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Record Stores

Record Stores Travel: Snag CDs on the Subway

December 21, 2007 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

Every time we hop on the New York Subway, it seems, someone's blasting reggaeton or salsa so loudly we can make out the words halfway down the train car. So it's fitting that the much-missed Latin music emporium Record Mart is back, installed in a new storefront in the Times Square station under 42nd Street.

The shop closed down in 1999, when it carried a mix of salsa, Latin jazz, mambo and tango. After a lengthy station renovation, decidedly not Hispanic owner Jess Moskowitz had to catch up with the times. So while he still has plenty of big band-ish tracks, you can also dig through the crates for Mexican rancheras and tons of reggaeton.

The shop is right across from some Wachovia Bank ATMs, between the 1, 2, 3 trains and the N, R, Q, W lines. If you can't find it, just listen for the tunes--if you can hear them over the breakdancers that swarm the station on weekends.

Related Stories:
· Venerable Latin Music Store Record Mart Back [NYDN]
· Beneath the Roar of Times Square, a Rhythm Returns [NYT]
· Record Stores coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Christian Hansen for The New York Times]