A strangely enticing community of outcasts, rogue adventurers and veteran music obsessors make their home in this bizarre yet beautiful amalgamation.
From the majestic foothills of the Catskill Mountains to the polluted canals of Brooklyn, Preserved Instincts is the roving record emporium turned communal event born out of the ashes of the storied Dope Jams shop in Bed-Stuy. From monthly gatherings at Public Records to the annual summer camp in Oak Hill, the mission is simply to BE FREE!
“Dope Jams know how to throw a sweaty, no-frills, no-bullshit fun-as-fuck dance party. I wound up at one late last year already at a full lather, the room dark save for washes of flickering lights. A half-dozen friends and I entered and immediately started to move, immersed in the deepest waters of deep house. For hours, the dj’s whiplashed their heads from the vantage of the store’s in-house DJ booth, gauging the crowd and grinning maniacally as they levitated the party at will. And we had to keep moving, well into the witching hours of the night.
By day, the magick items the shop stocked seem downright cheesy: Nag Champa incense that infused your clothes, skulls that held candles, Crowley books. But at this hour, these items become decidedly more sinister, this dance now turning into a ritual. It’s a heavy realization to have. And right around 3 am, right when our energies began to lag and the door out onto the street beckoned, they built up the room’s intensity to a pitch before breaking into an old-school hip-hop set with The Jungle Brothers and De La Soul. It was refreshing after so much mysterious, amazing music. But they then went straight to the pleasure zones: “Crazy in Love,” “Promiscuous,” “Rump Shaker,” “Jingling Baby.” It was a glorious payoff, a serotonin rush to beleaguered dancers, and one of the finest nights out in the city.”
Andy Beta, MTV
FOREST FINDS by Paul Nickerson for Love Injection
A new monthly column from Dope Jams' Paul Nickerson. Tune in as he reports on the goods from the woods direct from his Wonka-esque parkland 'Locust Grove' in the Catskill Mountains - home to a nightclub, THE CREAMERY; a record shop, DOPE JAMS; a campground, CAMP GALLAGHER; and his 40,000 plus record collection.
From the confines of the temperature controlled West Oak Hill headquarters we have been adding a large selection of used 12”s and LP’s to our Discogs shop. Classic Rock to Classic House!
After a long hiatus from his world of Edits & Overdubs, Joaquin Joe Claussell brings you this Limited Edition 12" sampler taken from the forthcoming Joe Claussell "Praise" 6xLP box set. Joe raids the vaults of the legendary Savoy Records, the Strictly Rhythm of Gospel music! On the A-Side he takes the mid-tempo stomper 'So Much to Live For' by Myrna Summers and invokes the holy ghost, fortifying the drums and rearranging the vocals so you are left humming the chorus long after it has ended. The hook 'So Much to Live For' in itself sums up all of the 'Praise' series, a cry to instill hope and meaning in what is often perceived as the mundane of daily life. On the flip is a previously unreleased Joe Claussell take of 'Jerusalem' by Bishop Jeff Banks. Here the sermon takes off right from the jump, a floor filling call and response four to the floor version finished in classic Claussell style. Wailing organs, driving percussion and vocals that will make you want to jump out of your skin. Both sides cut LOUD at 45RPM! One press and gone forever.