Tuesday, August 17 2010

Breakbeat Tuesday – Call Me Ishmael

I’ve been collecting records for a long time now and have amassed a pretty sizable collection at this point. Currently I own approximately over 15,000 records, across genres and formats, and it’s spread out over my apartment here in Brooklyn, my storage space about 2 blocks away, and the basement of my mom’s house in Philly. Thankfully my mom has put up with my obsession, as well as my wife – who actually encourages me to have vinyl in the house (she finds it aesthetically pleasing.) Truth be told, when we moved into our new home last year, I put all the rest of my vinyl into storage but around January or February of this year I started pulling pieces because honestly, as a DJ, my house just felt naked without any black wax around. Here’s a photo of what my house USED to look like (just a slight angle…) from an piece called Dust & Grooves that my man Elion Paz did in early 2009.

Also, thanks to this guy, I’ve sort of rediscovered the unparalleled joy of playing vinyl in my DJ sets. Please, do not get me wrong – I LOVE Serato, I swear by it actually. I use it predominantly for my sets, and it has opened new doors for me both creatively and professionally. But there’s nothing like “that real thing” know what I’m saying? And the funny thing is that over the past 6 months I’ve been on a wild vinyl-buying binge and it’s felt great! And I’ve bought shit from flea markets, “boutique digger” shops, second hand stores, personal collections, eBay, Discogs, even the back of a pet store (that’s another story for another time.) I’ve spent cents on the dollar for spectacular finds, as well as having spent over 4 figures for one piece. All in the game, and I accept that.

So there’s a lot that I have, and a lot that I don’t have, but I’m always on the come-up. But there are a few joints out there that are super elusive to me. They don’t have to even be that rare, they just don’t cross my path, my own personal record “white whales” so to speak. This is one of them, that I don’t have, and am waiting for the day I actually have a copy of this 45 in my hand. It’s the thunderous “Hey Joyce” by Lou Courtney. Courtney hails from Buffalo, NY (Caps I see you) and was a one-time member of The Fifth Dimension. He came out with this record on Pop-Side in 1967 and it’s a stomper. A real heavy break beat as you will hear, and some amazing vocal work by Mr. Courtney over production one one-time Funk Brother Robert Bateman. I first got hip to this record when I heard it used on Main Source’s “Breaking Atoms” and then about a decade later it again rose to prominence for being used in the DJ Shadow / Cut Chemist 45. But this record rises above all… and I STILL DON’T HAVE IT. I need it. I want it. I’ve played the MP3 from California to Moscow (where it got an incredible response actually) but nothing beats having the actual vinyl.

So THERE YOU HAVE IT, folks. Cosmo DOES NOT have everything. There are fractures in the armor appearing. The man with all the goods cannot seem to get one of the most pedestrian wants added to his collection (I know “pedestrian” is relative but… )So I’m going to creep over to a corner and sulk, letting my head drop. And then I will raise my fist to the sky, shaking my head while tears or anger form in my eyes as I exclaim “I’ll follow him around the Horn, and around the Norway maelstrom, and around perdition’s flames before I give him up!” I will not give up on you yet, leviathan of a 45. I will find you yet, and have my revenge… You damned White Whale of a funk 45 hahahh….

Lou Courtney “Hey Joyce” (Pop-Side, 1967)