Drop the Needle, released in February of this year, is a deeply informative and nostalgic look at the beautiful effect that one meeting place can have on an entire city. Directed by Rob Freeman, this documentary details the 30-year history of the record store Play de Record and its poignant effect in that time on the underground DJ and house scene that took place in Toronto. Accompanied by nostalgic interviews, animations, and real-life videos and photographs from the height of the store’s popularity, this film beautifully captures the spirit that was held between those four walls.
Once nestled in the busy heart of Yonge Street behind a convenience store in the nineties, Play de Record is a complete cultural artifact of its time. The store beautifully represented a sense of unity, intricately forming the sound of the music scene in Toronto for countless individuals. As opposed to other record stores, Play de Record was unique in its absolute devotion to the new, original and non-commercial albums that were being created in the electronic, hip-hop, and urban scenes at the time. Every Thursday there was new music and records coming to the store, making sure that all music fanatics and DJs in the area had a true and authentic space to delve into their interests. Now located on Spadina Avenue, this record store is still being run and taken care of, although it is not the beating pulse of the city as it once was.
The importance that this store formerly carried is beautifully displayed through countless interviews with former employees, customers, and influential DJs and musicians of the time. Individuals such as Ron Nelson, Mastermind, and Russell Peters all speak openly honoring the impact of the store. Yet, the star of the documentary is not these guest stars, it is instead the incredibly humble owner of the store, Eugene Tan. Throughout the documentary, viewers get an intimate understanding of this man and his true connection to the craft of creating a record store. His clear and pure dedication to creating a welcoming space for everyone to engage in is entirely admirable and the highlight of the film.
Within a 2-hour long runtime, Drop the Needle beautifully pays homage to an essential part of culture. The sudden decrease of the importance of record stores with the developments of streaming makes it even more crucial to remember the impact that they once had. Play de Record was a hub for music that was once not at the forefront of culture within Toronto, and the extensive history provided within this film prioritizes that it will never be forgotten. Within this work, Rob Freeman displays a consistently engaging collection of Torontonians’ love for music, and Eugene Tam’s inspiring story. Certain sections could be cut down for the sake of runtime, yet anyone with a love for vinyl and the youthful world that once occupied this space would highly appreciate this dedicated film.
Drop the Needle is available to watch in Canada on Amazon Prime.
