Having come of age to a walkman-delivered soundtrack of golden-era hip hop jams I’m a sucker for the romance and mythology of New York city. My own time record shopping there was an all too brief period in 2007 and I’ve been itchy to get back ever since. The following look at some of NY’s lesser-documented digging spots, contributed (again!) by Noise In My Head’s Michael K hasn’t helped. A libation of gratitude to him.

New York City – the big smoke. The birthplace of hip hop and disco and many booming generations of DJ culture. A great spot for you and thousands of record buyers. Things get competitive and shops have a fast turnaround. If you’re looking for a digger’s guide, the comprehensive breakdown over at Discogs’ International Record Store Index is an essential starting point. Though on a recent trip I observed that this is getting a little outdated so here’s a walk-through of some new or neglected second hand dealers. I’m again avoiding covering the A1 and Academy institutions as they’ve been documented so many times before. However, they’re still worth hitting daily!

I never walk out of this East Village spot empty handed. Ideal for buyers of soul, jazz, disco and hip hop, with splatterings of soundtracks, latin, rock, libraries etc. Crammed dollar bins beneath the racks. Scored a Brazilian lazy disco LP while my wingman filled a bag of soul LPs for practically donuts.

They have a sister store in Jersey which I’m yet to visit but some of the records warehoused here are listed on their discogs profile  (if there’s anything of interest they’ll apparently send it over to this East Village location). Barely a block away from Academy (415 East 12th St) which never disappoints.

 Big City Records, 521 E 12th St, Manhattan, NY 10009

One of the many tightly clustered spots on E 5th St, Good Records is always well stocked with secondhand jazz, rock, soul, disco, rap, house, latin, reggae, blues, folk and soundtrack LPs, 12″s and 45s. Top rarities behind the counter too.

The owner was once clearing a stash of sealed Bob Chance – It’s Broken originals and must either frequently travel to the African continent or have a great hookup there because he’s always dealing premium highlife, afrobeat and obscure Nigerian/Ghanan boogie titles on eBay. I had a nice bump into psych-hip hop MC/DJ Edan who was having some luck scouring the racks on a sunny afternoon.

Good Records, 218 E 5th St, Manhattan, NY 10003

Feel constant positive vibrations at Tropicalia In Furs. The staff always seem to be having a good time, blaring music and having a laugh out back. Predominately a Brazilian specialty store with a healthy serving of other genres. A pretty overstimulating space with orange walls coated with records, including a cool display of sleeves designs based around the image of an eye.

Tropicalia In Furs is a treasure trove of 60s/70s/80s Brazilian funk, folk, revolutionary rock and bossa nova. Sadly these aren’t cheap and often in rough condition, but this is not indicative of the whole store. Worth going for a rummage as there’s something in there for everyone.

 I also highly recommend walking across the road to Gimme Gimme Records (325 East 5th St). The owner teaches piano in the building so its only open Fri-Sun. While the hours didn’t work out for me this time around, I’ve had golden runs here in the past.

Tropicalia In Furs, 304 East 5th Street, Manhattan, NY 10003

Prices are perhaps marked for their Japanese collector market which is a little disheartening given the city’s large Jamaican population and NY’s close proximity to Jamaica and the UK, but deeper diggers are destined to uncover some gaps here. I’m surveying the non-purist disco reggae sound at the moment so at least walked out with a free knowledge expansion. Worth checking out if you’re in the neighbourhood eating dumplings. The crew also run regular parties at a bar around the corner called Happy Ending.

 Deadly Dragon Sound, 102 Forsyth St # B, Manhattan, NY 10002

Hot tip from Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control. Not sure how I’ve missed this spot during previous visits but it’s been open since 2009. Run by two former managers of Academy Records, CO-OP 87 has an amazing selection of new and used across the board.

You’d expect it to be well picked over considering its Greenpoint location, but this is hardly the case – regularly flushed with enough new arrivals to go round. A massive offering of disco singles (no junk, just the icing!), reasonable prices, tempting wall relics and a tonne of dollar bits out the front. Hauled some great dancefloor 12″s and some $4 soft rock LPs. Staff had a positive attitude. Wishing this was my local!

CO-OP 87, Guernsey St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Loaded with cheap staples, Record Grouch is the ideal place to affordably start a collection from scratch. Close to the infamous Thing (1001 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222) and also Permanent Records (181 Franklin Street  Brooklyn, NY 11222).

Record Grouch, 986 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222