When I was eighteen years old I used to walk to a record store in midtown Manhattan called Downtown Records. The store was wide and spacious - every square inch of wall and floor space was cramped with 12" records.Towards the back, past the stacks of creates on the floor and through one of the skinny isles was a small dimly lite room. Opening the door, I vividly remember smelling the intoxicating aroma of insents and feeling the base in my chest from the two club speakers hanging from the corners of the room.
Looking at the records on the walls you could grab whatever tracks you wanted to hear and have them played over the sound system. Frankie a regular staple of the place, always stood behind the DJ booth bobbing his head enthusiastically as he mixed the music. Interestingly enough Frankie never wore headphones - he just mixed on the fly which is not an easy task. If you liked the track you bought it, if not, you motioned that you were "not feeling it". Keep in mind the music was always bumping loud as hell in there! Communication more often that not was non-verbal.
I remember record shopping being an emotional experience that I enjoyed greatly. The sights, the sounds, the smells. How much money was I going to spend. What genre or sound should I add to the collection. What was that track I heard on the radio.
Unfortunately the record shops are a dying a breed since the birth of online commerce. Enter, DJDOWNLOAD.COM the 21st century version of record shopping. On the site you can conveniently preview new music, add it to your cart, purchase and download.
I grabbed up a bunch of imported dance music for about $2.00 a song, which back in the 90's would have cost upwards of $100 bucks. The music may be cheap, easy to find and even easier to buy but the experience is far less exciting.
It has been years since I have bought some proper underground sounds. Slightly reluctant, I gave in and bought a handful of new tracks. Without further delay, I invite you to TUNE-IN to hear the new mix.
This mix is comprised of Electro, Vocal and Deep House music. I welcome your feedback!!
