For International Record Store Day I caught up with Cool Chris, owner and manager of San Francisco's notorious Groove Merchant Records shop. Taking a tip from a recent Whatimseeing tribute, I biked over with my partner in crime to the infamous Lower Haight destination. The Groove Merchant is nestled among the richly colored Victorian buildings with a surprisingly unassuming appearance. One dollar milk crates and a sun drenched "bought and sold" street sign beckon passerbys who might otherwise miss the simply painted "records" in bubbly letters on the facade. Nonetheless, what awaits inside is nothing short of a mecca for seekers of the most killer black crack.
Producers and collectors of rare vinyl across the globe know this nook chock full of obscure hiphop, disco, psych, soul, funk, and Latin donuts. Trading, buying, selling, and shooting the shit, Groove Merchant Records is a loud marketplace for digging wanderlust.
Chris takes us on a trip down memory lane recounting the history of Groove Merchant Records and how he became involved. We then discuss the internet's increasing impact on local record stores, the many tensions developing in the battle between vinyl and digital music, and finally, the much argued over beginnings of hiphop on wax. Listen to the insight only possible from an expert 15 years deep in the bizness.
This interview was part of the inaugural celebration for our first Sanguine Sunday Radio broadcast on Pirate Cat Radio 87.9fm, the largest independent and community radio station in all of San Francisco! Our tenth episode, "Rapper's Delight", was an exploration and breakdown of the roots of hiphop on wax from 1979 and on.
Unfortunately, we're having some technical difficulties translating the show into mp3 format, but if you were lucky enough to hear us live, shout us out! Tune in every Saturday 8-10pm, stream live online, or peep the Sang Sun Radio website for archived podcasts (yes!).
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