Internet (hasn't) killed the record store clerk

Other Music

Saturday is Record Store Day. “Wait, those still exist?” Yes they do, so shut down your BitTorrent app and head to your favorite disc/vinyl/tape peddler. Don’t have a favorite? Here are a couple of ours.

Other Music
In 1997 I moved to, or shall I say "landed" upon NYC and for a short time I worked for a gear rental house. The job entailed dropping off and picking up guitar amps and drum kits all over Manhattan, from Rockefeller Center to the Mercury Lounge. On a seemingly normal grind of a day, I found myself "teching" a DJ rig at Other Music. The DJ set-up was for a British-Asian DJ who was pretty hot at that time, but the real impact on me was not the artist, but the venue. Everything about Other: It's layout, selection, the uber-muso staff. I was utterly inspired and even developed my own boutique type record shop that was housed in a hip vintage clothing store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Everything about my little nook was based off of Other Music. With joy, Interpol took me away from the small confines of my little shop, but Other Music has remained a staple in my life. Not just a source of music, new and old—the store has produced some good friends over the past 11 years and goes beyond being my favorite record store. It is literally an extension of my livelihood. —Sam Fogarino, Interpol

Sound Fix Records
Even in this crazy iWorld, there's still something about stepping into a record store and having a human experience. Imagine a perfect afternoon: You've just cleaned up at nearby Beacon's Closet and decide to hit Sound Fix to satisfy your new-music jones. As you mull the (reasonably priced) new releases, up pops a friendly clerk urging, say, the new Ladyhawk. At the listening station, you're thrilled with the recommendation, purchase the disc and head back to the adjacent café for a coffee (maybe a beer if you're feeling saucy) and, if you're lucky, a free show by the same band that's playing Bowery that night (on Record Store Day, it's Regina Spektor). This isn't fantasy, it's reality. Now, isn't that better than BitTorrent? —Catherine Hopkinson

A-1 Records
Why do we like this East Village record store? Simple. The essence of classic New York hip-hop lives and breathes between these four walls. Sure, they have funk, soul and reggae records for the sample-searchers, but it’s the store’s hip-hop 12” collection that has earned the loyalty of everyone from Pete Rock to DJ Premier to ?uestlove. (Don’t be surprised to go digging and see one of them searching through vinyl next to you.) The store also gets love for constantly restocking the shelves with hard-to-find classics, making each trip an opportunity to find vinyl gold. If record stores are truly dying, this institution should be the cockroach of the bunch. —Jason Newman

Jammyland
I have always been a fan of Jamaican music. Starting with the British Two-tone scene to Desmond Dekker, the Skatalites and Bob. I'm no wanna-be rude boy, but I really dig the Jam-down. This love always ebbed and flowed over the years, until the day I found a large trash bag full of vinyl. One record in this pile changed my casual appreciation and kicked it into overdrive: King Tubby's "Meet the Upsetter."  It combined this strange atmospheric sound with that ska downbeat and horns. No vocals. This was pretty mind-blowing stuff. The problem was where to find more like it.

Eventually I found Jammyland, a store that specializes in all forms of Jamaican music, from ska and mento to dub and dancehall, with every vocalist, musician and producer imaginable. It can get pricey, which is inevitable considering the vast selection. While combing through the bins you may realize that King Tubby wasn't the only Upsetter. In fact, there are so many boasts of being the "Upsetter" that there's a whole category of "Real Upsetters." For any given record, there's a British pressing, a Jamaican pressing and two bootlegs (and all differ widely in quality). The staff will play anything for you on the sound system, and a whole selection of 45's are available if you just want one song. This is a place for Zion's blood to run through your veins—highly recommended for even the most casual fans who want to immerse themselves.—Carl Gambrell

Music Matters
Since Somethin' Else got shut down to make room for a ghastly, glassy condo sales office, Music Matters stands alone as Park Slope's best record store. And really, it's everything you crave in a neighborhood shop—humble digs, great selection of new and used vinyl and CDs, friendly vibe. That's what sets it apart from other music purveyors in New York: The staff is knowledgeable, but you'll never catch a whiff of silent judgment as you lay your purchases out on the counter. Can't find what you want? Just ask, they'll order it. —Mary Phillips-Sandy