Record Collector’s Dreams

Picture taken from the KUSF Rock N’ Swap 4/3/05

Bola Sete: “Bettina”
From Workin’ On A Groovy Thing [Paramount, 1971]

Aswad: “Dub Fire”
From A New Chapter of Dub [Mango, 1982]

I found myself waking up at 4:30 this morning, which was technically 3:30 because of daylight savings, to go to the KUSF record swap, a record show that’s held every 3 months at the University of San Francisco. I haven’t been to one in over 6 months due to a combination of lack of finances and scheduling conflicts, but for those that have never been to a record show let me just say that they can be pretty intense. We’re talking about a room full of record collectors; obsessive compulsive people searching for hundreds, often thousands of records to file in their Ikea Expedits, all in hopes of slowly filling voids in their lives, and feeling better about themselves and their hobby. Yes I am one of these people and this is what we do.

Now I’ve only been to a handful of these things, and the last one I went to was absolutely no holds barred. The serious collectors will arrive at 5:30 in the morning and pay an extra $15 to get first dibs on the records. As dealers set up shop, dudes will stalk them ilke vultures waiting for the instant they open up their crates to the public when people make a mad dash, pushing and shoving their way to the front so they can get the pick of the litter. Nothing hurts more than watching somebody pull a killer record right before your eyes, and nothing feels better than finding that one you’ve been searching for for months, even years. In a way it’s kind of like survival of the fittest, if you catch my drift.

But this is what makes us who we are. We thrive on the thrill of the hunt; the idea that all of these records await us somewhere out there for us to find. It’s an epic game of cat and mouse. Road runner vs. coyote. We hope someday we’ll win, but deep down we wish the hunt never ends.

Here are the pieces I picked up today. Nothing major, but I’ve been looking for the Johnny Hammond and Curtis Mayfield for a bit. Scored a nice stack of hip hop as well. Apparently there were shows in Austin and Pasadena this weekend as well so the dealer turnout was only about 50% of usual, and the scene definitely wasn’t as chaotic as I’ve seen in the past. I’m still glad I went though, cause I love records.

Just a couple of random audio selections from my stack. Bola Sete’s “Bettina” which was sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, and Aswad’s “Dub Fire,” off their superb dub album A New Chapter Of Dub. Listen. Enjoy.

Curtis Mayfield: Curtis
Johnny Hammond: Gears
Bola Sete: Workin’ On A Groovy Thing”
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: From South Africa to South Carolina
Aswad: A New Chapter In Dub
Clifton Chenier: Bogalusa Boogie

Grand Puba: Reel to Reel
Steady B: Let the Hustlers Play
Eightball & MJG: On Top Of The World
Showbiz & AG: Goodfellas (not really sure if this is an OG but it was $3 nonetheless)
DJ Quik: Rhythm-al-ism
De La Soul: “Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa b/w Keepin’ the Faith”
Bad Azz: “We Be Puttin’ It Down”
Ghostface: “One b/w Saturday Night”
Group Home: “Tha Realness b/w Suspended in Time”
Pete Rock: “Tru Master”