hey to all:
as a nyc (well across-the-river-nj) resident, thought i'd chime in with my
own take regarding the myriad record stores in our fine city (funny, as this
came up in discussion with fellow record scavengers just last night) ...
quoted 6 lines R. Lim wrote:> R. Lim wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Mar 2001 Gaiatekztur214@aol.com wrote:
>
> > kim's-staple of the village..good for general music browsing...idm
> > selection is lacking prolly but most well known titles in stock
>
>>Kim's stocks IDM that's not carried by Forced Exposure, unlike
Other Music
>>(more or less). Last time I was at Etherea, they had very little
electronic stuff at all
>>(most notably missing in backstock). This might have changed in
the last
>>year or year and a half, though. Either way, I'm still mourning
the loss of Adult Crash.
never knew of adult crash (probably there when i was still an arizona
resident), but the loss of strange left a definite hole fer shoore.
in any event, the apple has come a long way over the years. i can remember
during the 80s when there was a virtual nonexistence of indie record stores
(let alone those that specialized in electronic/dance/whatever stuff), save
for 'rocks in your head' and 'lunch for your ears' (the latter is history,
the former still around but essentially worthless). 'downtown music gallery'
has been around for some time, and although i like bruce a lot personally
and respect his shop immensely, unfortunately he caters to the free
jazz/prog crowd more than to electronica (but he soldiers mightily on so
more power to him).
currently, the pickings _seem_ slim, but diligence should be always be the
order of the day when one is searching endless used bins filled with
discards. 'other music', though now world-known for its fairly up-to-date
selection, still remains a little overpriced (although their new stuff is
usually a buck or two less than kims st.marks), and their used selection
doesn't turn over too rapidly. of course, there are the occasional jewels to
be found there, and if your eye roams freely enough, you can spy their
cheapie $2 boxes (sitting below the jazz/used shelf unit)-found some amazing
stuff in there over the years, including most of the noise museum back
catalog and incoming! things i didn't have, and the hideously obscure
radioactive lamb (on gpr). however, 'other' is a cool enough specialist
store that needs to remain for the good of the scene(s). anyone would've
_killed_ for such a store to be around, say, circa 1987 (where it would have
died a quick death). catch it on a good week and you'll clean up (keep deep
pockets).
kims also manages to scare up a goodly amount of used as well-if you go in
on the right night. those racks are gone over and over throughout the day,
so timing becomes critical (of course, there's no way of knowing how and
when, although friday nights and saturdays often yield goodies)-just
recently acquired some new mille plateaux used, plus some worm interface
comps. and their dollar cd racks (hidden by the stairway) have done well for
me over the years, too-be sure to check those shelves out before you leave
the store.
st.marks shouldn't be written off that easily, either. 'sounds' (just about
next door to kims) will occasionally turn up stuff (the large used store up
stairs, not the small outlet at street level)-i've found obscure disko b and
djax up beats discs there for $3.99. 'joes' (right across from kims) is even
better-good friend of mine is one of the managers there, and he has
personally made both stores into serious outfits for electronica (both used
and new). virtually no one carried anything on the elektrolux and mole
listening pearl labels (except for maybe virgin, or throb, and at exorbitant
prices)...until now, that is. you can find pretty much every back title of
both those labels there now, some of which turns up used (promo or
otherwise). and the used store also benefits from a large series of $2.99
shelves that can sometimes yield finds that'll rock your sox (found flare's
'reference to difference' and gas' 'zauberberg' there years ago, being two
notable examples). 'venus' (right next door to 'joes') doesn't have much,
but they now have a basement filled with $1 goodies that results in the odd
gem here and there.
down the same side of the street, you can pretty much forget about
'smash'-except when they put their $4.45 cd bins out on weekends (fri
night-sun). generally what will turn up is not only rare used, but also
quality new promos (examples: recent matmos, mount florida full-length,
microstoria, retina {on hefty}) in original packaging...and wha' the 'ell,
the price is right. you gotta go through a bunch of bins on a dirty
sidewalk, but, hey, who said life was easy?
so what's left? 'breakbeat science'..., yes, good d'n'b shop, but little in
the way of used. 'etherea' is terrific and the staff generally fairly
knowledgable, but, yes their inventory doesn't change _that_
radically...however, they still have generally the best prices on new stuff
in town (usually $2-4 cheaper than 'other' or 'kims')...used section is
small, but stuff shows up, and the vinyl selection is top notch. 'temple'
remains perhaps _the_ mecca for vinyl...and being arranged by label means
they are on top of pretty much everything happenin' at the moment (owned and
operated by khan...although i think he might have sold his ownership since
they just relocated)...nevertheless, if you want it on 12", 'temple' is
where you worship at (and their modest cd section ain't half bad
either...kinda pricey, but interesting...picked up the phenomenal pineapple
circle full-length there last year). 'throb' is also is an excellent shop
for vinyl and their cd selection is good, but pricey...however, the staff
there is excellent and very accomodating...with their multiple listening
stations, they make all the stuff in the shop available to you...as is the
same with 'sonic groove', again more noted for vinyl than discs, but good
staff and decent depth of catalog holds them in good stead. 'normans'
doesn't specialize in electronica, but their new section is okay, and their
used (downstairs) sometimes offers up the odd find.
so, aside from the big outlets (tower, virgin, et al), that covers most of
what da apple has to offer. i may have left some out (there's a few shops
uptown, but most are nil when it comes to electronica), but the above should
keep any visitor happy for an hour or six.
so who says there's slim pickings here...?
n-joy!
cheers,
darren b
quoted 1 line>
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