Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting

Record collector and photographer Eilon Paz began this extensive project, Dust & Grooves, as a way to document passionate vinyl album collectors within their most natural environments—their record rooms. For almost six years, Paz has traveled across America and throughout the world to locate some of the most enthusiastic collectors and their most extensive collections. The artist describes his subjects as "people like you and me who are doing amazing work by collecting and archiving music. They're saving our heritage in a way."

His series of photographs, now a 416-page book entitled Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting, offers an intimate glimpse into the world of these music connoisseurs. In one collection, shelves bend at the center from the weight of the vinyl; in another, the records are stored alphabetically in boxes; while still another features albums organized in a colorful rainbow sequence.

"You collect these things, these musical artifacts that have so much impact on you," says Paz, "It becomes something of a habit but music is just pure passion that changes your life. If it stays there on the shelf, yeah, you can say this was my first record, I was naive. Or I like pop music and then suddenly metal. What happened there? If they stay there they can tell your story like milestones in your life."

Dom Servini – London, UK

Seatrain – Watch
Michael Longo – 900 Shares of the Blues

“Doing a bit of vinyl surgery in my record room. Watch is a jazz-rock record. The track ‘Flute Thing’ was famously sampled by The Beastie Boys in ‘Flute Loop.’ It also has a mesmerizing cover. Michael Longo’s 900 Shares of the Blues not only contains the fusion classic ‘Like a Thief in the Night’ but also a far better goatee than I’ve ever managed to pull off!”

Philip Osey Kojo – Mampong, Ghana

In January 2011 I traveled to Ghana to document a diging trip with Frank Gossner of Voodoo Funk. We met Philip Osei Kojo, an 80 year old man from Mampong who offered us to come to his house and take a look at his records which he did not listen to for the past 30 years just because he could not fix his record player. The first time we played the record was an unexpected emotional surprise, for him and for us.

Alessandro Benedetti – Monsummano Terme, Italy

Alessandro holds the Guinness World Record for largest collection of colored vinyl records. Pictured here at home with his father Marinello, Alessandro is holding a mirrored vinyl copy of Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon. Above the duo are trophies that Alessandro won playing Subbuteo, a miniature football game.

Bob Mays – Detroit, MI

The legendary record dealer at home rifling through his favorite hillbilly 7-inches.

More: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/eilon-paz-dust-and-grooves?context=tag-photo

More: http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/a-window-into-a-persons-entire-life-we-interview-the-man-who-photographs-the-worlds-greatest-record-collections/

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