So I just got back from a short weekend trip to New York, it wasn't all fun and games, there was a lot of carrying boxes and ferrying things about involved, but happily by coincidence as much as design my visit happened to fall on the weekend of CMJ. I saw one show (friends of friends Tiger City alongside Walter Meego) then blew the rest of it off to go record shopping in the little spare time that I had. Whilst my companion was shopping for organic jeans in a next door boutique I stopped in at A1 records (439 E 6TH St), I had the best luck here over the handful of other stores I stopped in during the course of the afternoon. They carry a lot of heat, records being sorted by genre then by label and vinyl condition being taken heavily into account in pricing which I like.


My two favorite scores there were a perfect copy of Tantra's 'Hills Of Katmandu' for $10, and an ok first issue copy of Gwen Guthrie's Padlock lp for $6.

Padlock is sort of a dream, 'mutant' disco super group album. Vocals are performed by ex Aretha Franklin backup singer Gwen Guthrie, production is by dub legends Sly and Robbie and Larry Levan is on the mixing boards. The influences of all parties involved are equally felt, soul, psychedelic dubbed out wizardry and hard disco club rhythms. Here are a couple of my favorite tracks from the record:

HopScotch (Larry Levan Instrumental Mix).mp3
Seventh Heaven.mp3