Supafly Records, Lisbon

Supafly Records is a landmark in vinyl culture in Lisbon. Chico, aka Daddy Cheeks, the owner, breaks it down for iCrates…

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Chico, I am a Dj (for about 15 years) and owner of Supafly Records.

Do you have a website? – Please tell us the URL!

No website !! About to set up a little blog, just to show a bit of the Supafly life style.

Which music styles are you selling and since when?

Supafly Records started in 2003, although I have been involved with record shops since about 1997. The store is mostly known for the Vinyl we sell. We are now starting to branch out by selling clothes and accesories.

Are you specialised in any specific music style? Do you sell records that are hardly to find anywhere else?

We try to specialise in Black music, so a lot of Funk, Soul, Hip Hop. Also as I lived in London for many years, we try to show a lot of new UK tendencies, so we have a lot Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Grime, Funky House, etc… We are not really a rarities shop, we work strongly with new releases, we have great connections with certain warehouses in UK, USA and around Europe, so we try to get all new releases as soon as they come out, which, in itself, means records which are hard to find in Lisboa.

How many records do you have in store?

For sale at any one time about 1000, and got about another 1000 in the back room, for special requests.

Why did you decide to deal with records? Is it just love? Just business? Just …?

We deal with records purely for love, definetely not business. I have been in love with vinyl pretty much all my life, so we try hard to pass on that love to the younger people. We also believe that the new generation of Mp3/Serato Dj’s (in Lisbon) are kind of missing the whole point of what a Dj / love for music and this culture is all about, so we stand strong in trying to pass on what we think is the real way of the jedi.

Who are your customers? How old are they? Who is your most famous client?

Our customers tend to be more Dj’s or people involved in the music business, journalists, clubs, etc… Ages range from 18/19 year olds to 50/60 year olds. As for famous customers, I guess our national Djs, who come to the store on a weekly basis to get their new tunes, new information, and have a general bitch about the general situation of things here in Lisbon. Famous international customers, from Dj A-Trak, Afrika Bambaataa, Dj Premier, Rodney P, Nightmares on Wax, Thievery Corporation, Jamie Cullum.

Where do you get your records from?

We generally work with warehouses and not directly with labels, just because this helps us to be able to order minimum quantites of certain records rather than having to order boxes of certain records. We currently work with 4 major warehouses, 2 in europe, 1 in the US, and 1 in Japan, for those crazy special Japanese releases.

Do you go digging yourself e.g. at flea markets?

Not as much as I used too, at least not in Lisbon, but whenever I travel around I always take some time out to check shops in other cities. And we actually have a couple of friends who go alot to flea markets and trade fairs around europe looking for vinyl, so usually through these guys we can pick up alot of older or special edition stuff.

Are you connected to other stores? Do you exchange interesting, rare records?

We are not directly connected to any other store, but Lisbon is a small place so all the record stores know each other pretty well, so its quite normal we speak to one another about new stuff or who has what in stock. Not much exchanging done as most record stores in Lisbon especialise in different styles of music, from reggae store to more electronica styles, to House/ techno, so we all have our own space to work.

Do you have an archive system for your records? Where do you store them?

We have a big room at the back of the shop where we have everything. Don’t really have an archive system, but as all record shops, my head stores all the information and I always have an idea of where I last saw the record.

How do you recognise an interesting record?

The same old tricks: if its Funk/Soul, then I look for certain artists, musicians, producers, labels, year of release. I like to think that all vinyl is of interest, just got to find the right customer who is going to understand what’s there.

Do you take any regular actions for preservation?

Not really, just a nice clean room, no humidity, and some good strong shelves.

Any tips for cleaning a dusty, old record?

For flea market records which have that kind of mould on them, get a glass of warm water with a couple of drops of vinegar, with a clean cloth, dip in the water and clean the vinyl lightly, leave for a few minutes, then with another dry cloth just clean the vinyl again and all that mould should just vanish.

Which one is your oldest record?

Not sure, I have a lot of 60′s and 70′s stuff (which i still play). I´ve got a original copy from 1959 of The Flamingos I only have eyes for you, but it’s really wrecked, totally unplayable.

Is there any special record you are craving for, that’s still missing in your shops collection?

I have never been able to find Mantronix Music Madness on vinyl. (I have a personal copy) I would love to always have this record in the shop because I think it is still so relevant in today’s music world. And I believe that Mantronix is one the most under rated producers of all time. I think that the kids could learn a lot from this album.

Did someone ever steal your records? How many and how did this happen?

I think only once… It was one record where the person switched the sleeves, and paid a lot less for the record. But this only happened once and will never happen again. Trust me !!!

Which one is your most valuable record?

I don’t really see myself as a collector, I am much more a Dj, I can not just have records on a shelf and never play them, so in that case my most valuable record would maybe be Gwen McRae All this love that I’m giving, just because it’s one of my all time favourite tunes – guarenteed to make people dance, and I believe it’s very much a Chico record. If you hear this in a club in Lisboa then chances are that you know that it’s me that’s Djing. It’s like my musical I.D.

How do you set your prices for rare records?

It first depends on how much I paid for it, and it depends a lot on who is looking for it. I think that if you really love that record then you should have it, so sometimes I sell them cheaper just because I believe that you deserve the record. Other wise I would check the prices on Discogs / Ebay, and see what other people are asking for it, and base the price around that.

Which one, do you think has the most beautiful cover?

Not sure of one record… I love the old Blue Note record sleeves, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Coltrane, etc. The artwork was always fantastic. Also the Roberta Flack Killing me softly LP with the gatefold piano sleeve… Lovely.

What do you think will the vinyl business be like in the year 2030? Will there be just old and rare records or still new pressings?

I think within the next 5/6 years we will no longer have new releases on vinyl, the cost of pressing and artwork for the sleeve will just be too expensive, but I believe that there will always be a vinyl market for rare and hard to find stuff.

Are you a record dealer, collector and/or also DJ/Producer? Do you have an artist name?

I am a record dealer / Dj, I´m not a good collector as I always feel the need to play the records and spread the vibe. My Dj name is Daddy Cheeks…

Many thanks for your time.

Thank you very much.

Address
RUA DO NORTE, 54
1200-287 LISBOA
PORTUGAL
Email: supafly.lisboa@gmail.com