Drop The Needle tells the story of Play De Record, one of the most important record shops for EDM and Hip Hop heads during the 1990s.

In August 1990, Eugene Tam opened a small family-run record store on Yonge Street. Through word of mouth, Play De Record quickly became a magnet for college radio and club DJs who spun new sounds far from the mainstream. Through Tam’s contagious work ethic and steady guidance, the store became more than the sum of its parts: an essential hub for up-and-coming dance, hip-hop and electronic artists and a vital part of Toronto’s underground music ecosystem. Today its impact on the music scene in Toronto—and, by extension, Canada—is without question. 

Screening Saturday Oct 22, and Nov 6, 2022 at the Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West, and there are also screenings on Nov 8 and 12 at the Fox Theatre at 2236 Queen St E. VOD streaming will be follow later in November. 

Join director Robert Freeman and co-producer/co-writer Neil Acharya for a live post-screening Q&A, moderated by Hot Docs programmer Mariam Zaidi.

Tickets here.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.