Greetings from the Dust & Grooves HQ,
We were in full marathon mode in the past three months, powering through the various editorial stages of our Dust & Grooves Volume 2 and Portables books. Realizing the sheer amount of photographic and editorial material we gathered over the past 5 years, we got seriously overwhelmed and got ourselves into panic mode to make our deadline. I decided to reach out to our loyal community for some editorial help. A quick post on our socials called out for some editorial volunteers. Within a couple of hours, we received almost a hundred replies from all over the world. This incredible response from our community was not just a relief, but a testament to the power of our shared passion for music and photography. We built up an impromptu team of dedicated and talented writers, editors, and editorial assistants who were all hands on deck, helping us manage the insane amount of content we’d gathered over the years. Within two months of working around the clock, we got all the editorial material in line with our style guide and standards, ready to be submitted to our designer.
Our editorial volunteers truly rocked it, devoting their days and nights to editing, writing, and fact-checking. Their unwavering energy and passion kept us motivated through those intense times. I want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to these individuals who went above and beyond for the Dust & Grooves cause: Mike Harris, Paul Soud, Rafe Arnott, Rich Headland, Scott Seine, Presley Overgoor, Austin McGee, Raouf Grisa, Tim Chizzik, and Natalie Arnon. Without you, the book would not have made it on time to print! Thank you!
On the design front, we’ve had some fantastic design intensives with our talented designer, Jonathan Sandridge. These sessions are crucial, even though it means hardly any music is being played around here. Silence has become our friend to increase concentration. Despite this, we managed to put together one last mixtape. Check out the March 2024 mixtape at the DG HQ for some slow grooves to keep you focused or, alternatively, enhance your love life.
We’re racing against the clock to stick to our printing schedule. I recently traveled to Amsterdam for the final photo shoot for our Portables book with Bas Bogerd of Platypus Records. It was three intense days of photographing and deep cleaning record players, but the results were worth it. I’m happy to share these few spreads with you. While Dust & Grooves Volume 2 is the much-anticipated book in this lineup, Portables seems to gather quite a few fans among our peers.
After wrapping up the final shoot with Bas, we made usre to gather and raise a glass to celebrate the completion of this massive photo project with a few friends at Platypus Records at the heart of Amsterdam.
Back at our Brooklyn HQ, print proofs are coming in, and it’s fascinating to see first signs of these books taking physical shape. We’re working closely with Jonathan on the final design touches, and I’m thrilled to announce that the final DGV2 edition size of 4000 copies and 2000 copies of Portables has been determined. We’re now in print!
As if releasing two major titles at the same time is not big enough of an announcement, here’s another “little” announcement: We’re releasing a 10th-anniversary edition of Dust & Grooves Vol 1 with a new cover and spine. It will be available as a deluxe box set only alongside Volume 2. Mark your calendars for October 15, our anticipated publication date. Check out the updated cover!!
As we enter phase 2 of this campaign, we’re diving into planning and strategizing for distribution, marketing, publicity, and partnerships. We’re also starting to think about book launch parties and events. If you have an idea for a venue or concept or want to host our launch event, drop us a line. We’re also on the lookout for sponsors and private donors for these launch parties. Know anyone?? You know what to do.
Don’t forget to get on our book pre-order list.
Stay tuned, and go to your local record store and buy a cheap record. That’s all we can afford right now…
Peace on earth
Eilon and the expanded Dust & Grooves team.
PS.
Oh wait… Remember that amazing photo shoot we had with maestro Ron Carter at his home in NYC? Well… Just wanted to share this photo of me looking completely content and happy. One of these moments in life, you know…
