Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Dust & Grooves pays tribute to the fine art of record collecting. It started as a photo project, created by professional photographer Eilon Paz once he moved to New York in 2008. As a collector himself, when he arrived, he found a community of fellow music heads to bond over their love of records and Dust & Grooves was born to document this culture. “The focus for me was the people themselves, not necessarily the records,” Paz tells Mixcloud. “I would go into people’s homes and document the spaces they lived in, dive deep into their collection, understand what’s in them and how they connect with the person.”
Since 2008, Dust & Grooves has evolved into an online platform, mix series on Mixcloud and book series connecting music communities around the world. Paz’s new book, Dust & Grooves Volume 2: Further Adventures In Record Collecting, is out now and follows the first volume released 10 years ago in 2014, which featured the likes of Gilles Peterson, Four Tet, Questlove and many more crate diggers. Volume 2 follows the same formula, with Paz traveling to places like Japan, Brazil and the UK to talk to over 150 different collectors and understand their collections. Titans like Ron Carter, Peanut Butter Wolf, Don Letts and Nabihah Iqbal to name a few.
But Paz had a renewed goal for this book, outside of simply showcasing records. He wanted to let readers in on his thoughts on the culture as a whole. “It was important for me in Volume 2 to dive deeper,” he says. “I’m more invested in the scene now, I’m older and I have a different vision of the world. Volume 2 is a little bit more mature in terms of my observation and presentation of the subject. I go deeper on the details, rather than more of the eye candy photos you see in Volume 1. My views on the record collecting world.”
To celebrate the release of the book, Paz shares a few of the incredible stories from the collectors captured in Volume 2.
Norsicaa
Eilon Paz: “Alice Whittington, a.k.a Norsicaa, is a collector and ex-label manager of Soundway Records, and has just released a new compilation on the label, Ayo Ke Disco: Pop & Funk From the South China Sea (1974-88). Alice’s collection displays an incredible range—boasting soundtrack, Malaysian Jazz, and Dub.
When I did the shoot with Alice, I was blown away by her house. She shares it with her partner and mastering engineer of The Carvery Studio, Frank Merrit. This is an important detail because The Carvery Studio is actually a part of the house. Which is just so cool. It was filled with beautiful plants and incredible light, ceiling-high vinyl custom shelves and amazing Hi-Fi gear. Because of this den-vibe to the place, we have a little joke that they’re the vinyl hobbits!
Norsicaa’s mix My Neighbour Totoro is a tour of the best music out of Japan from the 20th and 21st centuries. She takes you from Mariah’s soft tones through to the electronic nuances of Soichi Terada and Ebonee Webb’s undeniable Funk groove. I love this mix because it explores such a range of genres whilst staying consistent in the good feeling it provides throughout.”
Mr. Thing
“Mr. Thing is a renowned Hip-Hop producer and DJ, formerly a member of the Scratch Perverts, a turntablist collective. He has now taken a specialism in library music, releasing a 2017 archive compilation with Chris Read.
Mr. Thing was recommended to me by multiple Dust & Grooves Vol. 1 veterans and he’s a lovely, graceful person. I visited him at his house in Tunbridge. He said, ‘I can lose myself for hours going through boxes and piles!’ That’s exactly what we did. We had a whole day of exploring his incredible library and soundtracks, and that’s without going into a 45 room. Yes, a whole room just for 45s! He did a live mixtape for the Dust & Grooves website (coming soon) in that room. Some of his super rare library stuff. He’s fun and funny, great vibes.
His mix The Source, Part Three is a masterclass on how to make library music work outside the library. Mr. Thing displays his skills as an incredible turntablist by utilizing samples to a level no one but him would ever think possible. I would advise listeners to really sit down and listen to catch these mad intricacies.”
Debora Ipekel
Debora Ipekel is a musician and restaurateur with experience as a music programmer for Boiler Room and as a studio assistant at Worldwide FM alongside Gilles Peterson. She has said, ‘Gilles Peterson was an idol for me, so being able to work in his studio, host shows and meet lots of interesting people was an inspiring experience.’ Debora is also the co-founder of Istanbul and London-based Zel Zele Records, which features monthly on NTS Radio.
I first met Debora in her Istanbul home, which had amazing panoramic views of the city. For how young she is, her knowledge of foundational and new music is so impressive. She doesn’t just chase holy grails, her knowledge is deep and her interest in music is genuine. That was perfectly displayed when she told me, ‘Quality over quantity. Every record I pick up from my shelf has to have something special. If it doesn’t, I’ll let it go.’ Her collection covers the whole spectrum. We looked through Turkish music, Spiritual jazz, and Alice Coltrane among many other obscure stuff.
Debora’s vintage 2016 set from Worldwide FM Radio is truly transformative. In my opinion, Debora is the queen of all things spiritual and she’ll guide you through this field perfectly with this mix. She takes you on a journey from Prog guitar solos to gentle breaks with Leon Thomas. All while finding room for the essentials of MF DOOM. She’s got it all.
