spinnin´ around and around... favourite record shops pt.2

Some might say that Amsterdam is the nicest place on earth. Well, to be honest the name "Old Amsterdam" is pretty matching. It´s charming in its old slow and modest way. For a capital city its pace is incredibly slow and the atmosphere calm and chilled. To be honest: after some time it s rather unexiting. Anyway it happens to be the home of one of my favourite record shops. Distortion records is located on the Westerstraat pretty close to one of Amsterdams countless canals. The store follows a very own messy conception and unusual untidy design, a mystery to everyone besides the charming owner and shopcrew. The genre classification is rather individual and changes every once in a while. You might find your favourite record either in one of the unpacked boxes, or thrown down carelessly on the ground. Either way: they have EVERYTHING! the challange is just to find it. How they keep track of whats  where will always remain a riddle to me but I figured out that asking helps a lot and they will immediately get you what you are looking for + provide great new artists that also might float your boat. I just love browsing around there and catch some Vinyl from Kranky Records, Sahel Sound or a nice  Slint bootleg. Bring time and a clear mindset otherwise it migth just throw you off track and confuse you. 
Guess you just gotta love it.... I visit them on a daily base as they are a ten minute walk from my home on the Elisabeth Wolffstraat. The walk there is quite meditative and always a good approach to dampen my daily hate. You probaly won t leave empty handed. 

spinnin´ around and around... favourite record shops

Wherever you may roam a record shop is alwys a good spot to catch a feeling of home and comfort. As they are usually an extension of their owners, they vary in style, interior and genres sold.
Unlike most people I will always prefer a tiny shop with a good selection to Amoeba records (feeling lost and overwhelmed is not my prefered way of shopping records).
Luckily I happened to stumble over some of this shops, that would always offer a good time and great tunes.

Big Tiger Records (Bangkok)
What are you gonna do with a great taste in music and a very limited budget? Exactly: open up a two times three meter big record store in one of the worlds biggest cities. Located in the crazy JJ market in Bangkok Big Tiger Records offers a great selection of Molam, Funk and Worldmusic, that would provide samples for at least 50 years of Wu Tang and MF Doom tracks.
All Thai press so it s always a great suprise. Run by two boys from Bangkok and Hamburg the mix is just insane. They know what they are selling and will definetly keep cool stuff for themselves but  tell you whereelse to get it or play it countless times to make you jelouse. Jan loves to dj for hours ignoring your buying attempts. He wrote a book about traditional thai music. Free beers and fruit, great dancing, good people, portable record players from Japan. This little gem is only open on saturdays, so come early and bring some time to browse the countles boxes in this diy built cabin.

Skin is my second favourite surface

Skin is my second favourite surface. The favourite one is water....

Anyway: Thanks for spending the night.

It´s ok

I got a lot on my back but my shoulders won´t crack. I guess I can take a lot. 

Baby steps to truth

Tell all the truth but tell it slant

 

By Emily Dickinson

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

 

 

Half a fuck!

And I will cut my middle finger off, so I won´t give a fuck ever again.

Random vagina information Pt. 1

Due to its pH-level of 4,5 a healthy vagina is supposed to taste a kind of sour that is somewhere in between a grape and vinegar. So stick two fingers deep in one and give it a shot. Happy healthcare to you....

(art by Caroline Paquita Kern)