It’s virtually impossible to leave with empty hands. The operation in Windy City runs since 1988 and it’s always been one of the best places to visit regardless of your personal taste. Well, this one is its North American extension in Chicago. I posted about Reckless store in London’s Soho a some time back. ![]() Definitely on my map for multiple return visits. Both owners, Peter and Nuntida (as well as their very cute dog whose name I forgot) are super nice and chatty. The store also sells an interesting selection of vintage hi-fi equipment, curated selection of comics and even mid-century modern lamps. Also spotted a number of great ethnic compendiums on Nonesuch Explorer and Folkways in the World bins, but ran out of battery juice to commemorate those finds with the photos. If like me you prefer your Davis with a bit of surface noise. There were also more popular items like well-loved vintage Coltranes (both) and Miles Davis pressings of Sketches Of Spain, Bitches Brew and On The Corner. Also few plates of Japanese hard bop, overlooked debut by German pianist Heinee Stadler featuring Barre Philips and Manfred Schoof and Enrico Rava’s brass abstractions. Some nice Swedish oddities - new age boogie “Triangulus” and multi-genre library thingy in Opus’s Test Record series. OG pressings of Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra classics, a few hard-to-find Dave Holland late 80s and early 90s entries on ECM, glorious free racket from French Acting Trio, more polite free racket by Archie Shepp and Don Pullen + Sam Rivers. As you can see from the picks above pretty rich on jazz selection. There’s lots of open space between the buildings and it looked nice with all the fall colours and downtown Chicago in the background. Getting there you’d drive through the brutalist-looking campus of University of Illinois in Chicago. So, expect a lot of delicious snacking options, especially if you come towards the end of the working day or on weekends. Formerly Czech immigrants’ neighbourhood, but now has more Mexican flavours going. Located in Chicago’s rapidly gentrifying Pilsen. Don’t remember where I found it in the store and I’m imagining it was meant as a demo thingy, but it’s one of the most compelling electronic library records I’ve heard in a while. Oh and I’m forgetting the very odd private press entitled “The Incredible Sounds of Synclavier II”. ![]() The only things that I picked out are one of Globe Unity’s OG pressings on FMP, Art Ensemble of Chicago’s debut on ECM and Robert Wood’s ‘Tarot’. Jazz area is extensive, but focused on big names for the most part. Lots of KMP and Bruton Music collections. Endless Summer OST and lots of original Italian soundtracks. Daniel Lentz’s gorgeous Missa Umbrarum in a mint condition to replace my rickety copy, inaugural release on the great Opus One, a great Berio collection, a few interesting and still cheap CRI items, some Partch-related projects… Soundtracks and library bins looked great as well. I found a few worthwhile albums in modern composition section. Selection is on point, especially if you only start collecting, but a bit more modest when it comes to deeper catalogues and rare specimens. Not a given even with the best digging locations around the world, which frequently look like firetrap dumps. Over the years and with a few renovations this store has become a pleasant, clean and well-organised space to visit. Seemingly the only Eastern European flavour that’s left are a few pierogies places and Chopin Theatre nearby, but I’ll explore this area more next time. Their physical store wasn’t a regularly-opened operation until 00s and this spot on N Ashland avenue in the former working class Polish-Ukrainian neighbourhood of East Village is Dusty Groove’s location since 2001. The wild days of early Amazon and GeoCities. They are actually one of the first e-com businesses to pop up in the mid-1990s. ![]() I’ll start this vinyl travelogue of Windy City with Dusty Groove. Chicago is one of my favourite cities to dig in.
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