Editor’s Note | June 2023

Already June and the block is HOT! Have you been keeping up with us? Mexico City became a last-minute destination decision and filled up very quickly. First, we’re stopping off in Miami to shoot some exciting pieces for the several puzzles we have been meticulously working on. Who do you know in the land of lovely beaches that might have some vinyl goodies?

After meeting Elisse Locomotion and Jose Trujillo last month in the Bay area, they really planted the bug about Mexico City. A place we’ve heard plenty about but not yet explored. 

 Another collecting couple that we mentioned before; Jess and Fabian introduced us to a compilation called Saturno 2000 – La Rebajada De Los Sonideros 1962​-​1983 released by those funky folks at Analog Africa last year. It’s a collection of Mexican Sonideros (sound-system operators), Cumbia sounds slowed down, a lot of it, are frequencies your brain may have never heard before, truly exploding the mind! Please listen NOW! This officially set the gears in motion for the trip to unfold, and plans to be mapped.

Over the last few months, we’ve been digging deeper into the puzzling world of “Tax Scam” records. What are they? Where did they come from and who the heck has them? We found one brave collector in Thes One of People Under The Stairs. It was pure coincidence that the topic of these oddities in the vinyl world came up while we were photographing the Southern Californian producer. It went something like this; “Oh, tax scam records? Uh yea I have tons!”… Bingo, we found one of our peoples for the piece we’ve been slowly crafting. Now that we have Aaron Milenski on board as well, the elements are falling into place. Anyone else out there with some of these releases? 

Is anyone going to the Community Thrift Market’s upcoming three-day vinyl sale in Tallahassee, FL?

The nonprofit organization will be holding a 10,000 record album sale from Friday, June 16, to Sunday, June 18. Most of the platters come from the Vinyl Fever shop which closed in 2010. They will announce the location for the sale on their instagram page & facebook. Or just call: 850-273-0279.

Do you have any record shows or swaps we should know about? 

We say our goodbyes to fellow music friends; Bill Lee, Tina Turner, Sheldon Reynolds, Andy Rourke, Lester Sterling, Abdul Karim Abdul Qader, Rita Lee of Os Mutantes, Gordon Lightfoot, Mark Adams of Saint Vitus, Grace Bumbry, Ahmad Jamal, Vivian Trimble, and Astrud Gilberto. 

Singing & signing off…

-Noah Zark