Christine Renee
“A collector since the 1990s and club DJ since the early ‘00s, Christine Renée is known for her work as an early resident of The Lot Radio and for shaping the musical identity of Public Records. She is currently a resident at Belgium’s Kiosk Radio, and studies sound as a mode of physical healing.
Christine was recommended to me by Barbie Bertisch. Christine has so many cool insights that could perhaps be linked to her musical upbringing. When she spoke to Dust & Grooves, I remember her recalling, ‘we all play a little. We still like to have family jam nights that are fully mic’d and amped. My mom or brother would play rhythm guitar, my dad the leads and we all sang. Mostly Dylan, Beatles, and the Stones.’ She was living in Brooklyn when we interviewed her, preparing for her move to Brussels. I recommend looking through the entirety of Christine’s shows because each set is vastly different. I love the Live at Starvue mix to get me moving on a Saturday night. It’s classic early-House that doesn’t forget to invite some funky beats to the party. I think everyone will love it.”
A-Trak
“A-Trak is a Montreal-born DJ, producer, and label head after founding Fool’s Gold in 2007. He might be recognized as the youngest winner of the DMC World DJ Championships in 1997, later becoming a touring turntablist at the age of 15.
He was a whizz-kid turntablist. I started paying attention to him as a collector through his Instagram account, where he digs through his own crates. Our first meeting is actually a pretty funny story. I was doing a photography tour of the West Coast, it was a very busy schedule.
It took a while to confirm A-Trak’s shoot. It was only scheduled for an hour or something and my rental car broke down on the way to his shoot. A complete nightmare. The rental company said they could replace it, but they could only offer a huge red Ford F-150 muscle truck. I felt a little out of place driving this full testosterone-fuelled truck into A-Trak’s beautifully serene house in the LA hills. But that clown-shoe of a car definitely gave a little comic relief to the tight timing. It went super well considering the shoot ended up being less than an hour. This captures A-Trak’s spirit, a down-to-earth guy who told me, ‘I don’t know anything about rare records. If I have any records that are worth money it would be news to me!’
It’s nearly time to start celebrating the new year, and A-Trak’s set from NYE 2022 will be just as good this time round. Put this on to really dance. This mix flicks between Electronic and Hip-Hop perfectly and encapsulates exactly what it is to be moving and chatting your way through NYE. Have fun with this!
Carozilla
“Caroline Cardenas aka Carozilla is a Miami-born Cuban/Honduran DJ and collector tending to lean towards synth-heavy oddities, but she never shies away from moodier lounge sounds or energetic Jazz. Caroline first DJ’d at Dante’s Hi-Fi in Miami. She recalled this memory when she spoke to Dust & Grooves: “Rich Medina saw what I did, he came up to me, and he’s like, ‘Girl, we gotta put a battery pack in you! You’ve got something going on here, you know?’ And from that moment on, I’m just like, boom! Just been really into this DJing stuff.”
Similarly to Debora Ipekel and Coco Maria, Caroline is in a new generation—up-and-coming and knowledgeable. It’s qualities like this that really motivate and inspire me to include certain collectors in the book. For Volume 2, I wanted to explore why younger collectors choose to collect records when it’s something that might not have been in their childhood and it’s so easy to opt for streaming. We met at Caroline’s house in Miami and her spirit and the spirit of the community were really strong. She really cares about empowering other female DJs and always gives shoutouts supporting those around her, saying, ‘I love finding good records by strong, empowered women because they fuel my drive to continue my career in music.’
Carozilla showed off her natural skills with The Lot Radio in this Uptown Vinyl Supreme mix. For someone so young, her sense of nostalgia is incredible. With an 1980s dominance in the mix, she picks out the best stuff from the decade. With dreamy vocals, great percussion, and bits of Electronica, this mix is pure optimism so it’s an uplifting one for sure.”
Spinna
“Spinna is a world-renowned DJ, producer, remixer and label head. He has released an enormous body of work over the years covering a range of genres: Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul, R&B, and Electronic. He is highly revered for his iconic tribute events, notably ‘WONDER-Full,’ celebrating Stevie Wonder. His accolades are particularly impressive. He told me: “I was totally self-taught. I just learned from watching and observing.”
I visited his Brooklyn record room and I knew in advance that he’s known to be a super nice and courteous person, but it was still intimidating to go alone. My friend DJ Scribe came with me and conducted the interview with Spinna. When I’m in the room with a writer, I am more of an observer. It’s a less active role, which is rare, so it’s a nice change that I can take it in a bit more with the big names. It was great to just be taking photos and reacting to their conversation.
Check out episode 11 of DJ Spinna’s Sound Spectrum. The man is a true icon and the delivery of these shows is absolutely immaculate. It’s “a deep dive into good music for the soul” and I can guarantee that. Spinna shows off under-appreciated tunes from the likes of Father’s Children and new acts like Mach-Hommy, but isn’t afraid to satisfy with the classics from the likes of Shuggie Otis. As he says, soul for the soul.”
