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First off, our sincerest apologies for the extremely poor quality of the descriptive paragraphs for the releases lately. We have been trying to move at a bit quicker pace to help grow things, and well, something's gotta give! Rest assured though, we will be back to insulting your favorite producers in no time. In the meantime, know that we highly pre-screen the records we stock, I can assure you the percentage of crap in the store is much lower then any other shop in the land, so trust the audio clips. The crap that is there is because we entertain a high level of the knucklehead contingent, and unfortunately with this breed when you starve them, they do not seek other nourishment (dope records), what they do is begin to eat their own arms. We could try starving them and I am sure you would see a lot more one-armed handstands at the Shelter, but somehow I fear we may be held legally responsible, and since we have no loot they may take my arms as retribution and then I wouldn't be able to type the descriptive paragraphs for the releases and we would find ourselves back at point zero. I guess sometimes a solution cannot be as easy as one thought.
OK secondly, shout out and the utmost respect to Charlie & the crew at Vinylmania! They closed the last store on Carmine St. last Saturday after holding down the fort for almost 30 years!!! We would not be doing what we are doing without people like him, so hats off. I can assure you your spirit and mission will live on for many centuries to come, once you infect their blood, your legacy is secure; and their are thousands running around with blood Vinylmania reactive! Congratulations!! I believe vinylmania.com will be up soon, so watch out for that. ("Paul, what are you stupid you say, why are you promoting another site on your own site?" Well, the jokes on you, I say! I fucking hate this website crap, come into the store -- feel what you are about to buy -- if enough of you do that we can take this stupid site down and a bit of the mystique that used to be New York can be restored.)
This does pose a whole other question though, and I know how to rationalize it in only one way. At what point did 'good enough' become accepted by the majority? Really, does anyone listen anymore? Does anyone demand what is fundamentally owed to them, the best that is humanly possibly? I have had a million conversations about this, probably about 700,000 of those with myself, but how can you not hear the difference, feel the difference? Feel the difference, hear the difference of what you ask? EVERYTHING. How can you allow your house to be full of Ikea, it is shaky, how is this acceptable to you? Is this shakiness a mirror of your own uncertainties of yourselves? Why do you not demand something solid, strong, with character? Have you been completely reconditioned to believe this is you? Have you forgotten about original thought in the name of easy come? If so, I pity you because as they say 'easy come, easy go'. Yes, these are dark times, I agree -- it is a world driven by greed, but ask yourself, when was it not? It was a world driven by greed 400 years ago when Columbus stole America and it was a world driven by greed and fear 1,692 years before that when Pilate sentenced Christ to be hung. It is only darker now because no one chooses to light the way. Within your heart and mind exists an internal light --- yes, they have gone in and put an old 100 watt light bulb in place of what was once illuminated by candlelight and by doing this they have led you to believe that what looks ok, is ok --- however, you know that this is not the case, visual presentation is external only. What is underneath, below the veil?
I say all this because I think about it often but also because it ties into the closing of Vinylmania, why is there a decline in vinyl sales? And I think it is because of the acceptance but not embrace of 'good enough'. This is evident in every aspect of music, from the quality of the musicianship and production to the actual sound quality. We accept it because we hold onto the nostalgia of when it was actually 'dope' but do not embrace it wholeheartedly because it is only 'good enough'. And by not embracing it wholeheartedly we do not allow it to really be alive, in the sense of a life force that can grow and give and expound faith and hope. Yes, you know there is something missing but can't put your finger on it, I mean visually everything looks right but their is something absent in the air. That which is absent is sincerity, spirit - a fullness that is not attained by someone sitting in front of a laptop playing mp3's while instant messaging their fans in Tokyo. There exists a fullness, a spirit I once felt 8 years ago on the floor of 6 Hubert St. with the lights nonexistent and Francois K. playing the VINYL test pressing of Ananda Project's "Cascades Of Colour". Ask yourself, why do you not demand that? Go home, take your favorite record, burn a cd of it and then create an MP3 and then close your eyes and see when you are shrouded by magick. I think we all know when the air will be thick with purple dust...is 'good enough' still what you seek?
In other news to those in NY, Bjork tickets go on sale on the 28th, feel free to pay for your records with tickets to any of the NYC shows :) Maybe we should corral all the soon to be one-armed knuckleheads to one of the shows and they can do the wave to 'Violently Happy' and shout for the 'MAW' version.
In closing, here is the latest chart from Joe Claussell, you know that guy who puts himself out by carrying around all those heavy record boxes to gigs..
JOE CLAUSSELL'S SACRED RHYTHM MARCH TOP 19
1. Kraak & Smaak - No Sun In The Sky (Henrik Schwarz Mix)
2. Joe Claussell - TCETORP 3.3 – CODE 213 - disk 2 revealed of Translate Series (Sacred Rhythm)
3. Danton EPROM - Wings Of Death (I'm Fine Music)
4. Jephte Guillaume Feat: Erol Josef (CDR)
5. Afrikan Basement - Afrikan Basement (Pan Left Distribution)
6. Mari Boine - Vuoi Vuoi Me (Henrik Schwarz Mix)
7. Cesaria Evora / Joe Claussell (CDR)
8. David Byrne - Big Business (slow to speak Interpretation)
9. Somi - Afrikan Woman - Sacred Rhythm Music
10. Steve Poindexter - Maniac [Area's Lost Meaning Version] (Mathematics)
11. Joi - Gentle Rain (Sacred Rhythm Version) Sacred Rhythm Music
13. Kaoru Inoue - The Sacred Field (Seeds and Ground)
14. Bryan Lynch / Kuniyuki (CDR)
15. Peven Everett - Put Your Back Into It (Unified Records)
16. Harkala Tunay - Wonderland (Trip Elect Music)
17. Gas -Nach 1912 (Kompakt)
18. Marlon D - Miracle (CDR)
19. Amelio Dagras - Weeds - (Radiance)
20. Ayo - Down On My Knees (The Hallucinated Tripped Out LSD Soul Feast Dubbb) CDR
Always Forward.
NEW CD's
| MANUEL GOTTSCHING "E2-E4" |
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Price: $21.99
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| SLOW TO SPEAK "MIS.INFORMATION:ORGANIZED CONTRADICTIONS" |
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Price: $14.99
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| SCION "BASIC CHANNEL" |
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Price: $20.99
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NEW 12"s
RE-ISSUE 12"s
| HARRY WHITAKER "BLACK RENAISSANCE |
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Price: $24.99
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| CYMANDE "ARRIVAL" |
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Price: $17.99
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| CLOUD ONE "FUNKY TRACKS OF CLOUD ONE" |
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Price: $17.99
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ORIGINAL 12"s
| R-TYME "USE ME" |
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Price: $8.99
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| MARIE ST. JAMES "CLOSER I GET" |
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Price: $8.99
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| MODAJI "OUTBOARD JEOPARDY" |
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Price: $11.99
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INTERVIEW
