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Serving Chicago since 1989!
All three shops will be CLOSED for our annual inventory on Tuesday December 30th. If we finish early we will open up! Sorry in advance for any inconvenience.

Here are our Reckless Records staff Best of 2023 lists, as always with some help from friends of the store. A lot of incredible Chicago music is represented here, and many things you won't see elsewhere. We hope these lists inspire you to check out something that may have gone under your radar this year.

If you bought music from us or spent any time in our shops in 2023, we appreciate your support so much.
Happy New Year!

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Here is the list of RSD Black Friday records still in stock at the shops.

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Currently our inventory is only for sale in our shops. You can be sure that we will let you know if and when online sales return!

-- Reckless Records


BROWN, DANNY
QUARANTA (RED VINYL)
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Warp
After a relatively quiet couple of years, DANNY BROWN got busy in 2023, as "Quaranta" followed his avant- goofball collaboration with JPEGMAFIA on "Scaring the Hoes". "Quaranta" was written during that interim, and showcases BROWN's more introspective, reflective side. Lots of jazzy, proggy leftfield production on this - partially helped by THE ALCHEMIST - with features by KASSA OVERALL, MIKE and BRUISER WOLF. EXCELLENT!
Available at: All Stores
New LP $27.99
YOSHIUMRA, HIROSHI
SURROUND (REMASTER, BLUE VINYL)
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Temporal Drift
This is the first ever reissue of the wonderful 1986 album "Surround" by Hiroshi Yoshimura. The master of Japanese environmental music was selected by an architect to compose music to compliment his company's new living spaces. Similar to Yoshimura's other environmental classics inspired by Eno's ambient works, the music is a meant as a companion to the space where it's being played or heard. Percussive & melodic vibraphone esque sounds & mellow digital synth drones with Yoshimura's expert use of reverb & space. Fans of his other great work, Eno, Steve Roach & Midori Takada should pick this up for sure. RECOMMENDED!
Available at: All Stores
New LP $33.99
FIRE- TOOLZ
I AM UPSET BECAUSE I SEE SOMETHING.. : THAT IS NOT THERE
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Hausu Mountain
2023 album from Reckless favorite FIRE-TOOLZ further develops her idiosyncratic fusion of vapory smooth jazz, new age, chiptune and blastbeat-driven black metal, leaving ample space for cryptic sound collages and euphoric melodic detours. RECOMMENDED!
Available at: All Stores
New LP $25.99
DJ RASHAD
DOUBLE CUP (2LP, 10TH ANNIVERSARY ED.) (LTD. GOLD VINYL, w/ ALTERNATE ARTWORK)
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Partisan
Hard to believe it's been 10 years of "Double Cup". Here's what we had to say about this great Chicago record back in 2013. We've come a long way... Sadly, this is the final album from Chicago's DJ RASHAD, who passed away in 2014. But what a final long-player! "Double Cup," upon its release, is easily the biggest Footwork album that's been released thus far. FYI, the name of the Footwork genre is born of a dancing style associated with the music, which evolved from juke. Repetitive, bass-heavy dance music that will appeal to House fans, for sure. R.I.P. DJ RASHAD! RECOMMENDED!
Available at: All Stores
New LP $31.99
INCENDIARY
CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT PAIN
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Closed Casket
Long Island punk cult heroes INCENDIARY return with (the awesomely titled) 'Change the Way You Think About Pain,' the long-awaited follow-up to 17's killer 'Thousand Mile Stare.' We're happy to report that this is worth the wait & then some. Bone-crushing riffs & breakdowns pile up relentlessly under Brendan Garrone's blunt-force vocals, which are often a ringer for Zach De La Rocha's & make this a worthwhile pickup for fans of RAGE just as much for the NYHC heads. Every song here is prime heel wrestler entrance theme music - real ones know. This is HIGHLY, HIGHLY REC'D!
Available at: Milwaukee Ave
New LP $22.99
DREAM UNENDING & WORM
STARPATH (LTD. PINK & BLUE VINYL)
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20 Buck Spin
20 Buck Spin cap another banner year for their label with this split release from two of the best bands on their roster. DREAM UNENDING waylay the CURE-isms of the brilliant 'Song of Salvation' for slower tempos & a heavy grunge feel with bluesy leads & extended solos ala 90s METALLICA and even PEARL JAM (but with pitch black vocals). On their side, WORM continue sharpening their death metal attack, adding ethereal synths to the mix that amp up the cosmic & otherworldly elements of their music even higher. Whether this is just a one-off (two-off??) or an exciting tease of what's to come from both bands, this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Available at: Belmont and Milwaukee Ave
New LP $24.99
NIECY BLUES
EXIT SIMULATION
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Kranky
"Exit Simulation" is the impressive debut album by the South Carolina based artist Janise Robinson aka NIECY BLUES. Imagine chopped & screwed trip-hop mixed with bedroom R&B tastefully drenched in beautiful reverb. Bass & sub frequencies are utilitzed expertly along with field recordings all highlighted by some truly wonderful lead vocals. If you ever dreamed of Erykah Badu or Solange style vocals over GROUPER or slowed-down trip hop then this record is going to be a dream for you. RECOMMENDED.
Available at: Belmont and Loop
New LP $18.99
DROP NINETEENS
HARD LIGHT (CLEAR VINYL)
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Wharf Cat
Tiktok & streaming has been very kind to a few shoegaze vets like SLOWDIVE & DUSTER & supposedly even early 90s band DROP NINETEENS saw a big enough bump in plays to consider getting the band back together & we're really glad that they did. This record surprised us right out of the gate with tight arrangements, memorable songs & an overall confidence that you wouldn't expect after a 30 year break. You can hear hints of their past but like the SLOWDIVE reunion records, this band is making new music, not just rehashing their old sound. Fans of early 90s shoegaze, Flying Nun bands like THE CHILLS & THE BATS, INTERPOL, UNREST etc... should check this out. RECOMMENDED.
Available at: Milwaukee Ave
New LP $20.99
MORIMOTO, SEN
DIAGNOSIS (NEON YELLOW VINYL)
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City Slang
We're really excited to be carrying this record from local luminary SEN MORIMOTO, who jumps across genre on "Diagnosis". You'll hear touches of fusion jazz, funk, emo, R&B and theatrical art rock, tied together with his clear and nimble voice. RECOMMENDED
Available at: All Stores
New LP $24.99
WOODS, JAMILA
WATER MADE US ("ARCTIC SWIRL" VINYL)
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Jagjaguwar
JAMILA WOODS follows up her brilliant, defiant, and explicitly political 2019 album 'LEGACY! LEGACY!' with this more personal & reflective work in the wake of the collective turmoil we've experienced over the past few years. 'Water Made Us' is a journey through love, heartbreak, and relationships formed & lost not just with others but with the self. Jamila's sense of exploration in her lyricism extends to the music as well, ceding space in her neo-soul tapestry for folk songs, more spoken word interludes, and some buzzy electro pop tracks. Guests include SABA and GIA MARGARET. You know what it is, Chicago. RECOMMENDED!
Available at: Milwaukee Ave
New LP $22.99