please tell me dance music finder scum finally got irradicated

[jimmflimm]

Wow, such memories of early 2000s in the tower block that used to also house Reddingtons Rare Records (in it's final days, on the ground floor).

I also remember DMF moving across the road to the BTCV building (up towards the bullring) in later years (2003/2004ish?). That's where I had the odd experience one afternoon of being told that the shop was closing at about 2pm and being hurried out of there. It almost felt personal, like they'd taken a dislike to someone digging through their stock!

I actually met Mike in more recent years and he purported to be an amiable fellow, though of course to me it didn't quite ring true.

I hope Tom is making a comfortable life for himself now

 

[Barry Fry]

I worked there. for about 2 weeks. Just experiencing the sheer dodgeyness all over the place was enough. I told the small black dude, (think it may be Mike) I was off. He got very surly, and started making the point ''everyone finds it hard to work'', totally oblivious to the state of play. Folks there on sales were great, stuff they had to pull was just ''unfair'' to customers, and quite alarming at times.

 

[Albertryder]

There was a Dance Music Finder in Birmingham, but it closed quite a few years ago. It was started by a guy who worked for HTFR in the really early days, Mickey Rose. Don't know what he's doing now, or if he moved the business, but I think the one you're referring to is an unrelated DMF.

Say what you like about HTFR (and believe me, I've called them robbing bleeders plenty of times in the past, both from selling to them and buying from them) but there's no denying that Jason has made a real success story out of nothing. I've watched it grow from when I first went there in the early 90's - it was in a Portacabin out by Birmingham Airport - to the massive Superstore they have now. Jason has a collection of supercars (Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley etc) to make your eyes water. I often think as I drive past in my not-so-super car that I have probably paid (in undervalued vinyl as well as cash) for a sizeable chunk of one of those cars...

Loads have tried to imitate it, but no-one seems to have pulled it off in such grand style. I'm not sticking up for them as such, I just wish it had been me that thought of it!

Think this is an old thread - I used HTFR a bit in the noughties … even a few things from the mid 90s when they’d send a print out of what they had - really primitive… Their website was pretty decent too with little sound files… but I began getting more and more dodgy white labels and I stopped buying from them. Tbh I wasn’t buying that much, comparative to now with Discogs … but sites like Juno etc are so good now i hope they’ve improved…

 

[ffc]

I worked in DMF for a while back in the early 2000s, and the comments are spot on. Mike Rose was deeply crooked, all the staff were paid cash in hand so he didn't have to pay employer's tax, and he often ripped off/scammed customers. He had a "catalogue price" which was charged for mail order, but offered records cheaper for cash - except if he took a dislike to the customer! Had a real anger problem, as mentioned, and really hated HTFR. I knew the shop vanished and it's no surprise the bailiffs went in. All the other staff were decent, though.

 

[djcosmos94]

Hey

Worked at Dance Music Finder and HTFR

I was at DMF, 99/2000/2001, I can't remember. It was run by Mike Rose and Rich Goode when I started, and Rich was the reasonable one. At my interview Mike introduced himself as the assistant manager.

One day they had a blazing row in an empty store room and we heard thuds against the wall. Rich pretty much disappeared after that.

Yeah, horrible place to work, like a real sketchy tense atmosphere. Had Mike in my face a few times yelling like a fucking banshee.

Always paid in cash every Friday. Called into the packing room one by one to get your money.

There were some really nice people working there at that time. A trance head called John Thompson, nice girl on the phones called Jenny. Dude called Gaz (Judge Jules fanatic, who always argued that Grooverider was a daft name ), Rob (I think) (dispatch), Kieran, Kate/Katie, Nadia, Andy and the guy who did all the catalogue stuff. Lots of faces I can see but can't remember names.

With the catalogue/website, Mike used to scan the HTFR catalogue for the equipment images, blur the edges and use them himself. Oh, and he used to go fucking bananas if HTFR were featured in Mixmag/DJ magazine before DMF

I was out on the shop floor mostly. So if anyone remembers or was there that time, give us a shout.

Same user name on Instagram if anyone's about

 

[brady]

spotted a DMF sticker on a white label yesterday, though there's a name i've not heard in a while, then see this thread today!

 

[mazza1]

If anything I had no issues with dmf. I had several conversations with Mike and alway found him polite and very helpful. I would be there 1st thing every other Saturday morning buying tunes and still have them to this day.

I didn't work there so I can't comment on those situations. For me it was a pleasent experience.

 

[Barry Fry]

Hey

Worked at Dance Music Finder and HTFR

I was at DMF, 99/2000/2001, I can't remember. It was run by Mike Rose and Rich Goode when I started, and Rich was the reasonable one. At my interview Mike introduced himself as the assistant manager.

One day they had a blazing row in an empty store room and we heard thuds against the wall. Rich pretty much disappeared after that.

Yeah, horrible place to work, like a real sketchy tense atmosphere. Had Mike in my face a few times yelling like a fucking banshee.

Always paid in cash every Friday. Called into the packing room one by one to get your money. Then I went straight down the road to music first at the custard factory and spent it all on drum and bass

There were some really nice people working there at that time. A trance head called John Thompson, nice girl on the phones called Jenny. Dude called Gaz (Judge Jules fanatic, who always argued that Grooverider was a daft name ), Rob (I think) (dispatch), Kieran, Kate/Katie, Nadia, Andy and the guy who did all the catalogue stuff. Lots of faces I can see but can't remember names.

With the catalogue/website, Mike used to scan the HTFR catalogue for the equipment images, blur the edges and use them himself. Oh, and he used to go fucking bananas if HTFR were featured in Mixmag/DJ magazine before DMF

I was out on the shop floor mostly. So if anyone remembers or was there that time, give us a shout.

Chris (always into old skool hardcore, jungle, drum and bass, Detroit Techno etc...)

Same user name on Instagram if anyone's about

I did the catalogue stuff. Working with the other partner ( not Mike, Rich I think) Cash in hand?!?, told to overprice equipment in the ads, told the customers will think it's better being more money, even tho it's the same identical equipment lol! Crazy experience. The other partner, Rich? was not around a lot. Rich seemed the biz head, sound, and jumped a sinking ship it seems.

 

[WillAlex]

Hello,see thread started back in 2006.
Seeing a photo of an old hard to find record catalogue brought me here.
I used DMF back in their early days,was only ever Mike or Rich I dealt with on the blower and remember Rich telling me about them moving to the new premises and he was buzzing about it,two lads always had time for a chat on the phone and always found the two lads 100% and never had any issues what so ever.