Right now Cornell and Johan Kugelberg  are archiving Afrika Bambaataa’s amazing record collection of over 41,000 records.  At the Gavin Brown Gallery on Greenwich St in NYC. DJ’s spin records and volunteers help to sort through the vinyl. All kinds of music : James Brown Evolution of the Mind, BT Express Does it Feel Good, Brothers Johnson Aint we Funkin’ Now, Salt n Pepa, Gill Scott Heron Midnight Band, Joyce Sims All and All, Stetsasonic,Donna Summer, The Spirit of Atlanta, Cash Money, Sylvester You Make Me feel Might Real, Deon and the Belmonts Live at Madison Square, and so many more.

So cool to pick up the original masters (which look and feel like 78’s) and to see how Bam labelled the records, sometime taping over the song titles so no one could see what he was playing. starring certain tracks, marking and numbering the sleeves and labels.

I first photographed Bam when he came to London in 1982 (above with DST – check the ‘Instamatic’ camera). That show changed my life.