Dust & Grooves: Vinyl Music Culture

Dust & Grooves: Vinyl Music Culture Dust & Grooves is a photography and interview project documenting vinyl collectors in their most nat

It all started out several years ago as nothing more than a way for photographer Eilon Paz to make use of his idle hours. Adrift in Brooklyn after emigrating from Israel, Eilon—a record collector on the side—thought it might be fun to start taking photos of people whose record collections were both larger and weirder than his own. Adopting this as his personal project, he began traveling the world

, from Australia to Cuba and Argentina to Ghana, in pursuit of intriguing and memorable subjects. Unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community, the assembly of portraits he created quickly turned into the Dust & Grooves website. In the summer of 2012, Eilon launched a Kickstarter campaign that funded his road trip to shoot collectors throughout the American heartland, and since then, the project has been embraced by many friends and supporters who have volunteered to work with Eilon along the way. This year, Dust & Grooves expands even further, complementing the website’s cloud with a physical book that profiles over 130 vinyl collectors with photographic essays and in-depth interviews. Dust & Grooves has engaged and connected the underground community of record collectors. As well as becoming a go-to place for vinyl lovers, it maintains the integrity and history of vinyl, as well as the musical heritage that goes along with every record in these collections. As technology moves forward and many music formats go digital, Eilon’s endeavor helps keep the rich, warm, analog life of vinyl spinning.

You Dig? | Issue 09 | Curated by Cut Chemist | Artwork by Brandon CampbellYour monthly fix at the intersection of music,...
04/26/2026

You Dig? | Issue 09 | Curated by Cut Chemist | Artwork by Brandon Campbell

Your monthly fix at the intersection of music, physical media, people, and photography — brought to you by .

Guest curator this month: Cut Chemist (), the turntable king, DJ, and producer known for digging as widely as he does deeply and the host of our upcoming Expert of None listening series. 

Inside: (fave record label) some of his favorite LA digging spots ( Records), top five Latin records in his bag, crazy $1 bin stories, a persisting favorite read by — and loads more.

Cover art by Brandon Campbell Campbell
Intro by .

Issue 09 is now live at dustandgrooves.com — link in bio.

Can You Tell Me Where To Dig on Sesame Street?Dante Candelora has spent years building a collection dedicated entirely t...
04/18/2026

Can You Tell Me Where To Dig on Sesame Street?

Dante Candelora has spent years building a collection dedicated entirely to Sesame Street.

“If you were a Muppet, which one would you be?”
“Bert. He’s smart, like me, and yellow. Yellow is my favorite color.”

“When will you stop collecting?”
“When I find everything.”

Bert, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, The Count. On vinyl!

Full interview by April Greene, originally featured in Dust & Grooves Vol. 1, and an extra funky Sesame Street playlist are now live on the website.

Thank you for the insider connection. 

 created this cool mixtape with some of the tracks that will be featured on the first episode of our Expert of None seri...
04/17/2026

created this cool mixtape with some of the tracks that will be featured on the first episode of our Expert of None series.

From spoken word, classical music, and Leonard Cohen, to Art of Noise, Kid Koala (), and DJ Shadow ().

Expert of None. EP 1: Learning to Listen Through Soundtracks and “Non-Music”

Presented by and

May 3 | 5 PM PDT | Venice, CA

03/25/2026

Can Gospel and House records live in the same bag?

What’s Louise Chen’s all-time favorite movie soundtrack? 🎬
Which jazz record never leaves her bag?
How does she approach compilations — strict themes or total freedom?

From Gospel holy grails to deep House, Louise Chen () shares the records that stay close.

Full interview by Fiona MacPherson-Amador () on the Dust & Grooves website. Link in bio.

Wondering what unexpected record pairings have been working for you lately?

This guy has brought the vinyl community together this past weekend at  LA. Hats off to you Kobi. Great hang, great vend...
03/23/2026

This guy has brought the vinyl community together this past weekend at LA. Hats off to you Kobi. Great hang, great vendors, endless fun and schmoozing, superb DJ lineup and an elevated cocktail bar. What else can ask for ?? See you at VinylCon Brooklyn??

Dust & Grooves is coming to LA this weekend for  2026We’ll be selling our books, with a special 15% discount across the ...
03/21/2026

Dust & Grooves is coming to LA this weekend for 2026
We’ll be selling our books, with a special 15% discount across the board.

