October 26, 2007
Breakbeat Science and halcyon, two pillars of NYC’s electronic dance music
industry with a long history of collaboration, have joined forces to better
serve the DJ community. The two specialty music retailers will remain
independent, but will operate from one seemlessly integrated, easily
accessible, full service location, at halcyon the shop, 57 Pearl Street in
Dumbo, Brooklyn’s fashionable waterfront district.

At halcyon the shop, customers will find a separate section curated by the BBS staff and populated with the same catalog of top notch Drum and Bass and Dubstep vinyl they have come to expect. New releases will be received every Friday. Shoppers will be treated to the same friendly atmosphere and excellent service that has been a hallmark of halcyon’s tenure on the scene.

Internet buyers will be able to browse and purchase the new BBS releases via halcyon’s new e-comm site at www.halcyontheshop.com. To celebrate the union, BBS DJs will join the halcyon DJs for an official inaugural event on Friday, November 2, 7-9pm, at the shop’s weekly “Nü Pschidt” session, where new beats are previewed live in the mix. “Nü Pschidt” is broadcast live from halcyon the shop on www.dailysession.com.

The unconventional pairing of these two venerable brands has roots that date back to 1999 when, shortly after the launch of halcyon, (then a DJ-lounge/vinyl shop in the Carroll Gardens area of Brooklyn,) the BBS DJs began a weekly residency dedicated to showcasing a sophisticated, “chill” strain of Drum and Bass. Although halcyon’s shop yielded the sale of Drum and Bass records to BBS, “Acupuncture,” as the night was known, became a staple of NYC nightlife and a home to the BBS crew, running weekly on Fridays for the full five years halcyon spent at it’s birthplace; ending only when halcyon transformed into halcyon the shop, relocating to it’s current location in 2004. BBS founder DB recalls, “halcyon and BBS have enjoyed a longstanding relationship, so it’s no accident that when we needed to relocate BBS, we chose to partner with them again. Our audience is down with halcyon and there is a lot of mutual respect amongst our staffs.”

For NYC’s beat afficianados, the unification of Breakbeat Science’s unparalleled expertise in the Dubstep and Drum and Bass genres with halcyon the shop’s obsessively curated collection of House, Techno, Funk and more, promises a return to the day when the record shop was musical crossroads where open minded DJs could freely explore a diverse spectrum of sounds. halcyon owner, Shawn Schwartz explains, “halcyon has always celebrated musical diversity and promoted interaction amongst the various facets of the broader community, so we’re excited to welcome the Breakbeat Science massive back into the fold.”

About Breakbeat Science

Operating from it’s Lower East Side location since 1996, Breakbeat Science is widely recognized as the foremost stateside authority on UK-born breakbeat styles. Established by DB, Dara, Paul Morris & Sean Shuter, as the first American DJ shop devoted to Drum and Bass, “The Scientists” have held fast to their mission, serving their niche and staying ahead of the curve. Over the years, the expert staff at BBS have ushered successive waves of foreign breakbeat evolution to our shores, introducing the U.S. to the edgy sounds of Speed Garage, Breakcore, and Dubstep; but BBS is more than a mere importer of innovation from abroad. Indeed, BBS has been instrumental in the development of the domestic breakbeat community; showcasing DJ talent at countless BBS events, lending the scene a graphic identity through the ubiquitous BBS T-shirt line, and providing an essential information portal and networking hub through the BBS website. Breakbeat Science Recordings, launched in 2001, is the premiere Drum and Bass label in North America and home to such artists as DB, DJ Dara, High Contrast, Clever, Klute and London Elektricity.

About halcyon the shop

halcyon the shop is a dynamic concept space in Dumbo, Brooklyn‘s über-hot waterfront destination district. “the shop” offers a world class dj-oriented music store, design boutique and gallery, with roots deep in the talent-rich local community it serves; both as a social networking hub, creative resource and showcase. Nestled on a corner facing the majestic Manhattan Bridge anchorage, the shop’s unique interior makes an immediate impression with it’s 14′ vaulted brick ceilings and playful “outside-in” design, a mixture of faux grass and bark treatments, edge lit green acrylic accents, custom fixtures of re-purposed heart pine and pools of loose river rocks on the floor. Dedicated to supporting the underground music, art and fashion that shapes our urban experience, the shop offers an obsessively curated selection of underground, imported and independently released music, focusing on DJ-friendly new and used vinyl, as well as CDs and DVDs. A friendly, knowledgeable staff, and an open listening policy combine to defy the stereotype of the DJ store as an intimidating place, instead encouraging customers to explore the unfamiliar and expand their musical boundaries. On the design side, the shop features a constantly changing array of hand screened T-shirts and fashion accessories, art and design books, periodicals and self published ‘zines, posters and prints. A gallery space mounts monthly shows spotlighting local, national and international talent in the graf and street art realm. Beyond “the shop” halcyon produces, co-promotes and provides DJ talent and music programming for a busy calendar of events ranging from local community block parties to underground dance parties in NYC’s top club and lounge venues.