ Platurn helped restore 45s' status as an iconic DJing medium because he devoted the better part of his career to being a vinyl DJ.
Kevin Cole
“The magic of radio and the magic of music combined was always very powerful for me,” says Kevin Cole, who has been deeply involved in both over the last six decades, first as a fan and musician, and then as a record store clerk and radio and club DJ. Since 1999, Cole has been a fixture on Seattle’s KEXP (formerly KCMU), where he served as Director of Programming/Chief Content Officer for 18 years, as well as one of the station’s best-loved disc jockeys.
Charlie Dark
Born in the early 1970s in London’s salubrious East Dulwich to Ghanaian parents who sacrificed for their children, Charlie Dark’s upbringing was anything but run-of-the-mill. As a teenager, he found himself in private school, feeling like something of a misfit, an “alien,” to use his own words.
Zoë ‘Lucky Cat’ Baxter
Arriving in Zoe Baxter’s living room is like stepping back in time and entering a contradictory cultural space. Her beloved Jamo speakers stand on either side of the Technics decks, powered by an amp older than she is.
DaM FunK
Damon “DāM-FunK” and I go way back. In 2008, captivated by the rawness of Rhythm Trax Vol. 4 (and “Burgundy City,” the single that followed) I was determined to know more about this emerging, seemingly elusive artist. The swells, the swing and the synth of his sound drew close to the touchstones of soulful dance music. Yet, Dam’s drum programming, arrangements and tempos had a musical intellect that felt distinctly unique.
Rafa Jazz
São Paulo’s Rafa Jazz has become a ubiquitous force on the capital city’s scene in recent years. As a shop owner, label boss, radio personality, heavy-weight vinyl junkie, and purveyor of some of the creamiest sounds in town, what drew her to the world of wax began as a way to procure the jazz music she loved in an affordable format.
Mary G
Born and based in São Paulo, Brazil, Mariana Mendes Guarnieri—known as Mary G—has become a staple of the Brazilian house scene. It took years to break into the mainstream, but now she plays the biggest stages alongside artists who once filled her parents’ modest record collection. At the Coala Festival, she opened for the father of so many generations, Gilberto Gil, and at Blue Note São Paulo, she set the stage for the legendary “wizard” Hermeto Pascoal.