Profile

This skinny, gear-packed store provides a one-stop source for aspiring and professional D.J.s, supplying basic equipment, high-tech add-ons, and accessories. Although the selection isn’t plentiful, the brands are legit, with basics like Korg drum machines, Edirol keyboards, Numark mixers, Akai MPCs for sampling, and, of course, Technics turntables filling glass cases near the entryway. Accouterments for the working D.J. flank the register, ranging from technical wares, like high-end, noise-canceling headphones and Reason music-production software, to nylon vinyl and turntable bags piled unceremoniously on the floor. Spinners and collectors can appreciate the small, eclectic vinyl collection of boutique labels like Stones Throw Records and DFA, as well as genre-based sections fit to carry any party, including baile-funk, Baltimore club music, and Miami booty bass. Sparse shelves of D.J. Qbert’s how-to DVDs, crate-digging documentaries, and obscure reading material—like quarterly hip-hop journal Wax Poetics or books from the album-based 33 1/3 series—draw enthusiasts, while scene regulars stop in to drop off flyers hyping new hip-hop dance nights and to check out the breakbeat mixtapes stacked on the front windowsill. — Amos Barshad

All in-store stock is also available on Turntable Lab’s website, turntablelab.com.