After reading the postings on the web for quite a while, I thought it was
about time I joined the list.
Just a bit about me for anyone who cares. Probably like many of you, I
got deeply into the world of funky musics through hip hop. Early albums
on heavy rotation for me were Run DMC's 'Raising Hell' and Trouble Funk's
'Drop the Bomb'. Doing some hip hop production in my hometown of
Melbourne, Australia got me into collecting old funk and jazz records in
search of those elusive breaks. Soon I realised I was enjoying a lot of
this music more than new hip hop. I'm trying to listen to lots of
different stuff now, and at my Friday night club 'Cooking With Gas' at
Sadies Bar in Melbourne, I like to mix up rare old latin, jazz, funk and
disco tunes with the newer sounds of house, techno, hip hop, jungle and
trip hop. Anything with soul.
The two most amazing tunes I have heard recently are an Argentinian ska
version of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
featuring Deborah Harry (yes!) and a nutty version of 'A Love Supreme' by
Dissidenten, a German group fusing classical Indian sounds with
electro-funk, jazz-house and salsa.
To the subject of my posting ... As an aid to perusing the secondhand
shops of Melbourne, I have compiled a priced list of over 1000 rare LPs -
mostly jazz, funk, soul and latin. It's based on catalogs from the sort
of collectors shops that advertise in SNC. Because it's in alphabetical
order, it's much easier than taking those catalogs shopping. It has been
incredibly useful and has led me to many choice albums which I may
otherwise have passed by.
I would be happy to swap copies of my list with people who can provide me
with more of the source material to keep it going, that is, more catalogs
from the mail order shops. I'm particularly after catalogs of rare latin
and brasilian LPs. Anyone who would like to make such a swap, please
e-mail me directly.
Kaman 'don't call me Peter' Tsoi
pkt@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au