Near the corner of 3rd and Elm is a haven for lovers of dance music. Foot Work Records which opened earlier this year is owned by Dakin Auret, longtime DJ and fixture in the world of house music.
The selection he’s curated for Foot Work Records is a mix of new and older dance music classics. Guests of the shop are encouraged to spark conversations and even test out some of the records. For Auret, guiding people toward their next favorite album is part of the fun.
Growing up in South Africa and traveling between the States and South Africa for 20 years, Auret has seen the growth of house music and wanted to contribute in his way. Foot Work Records fills a major gap by being the first shop in the city to exclusively sell house and dance records.
Dakin Auret spins a record on the decks which are the focal point of the space that is Foot Work Records. Guests are invited to practice and play music on the decks as well. Photo by Lolita Mojica.
He hopes to continue to make House music accessible by selling newer House records online and in the future launching a YouTube channel where he can play records and people can discover new songs via the stream.
Auret has noticed the change in audience age and with online access to House music, the scene can continue to grow.
“I thought with opening the store, people that were 21 would only really be buying new stuff, but they’re buying the stuff that I used to listen to,” Auret said. “So I definitely think there’s maybe some gaps in some little generations, but it’s come back around.”
Auret is also a DJ and hosts his own Foot Work Nights at various bars around town. Events like this happen due in part to the hard work of organizers and DJ’s like Auret but they continue to happen because of the audience.
“(House music) pulls from a lot of different genres that people like, so there’s elements of disco, and sometimes there’s elements of hip hop and reggae and, you know, jazz, and it’s a good tempo,” Auret said. “You can play it anywhere, and it’s not too fast, not too slow. It’s just, it’s just, it’s the Goldilocks tempo.”
Auret suggests that those looking to get into the House scene start with big labels and work their way down from there. Defected Records, Strictly Rythm and Drop Music are among the bigger labels in House Music with large artists who will serve as a starting point.
“That’ll take you down the rabbit hole because the bigger artists are eventually Going to collab with the newer artists,” Auret said. “And it’s a way of starting on the branch of the tree and finding those tracks that maybe no one else has.”
