Sunday, May 14, 2006

Werewolves of London

saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein
Werewolves of London


Right, so following up on my post about the Dragon Bar, here's a list of the record shops I hit up in Soho and what I was able to find:

1. Sounds of the Universe

Small joint with heavy emphasis on vinyl and three turntables for your listening pleasure. Good number of Hip Hop finds here, though I had to be very conservative as this was my first stop.

2. Scenario

Far and away my local favorite. All Hip Hop and very well layed out. The DJs in the place seem very knowlegeable as well as technically compentent. I ran into two guys at Scenario who I saw later than night at Lock Side Lounge. Great finds here and they have a website.

3. Sister Ray

Largest of the indie shops with a very nice store front. I had already gotten my fill of records to take back with me to the states but wanted to check it out for future reference. Decent Hip Hop selection here.

4. Reckless Records

This place is special. When I first walked in, I didn't see any Hip Hop records so I wandered downstairs following the signs for additional vinyl. Downstairs was a really nice collection of 12"s from blues to jazz to rock and roll. If you are looking for an original issue of something and willing to shell out the bucks, this is your place. I found the Hip Hop section in another building next door and was equally impressed. Again, I had already made my purchases for the trip but this place was definitely well stocked.

So those are four shops I found and really liked. There are others to visit depending on your tastes/genres. For Hip Hop, I solidly recommend Scenario Records. They definitely seemed the most in tune with what I was after. I'll also mention that I wandered into the Virgin Megastore in Soho as well and that they had 5 Technics 1200s all setup and ready to go. The thing was, you needed your own cartridge and headshell which I didn't bring out with me. This would be a fun place to screw around on the decks and maybe even bring in a mixer.

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