Looking forward to a full weekend of digging with some of the West Coast’s best record dealers, and a crazy lineup of DJs and selectors: , , , and many more.

Come say hi, dig, hang out and grab a drink or two specially created by

03/17/2026

| Dust & Grooves HQ
Lee Mason and his Orchestra - Music By Lee Mason
Chappell 1971 / Reissue We Want Sounds 2025

Fantastic British library gem by Lee Mason, just reissued by and recently featured by in our Five Records series.

| Dust & Grooves HQ

Louise Chen – House in the Home“I think stories of music generating more music, and musicians generating more musicians,...
03/14/2026

Louise Chen – House in the Home

“I think stories of music generating more music, and musicians generating more musicians, are always really beautiful to celebrate.”

DJ and collector Louise Chen () shares how her love for house, soul, and rare grooves shaped her path—from organizing the Girls Girls Girls club night in Paris to hosting NTS shows, and inspiring the next generation through curiosity, creativity, and the joy of discovery.

Interview by Fiona MacPherson-Amador ()
Photographs by Eilon Paz ()

Read the full interview on the Dust & Grooves website. Link in bio.

“We hear music every day in the background of our lives, but how often do we actually stop to listen?” That question fro...
03/01/2026

“We hear music every day in the background of our lives, but how often do we actually stop to listen?” That question from The Gaslamp Killer () became the spirit of our Five Records music exploration series—an invitation to slow down, open our ears, and reconnect with the records that truly shape us.

Our final gathering wrapped a week ago, and it’s still resonating. Deep thanks to Only the Wild Ones () and Force of Nature (.la) for hosting us in such a beautiful, intimate environment—and to the entire OTWO team for the care and attention that made each night feel special. Huge appreciation to Heather Tierney for believing in the series from the start to finish, helping make it possible, and to Leah Concialdi () and Jonathan Rudnick () for spreading the word and building the momentum around it. Big shout out to our occasional surprise guests and for the extra layer of creativity and knowledge.

A special thank you as well to for recognizing the importance of the series and supporting it with exclusive stats and insights that added another layer to the conversations.

And of course, endless thank yous and appreciation to GLK—the grand sorcerer—for the incredibly thoughtful deep dive and the many hours of development together with Eilon Paz (), that went into shaping something meaningful, educational, and honestly unforgettable.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who came out, listened deeply, and shared those moments with us. That energy made the series what it was. More soon.

Full series archive on the Dust & Grooves Website.

📸 🎥

Platurn — 45 Is The Magic Number“[Back in Iceland] they had a copy of 3 Feet High And Rising, and my cousin was like, ‘D...
02/06/2026

Platurn — 45 Is The Magic Number

“[Back in Iceland] they had a copy of 3 Feet High And Rising, and my cousin was like, ‘Dude, you gotta hear this.’ We were so young and had grown up on Run DMC and Eric B. & Rakim, so we didn’t know anything that wasn’t relatively mainstream. Hearing it was eye-opening; I could only think how different it sounded from what I knew.”

Today marks 37 years of 3 Feet High And Rising — and Platurn () remembers first hearing De La Soul not in California, but at a youth club in Iceland.

In this new interview, Platurn talks about the Native Tongues shaping his musical worldview, the making of his seminal So This Is De La Heaven mix, and how that deep love for De La Soul ultimately led to founding the 45 Sessions.

From James Brown picture-sleeve 45s to rare Icelandic compilations, Platurn also shares sharp thoughts on vinyl culture, collecting, and why the 7-inch still matters.

Interview by Sam Cohen ()
Photographs by Eilon Paz ()
Edited by Richard Headland ()

Full interview and mixtape on the Dust & Grooves website. Link in bio.

Thank you to everyone who joined Five Records Vol. 3 with The Gaslamp Killer — a deep dive into psych and prog-rock. Rec...
02/04/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined Five Records Vol. 3 with The Gaslamp Killer — a deep dive into psych and prog-rock. Records built to stretch time and rearrange perception.

Big thanks to for guiding the room, and to for the surprise drop-in that shifted the energy in the best way. One of those nights where everything clicks.

One more to go. Five Records Vol. 4 closes the series with Trip Hop. Different tempo, same intention.

See you on Sunday 02/22 at Only the Wild Ones. Venice, CA.

Presented by . Hosted by and .la

📸 🎥

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