Reckless Records

Woebot

Well-known member
Its a sad tale of our times!

Reckless were an institution along the same scale in London as that other venerable empire the Music and Video Exchange. Unlike MVE they maybe even had a less cynical exploitative approach to culture (it's true isnt it?)

Reckless put out stuff by Mu and The Bevis Frond even Henry Kaiser (a few Prog oddities for you). I can't seem to find any photos of the records online, but it shows they must have been bursting with some kind of enthusiasm for being a shop.

The people who work in their stores (especially the Dance Shops in Islington and Soho) are serious experts.

Anyway I noted here the other week that high rents have forced them to shut their Islington branch and I was horrified to discover recently that the Camden branch is to shut soon as well. Thats hardly been open very long and was slowly becoming a bit of a favourite, it suffered by being a little too far down the high street (off the beaten track) but the Islington store was in many ways THEE CENTRAL LOCATION in Islington. It's closure has left a real hole in my perception of that neighbourhood.

My friend Fred is the manager of the Rock store in Soho. I ought to ask him what the future of this shop is. It's a damn shame!
 

Diggedy Derek

Stray Dog
Yes, Reckless' approach would seem less cynical than MVE's. MVE is a "buy everything poor people are selling and flog to rich hipsters approach"; they essentially make money by buying records off people no longer part of a particular scene and selling them to people who are still in it (or just entering it, eg selling to Americans who are just getting into DnB). Reckless are rather more discerning, they're prices aren't as insulting really.

Not that there's anything malicious about MVE, it's just fairly hard nosed capitalism in action.
 

mms

sometimes
Diggedy Derek said:
Yes, Reckless' approach would seem less cynical than MVE's. MVE is a "buy everything poor people are selling and flog to rich hipsters approach"; they essentially make money by buying records off people no longer part of a particular scene and selling them to people who are still in it (or just entering it, eg selling to Americans who are just getting into DnB). Reckless are rather more discerning, they're prices aren't as insulting really.

Not that there's anything malicious about MVE, it's just fairly hard nosed capitalism in action.

we used to call he mve in berwick street, the swamp or somesuch name the guys behind the counter were not impressed, ever.
no one wants these we can't sell em we've got loads of these...
but london ..
records are the first to go cheap - the place is oversaturated ..
reckless aren't much better nodays ' i ain't seen this before, i seen it in the book but i can't really say..
 
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