The Daily Swarm

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Sad news out of Detroit. Dance music fans will note that this is the building where Derrick May recorded “Strings of Life, “The Dance”, “Nude Photo” and all sorts of other Detroit techno milestones….

Bulletin from Peoples Records (via Crewcial):

Friends,

I am sorry to report that Detroit’s Forest Arms apartment building was lost early this morning to a massive fire. The building is toast. Our new location is in the basement of my apartment, at 5835 Third St., just south of Antoinette.

If anybody wishes to help out, how about sending a prayer out to the hundred or so people who lived there who are now homeless, and lost pets, and probably in a lot of cases, everything they owned to the blaze.

People’s Records will continue on without even really ever stopping. Unfortunately, I have to just about start over. Everything there is under about 4 feet of water. Literally.

Also, if you have any photos of the old place, email peoplesrecordsdetroit@gmail.com

I think we may be having a benefit at the Bohemian within the next week or so; details to follow.

So, if anybody wants to stop by the house on Third, Zac, Anibal and I are preparing the basement, and getting things ready for our newest incarnation.

That’s today. I don’t think anything can be done at the store right now; it’s going to take a whole lot of sump pumps to eventually get all the water out of that basement. 5,000 gallons A MINUTE were being pumped in.

Phone calls don’t really help right now; my voicemail is already full. Stop by the house on Third if you want to help.

IF YOU HAVE SOME W__D that would be great.

best,
brad

p.s. I needed a vacation anyway.

p.p.s. Still paying CA$H for old records.

Detroit Free Press:

The fire, at Forest and Second avenues, started around 3 a.m.

About 8 this morning, firefighters seemed to have controlled the blaze.

Varnas considered the building’s managers as heroes. Flames were coming out of that apartment, and they closed the door and they went and alerted everyone, knocking on their doors, and got everybody out just in time, Varnas said.

Two people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries for smoke inhalation, which aggravated one woman’s respiratory problems.

The building was built in 1904. Four rooms were vacant, with 100 or more people living there. About 20 of the residents are Wayne State students, mostly athletes. There was a coffee shop, Amsterdam, and a record store, People’s Records, on the first floor.