Djnyc Funk n' Soul, nyc dj

Times Square record store to reopen

This is so great, completely takes you back to the old New York.  It took me so long to switch from records to cds (literally up until 2004) and I have a deep attachment to all my old funk, latin soul, brit pop, salsa, hair metal, etc. records.  Unfortunately it just got to be too laborious lugging them into gigs in Manhattan.  In L.A. it's much easier because everyone has a car, parking spot and places are less tricky to navigate.  The more you can minimize your gear in NYC the better off you are. 

The famous Times Square subway Record Mart, which was first opened in 1958 by Jesse Moskowitz, is set to reopen in the first week of October. Unfortunately it won't be offering records, which to me would be transcendent to be able to walk through the Times Square subway hustle and bustle and look for records. In a way he'd be defying all the rules of capitalism and commerce. Of course to float that rent I'm sure is no bargain. The good news is that the mart will have music from Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and and other countries, and they will be playing tunes as you rush by in your commute.

New York City Record Stores

Gridskipper has posted a brief list of some recommended record stores in New York City. It's funny when I first started collecting records back in 2nd grade when I bought two Kiss records, can't remember which album, but they had these tattoos inside that you could apply with water, and all the way through to the days of djing in L.A., half the fun of going to stores was finding those gems at amazing prices,  Willie Bobo's Do That Thing I found for $5.    Of course finding that gem takes quite a bit of time that I no longer have and in all honesty the record stores in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn are usually expensive and so picked clean you're rarely ever going to find a deal.  What I would love to see is a list of record stores in the Bronx or Yonkers or Staten Island that was less picked over by the trustafarians that has all those Tico and Tuff Gong gems minus the prices.