IDM Mailing Archive

On Sat, 25 Nov 1995 PaulT23@aol.com wrote:

quoted 4 lines I am taking a vacation in the bay area ( San Francisco, Berkeley, etc )

> I am taking a vacation in the bay area ( San Francisco, Berkeley, etc ) > during December and would love to find the shops that offer the finest in > electronic sounds ( I already have plans to try Mod Land and Amoebe in > Berkeley - where are they ? ).

Ah hell, I've got some free time. There are a lot more stores catering to other tastes (and outside my walking distance), but for techno here's where I spend most of my time (and money). I'll round up a list of my usual haunts in Berkeley next time. FRISCO Soundworks - 228 Valencia (at Clinton Park) After the demise of Gaia Mantra, this store opened up (luckily) to take up the techno slack. Nice folks. Good turntables and plenty of them (though there's still a line on busy days and sometimes the headphones are a bit on the fritz). Good techno and idm slanted selection. They're always on top of the main releases and get quite a bit of the oddball stuff too. Large (for the genre) CD selection. Don't leave SF without visiting this store. I just wish they were open on Sundays (my bank account doesn't). They will send out special orders, but as with everywhere else, don't hold your breath. Tweekin Records - 593 Haight (at Steiner) My second stop. Decent techno/idm selection. Two turntables, usually open. They mainly focus on a smaller selection of new releases, leaning toward the jazzier side. Vinyl moves pretty quickly, though there are still a few pretty impressive leftovers. Decent CD selection. Lots of local music ends up here. This basement shop is easy to miss, so look closely for it's small sign. You won't be sorry. Record Rack - 3798 18th st (at Sanchez) A long shot, but still worth it. Mainly house and disco, but I've picked up some nice stuff there that had been bought up everywhere else. Several bins of used and leftovers in the back that yield some surprises. Picked up used Balil and Bochum Welt 12"s there. Saw 6(!) copies of the LFO We Are Back remix as well. Haven't found anything since though. Maybe just dumb luck. CD selection seemed largely uninteresting. Two tables, but awkwardly placed. Streetlight - 2350 Market (between Noe and Castro) A used/new shop I just about gave up on, but I just dug up the Applied Rhythmic Technology CD there last week, so I'm giving them another chance. Very large used 12" selection. Mostly trash, but from what I've heard, several local DJs dump their old vinyl there. The trick is getting in right after they sell. They added an small ambient CD section this year, largely populated by Instinct, Astralwerks and the like. I guess I'm spoiled, but the lack of listening stations is a big drawback. There's another shop down on 24th in Noe Valley, but I don't get down there often and the selection isn't as good. Record Finder - 258 Noe (at Market) Another shot in the dark, but it's just around the corner from Streetlight, so I usually stop in. Not much in the way of techno/idm vinyl. A bit more on CD. A little more hope if you're looking for older noise stuff. I found a promo copy of Spanners here in a used bin several weeks before it hit anywhere else, so to appease the record gods, I pay my respects to the new arrivals bin and an occasional tithe here weekly. No turntable, but if you're really nice, they might put something on the table behind the counter (if it's not busy). Reckless Records - 1401 Haight (at Masonic) Amid the Grunge, Pop, and Indie-Rock facade, you'll find a nifty little techno/dance section. Not too many surprises, but another place to go when something has been bought up everywhere else. The CD section will keep you busy for a while and you may even find something. Good industrial/noise selection. Don't even think of asking them to play something for you. Recycled Records - 1377 Haight Unless you like paying 50 bucks for old CAN albums, keep walking. "The store where everything is collectible." Largely dusty old prog rock vinyl, but they do have an okay jazz collection in there. Star Alley - 322 Linden (at Gough I think) I haven't been back there since it went "members only," so I don't know the current situation. From what I remember, it was mainly new house and old soul. A ton of super cheap old vinyl (but of course there was a reason it was so cheap - it mainly sucked). A sprinkling of techno and idm here and there. A bring your own headphones type of place. BPM - 1141 Polk Where I went before the better shops opened up. Mainly club house with a bit of techno on the side last time I was there. A lot like Record Rack, but not large enough, to make me walk the extra distance. Who knows, things could be different now. Rough Trade Records - 695 3rd (at Townsend) Recently moved from Haight St., this shop set up a separate room for techno/dance/acid jazz/&c, but it seems like someone lost interest in it halfway through. Last time I was down there, the promised turntables still weren't set up, and it looked like they hadn't added any new stock since reopening. Situation unclear, but if you want to dig through the few bins they have, some overlooked gem might turn up. Surprisingly, some of the large chain stores have added decent sections (usually marked ambient). Maybe it's just San Francisco. A friend in Chicago says the large retailers there don't carry any of this. Tower Records - Market at Noe I don't think any other Tower in the area has the same selection, so make sure you go to this one. All CD except for a handful of releases. The offerings are largely mainstream, but over the course of the last year, they've been getting more confident and will pick up the occasional odd release. Again, don't expect any surprises, but don't rule them out completely either. Long ago, I saw (and passed on, to my dismay) the Philosophy of Sound and Machine CD here. They also one had a half-dozen copies of Balil's Parasight and Nightmares on Wax's Biofeedback singles marked down to 99 cents once. Made a lot of friends that day. Decent import selection otherwise. Borders Books and Music - 400 post (at Powell) I can say I was surprised as hell to see anything here, but I try to relive the moment whenever I'm downtown. Though the "ambient" section stays roughly in the ambient domain, the selection ranges from well-known and well-worn releases to wierd stuff rarely seen anywhere else. Not many bins, but worth it if you're in the area. All CD, but as a (big) bonus, you can take any disc to the listening station and check it out (at least you could last time I was there, I've heard rumors to the contrary now). Plus there's a cafe in the store if you need a break from flipping through the bins. The selection reminds me *slightly* of Auricular before it closed. Virgin Megastore - 37 O'Farrell (at Market) Elsewhere, Virgin may be hot. Here, it's not. Well, not exactly. The few times I've been able to stop in SF's latest record K-mart, the bin dividers had some impressive names tagged on them. Unfortunately, I have yet to see any CDs between them. Try it out and report back with your results if you've already been to Border's and have more time to kill. happy shopping. jmar! | J M R T N K O | fonstrosities and other toys by ILLGBLITY ENGNRING. | | D S G N E T C | JOHN-A MARTINKO, w. desk chief martinko@netcom.com |