Turntable Lab Offers DJ Equipment, Records, Lots of Empty Space to Just Hang Out

With massive square footage and select few wares, the Los Angeles outpost of NYC’s venerable Turntable Lab opened quietly last Friday, December 9, at 424 ½ n. Fairfax.

Vinyl offerings are comprised of a ‘groovedaddy niche market’: Stones Throw, Ubiquity, Domino, Mo’ Wax, Ninja Tune titles and the like. Hip-hop new releases and a few full-length chestnuts (old Kruder/Dorfmeister, AIR et al) round out the initially meager selection.

From their website:

This location offers everything our Manhattan store plus more. (sic)

Grammar aside, what ‘more’ are we talking about here aside from more empty square footage? Here’s hoping they fill that space with something. People shaking their booties, if nothing else. Maybe that’s where the ‘lab’ is going to go, who knows.

Turntable Lab is the latest in a number of Melrose-styled boutiques opening along the Fairfax corridor. Stores such as Supreme (replete with fully-functional skate bowl) and Reserve, which held an overly-crowded reception for director/designer Mike Mills in September, are steadily pushing ancient Jewish storefronts elsewhere. Last August the Times ran a fairly lengthy article about such stores squeezing out the tenants who can no longer afford the rent. I’d love to be able to point you to the article but alas, it seems to have disappeared. Here’s the recap from curbed.

I’ve long been a fan of the NYC branch of this store. Now that I’ve got one within walking distance, here’s hoping Turntable Lab can resist becoming fossilized as long as possible. My virgin purchase? Four Tet & LA’s own Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Sun Drums and Soil EP.