Deadly Dragon Sound System

I am a lover of reggae but hardly a vinyl fanatic. But my god, I don’t know what to say other than this might be one of my favorite places in the world just to be inside of. A throwback to old New York City, but with the added bonus of an excellent and highly functional web site. It’s that New York could be, but is not, except here!

This place is very special… that is all.

If you’re like me and spend way too much time obsessing over hopelessly out-​of-​print reggae, dub, or dancehall vinyl then this is pretty much Nirvana. The shop is tiny, but the DDS crew somehow manage to have just about anything and everything a reggae collector would want… and more. They also deserve massive props for their website, which features audio samples of almost everything in stock and allows you to quickly search by artist, record label, backing track, etc. Casual reggae fans will likely bemoan the miniscule selection of CDs, but for those you that crave the sizzle of vinyl there’s no place better in Lower Manhattan.

NY Reggaeholics just love Deadly Dragon — they’ve got a huge selection of music and just about anything you could want, in the store. Bigup to he staff because they always makes you feel as if you are the only customer they will ever have! I’m adding to this review the fact that Deadly Dragon recently started a weekly late night vinyl party featuring the music we love and it’s off the hook; be sure to check it out too. It’s called Downtown Top Rankin at Happy Ending 302 Broome St and it’s free all night. Like I said, these guys are great!

If your an absolute reggae freak and a pure vinyl junkie and kind of a snob about both of the aforementioned departments of life, this is your spot. I’m an above average reggae fan and record collector, but the purity of this high grade specialty reggae record store was intense enough to almost kill me. I was hurrying from a Chinatown bakery back to the recording studio where I was working when it caught my eye and I HAD to go in, but immediately I knew it was dangerous. If I hadn’t handed over 3 C notes to my dentist that morning I could have been seduced into parting with one of them here and walking out the door with a handful of obscure reggae 7″ or 12″ singles and an album nobody’s ever heard of which could have made me feel like a smarty pants selectress in some restaurant where nobody cared. If you’re a professional reggae DJ, you probably know about this place already. And if you’ve ever loved record stores, just walking in will give you that magical feeling. The website is just as overwhelming, but at least you’re in the safety of your own home. The dude Jeremy who I spoke to goes to Jamaica six times a year to buy. I think that deserves to be supported.