Grace of Spades
“Grace of Spades is such a well-versed DJ. She started with the Deadly Dragon crew in New York City as a teenager, going on to play for many Reggae legends such as Sister Nancy and Johnny Osborne. She could perhaps be noted to have started even earlier, telling me: “I was exposed to nearly every kind of music growing up, but my mom said that when she was pregnant with me, she would notice that I stopped kicking whenever Bob Marley was playing.” Grace spins everything from Reggae to Punk, and holds multiple residencies across NYC. She is also the host of ‘Watch This Sound’ on East Village Radio every other Wednesday.
Grace of Spades is a household name in the NYC Reggae scene. She does much more than that though, and her collection reflects that. She lives in an old-school loft in downtown Manhattan so she has a lot of space, making her collection vast and dispersed. Some people are great with words and speaking about their collection—that was definitely her. It was a flawless stream of thoughts that made everything easy and interesting.
All of Grace’s shows are great, but this episode from October 2024 is a particular favorite. Her knowledge of Reggae and Dub is outstanding, so you can rely on her to deliver a couple of hours of the best, feel-good tracks spanning across these genres.”
Alex Paterson
“Alex Paterson formed the Orb in 1988 with Jimmy Cauty, releasing several singles on the Wau Mr Modo label before parting ways. Originally pioneering the ‘Ambient House’ and Chillout resurgence of the early-1990s, the Orb navigated between bass-shaking Dub, pounding Techno, and all points in between.
I photographed Alex when I went to the Book & Record Bar in West Norwood with Kevin Foakes (DJ Food). Kev is good friends with Alex and told me Alex could be quite a reserved person at first, and not to take it as anything but that. However, I was wearing my La Planete Sauvage Soundtrack t-shirt, which Alex liked and he warmed up straight away. We went to the basement of the store to uncover DJ cases Alex had used over the years, keeping a whole lot because as he says, “I’ve done memory stick gigs, and they’re really terrible. You get really bored.” This is how we got to speak to Alex for Dust & Grooves.
For Glade Space Sound, Paterson created Space Lounge Saturday back in 2020. It is everything he’s about, with Dub taking precedence, and healthy sprinklings of electronic treats. Take this next hour to chill out with Alex, he is after all the founding father of Ambient House. To accompany his interview, our intern Fiona MacPherson-Amador curated a playlist of the tracks Alex cited in his interview that he’d sampled. Alongside the tracks of his own in which these samples feature. You can check that out below.”
Javybz
“DJs and best friends Anya and Julia make up the duo Javybz. They met at 20-years-old whilst getting ready for a party, being brought together by their love of music. Anya and Julia are long-time friends. Actually, Julia is an old friend of Dust & Grooves, and accompanied the Volume 1 road trip throughout America. They know each other’s musical tastes inside out and do All Styles All Smiles on NTS. It’s exactly what it says. I took the opportunity to visit Anya’s collection in Russia whilst shooting for my other book project Stompbox in January 2020, my first time in Russia. It was really cool to see their dynamic and them being best friends through music. They shared so many stories in their interview with us. It was so nice.
Check out episode 77 of All Styles All Smiles, in which Anya and Julia delve into the realms of Brazil, with Folk, Funk, and Jazz to nurture the soul. Their pacing is perfect. Starting gently with Marcos Valle, leading up to Nascimento, before closing back down with undeniable favorites Azymuth. I don’t always have time to pop over to Brazil to feel better, and I assure you this is the next best thing.”
Coco Maria
“Coco Maria is a Mexican-born radio host and collector. She hosted Breakfast Club Coco on Worldwide FM. She now has her own NTS breakfast show. Coco also presents these sounds to live stages, making appearances at the likes of We Out Here and Dekmantel. Coco has also entered the arena of curating compilations with Club Coco (Bongo Joe Records).
I noticed Coco Maria through Breakfast Club Coco. She’s a young DJ with endless charm and amazing taste in music, and she’s a great radio personality talent. I was excited to meet her and see her collection. Her attitude was, “I don’t get obsessed about owning a particular record, I trust that if it is for me, it will appear at some point.” It was right after COVID days so it was nice to visit her top-floor apartment in the heart of Amsterdam, where she lives with her boyfriend Palo Santo Discos.
When I got there, she was doing her radio show so it was cool to see her in action. Coco has records from early childhood right the way through to what she’s playing on her show. As I said with Carozilla, I’m veering towards the young, talented collectors and exploring their motives for collecting where they have the choice to stream.
This February 2024 breakfast show takes you across the globe, from Italy to the Caribbean. The show gives light to perhaps the most playful elements of Jazz and its progressions into the later part of the 20th century. Coco ensures a positive vibe throughout the show, and I must emphasize this mix must be consumed with your breakfast for maximum effect of positivity throughout the day.”
Dust & Grooves Volume 2: Further Adventures In Record Collecting is available now.
Dust & Grooves will be in London for a party on 19th November to celebrate the release of Volume 2 and the platform’s 10th anniversary. Free RSVPs are available now.