Crate Digging In Rotterdam - Demon Fuzz Records

Go to www.demonfuzz.com to access their online store.

Click below to download two minute long samples of Demon Fuzz's Dutch Breaks 'Nou Break Mijn Klomp':

Demon Fuzz - Wie Weet 't Geheim
Demon Fuzz - Het Is Weer Tijd

All photos by Erick Wicaksono & Ffonz

Vinyl is dead. We’ve all heard that before ever since the 8-track cassette player was introduced in the early 1970s. This familiar slogan was touted once again after the advent of the compact disk and with the digital music revolution in place; the record is once again supposedly on its death bed. As digital music is knocking hard on the door of compact discs in terms of number of sales, many predict the physical copy of music to be near extinct.

Yet vinyl-only record stores seem to have stood the test of time in most Western societies and sales of vinyl have steadily increased as many more musicians other than the wax conscious indie rock, hip-hop, and jazz artists have added either 12” albums or 7” singles releases to their music. While many may argue that the crippling economic crisis may put an end to the independent record store as we know it, at least one store specializing in vinyl records in Rotterdam is going from strength to strength in its conquest to keep providing the vinyl junkies a steady fix.

Having been introduced to this store by Stones Throw’s Egon, I was lucky enough to chat with Michael Engelaan and Erwin W. Zimmerman (better known as DJ Git Hyper) , the two brains behind Demon Fuzz and got a glimpse into the workings of this establishment as well as how they see the future pan out for the store in specific and the vinyl loving fan in general.

Whilst Michael and Erwin with the assistance of their sidekick Alex Dahlhaus opened the Demon Fuzz Record Store in 1998, their record selling history goes way back to the late eighties when the pair sold records from their apartment by request and built a hefty arsenal of records and a steady income to fund a physical store on the hip Nieuwbinnenweg in the centre of Rotterdam (number 86 to be precise). In less than 10 years with only word-of-mouth as the main marketing tool and eBay as their online store provider, Demon Fuzz would be a reference point for countless muzos searching for quality records in Holland ranging from George Clinton, Large Professor, Madlib, Kid Koala, Soulwax, Carlos Santana, Chuck D, Idris Muhammad and their ilk as well as selling records ranging from a single Euro to a couple of hundred a pop.

Taking a look at the labyrinth of records available throughout the store (including the basement, back storage and mini office) tells me exactly why the store has the reputation in the city. And because we're such nice people, here’s a simple tour around the cluttered and clausterphobic library of records for your pleasure:

Main Store

Like the name suggests, this is the main area of the store for punters to dig for brand new and second hand 12 inch LPs and singles as well as 7 inch 45s. As the records are categorized by genre and artists within the genre, finding records here is easy as it is overwhelming. The store caters to Grime, Electro, House, Dub, New Wave, Punk, Metal, Psychadelia, Prog Rock and your bog standard Rock/Pop heads but Jazz, Soul, Funk, Disco and Hip-Hop is the main staple of the store and offers various kinds of options for crate diggers with Hip-Hop, Breakbeats, Disco, Funk, New Funk, Jazz, Blue Note Jazz, Soul, Modern Soul and 'As Sampled By crates' to dig from. 12” albums range from a single Euro (Rp. 15,000) for your average Simon & Garfunkel or Blondie album and stretches to around €15-€30 (Rp. 300,000 - Rp. 450,000) for any other specialized genre and €5-€10 for singles (12 inch or 7). In addition, the New Arrivals section which greets you as you enter the store is added to daily and offers new as well as second hand vinyl.

The Basement

Any records you can’t find in the main area would most likely be available in the basement. Ask for the absent record you’re pining for and watch the person you asked disappear into the basement in search for it. Records here are alphabetically sorted with prices reaching a few hundred Euros (a couple of million Rupiahs) serving wax ranging from obscure long forgotten records to sugar coated pop which doesn’t fit the main store or are too pricey to leave on display.

The Producer’s Room

This room within the basement is where the obscurest records are stocked and as the name indicates is where record producers would dig loops and samples. It contains mostly rare UK, US and European breaks, Bolly and Hollywood soundtracks, Dutch Funk, Jazz and Breakbeats to name a few.

The Backroom & Office

Any records that won’t fit into the main store would end up in this huge backroom storage and adjoining small office.

Whilst not busy with Demon Fuzz, the 3 guys are preoccupied with other side projects: Michael runs a vintage footwear store in the same neighborhood (www.vintagefootwear.nl), DJ Git Hyper deejays for various local Hip-Hop groups (Rotterdam's Duvel Duvel is a prime example) and Alex with his graphic design projects. Demon Fuzz's up and coming new website is their main goal at the moment though and with its imminent launch, be sure to check out Footurama for updates on the new look www.demonfuzz.com and their brand new online store in the coming months.