This episode of Gems with Shom features Eilon Paz — photographer, world traveler, storyteller, and creator of Dust & Grooves, the iconic book that became a global celebration of record culture.
From a small desert town in Israel…
to hustling as a photographer in NYC during the 2008 recession…
to documenting over 300 of the world’s most passionate record collectors…
Eilon shares how a personal photo project transformed into a best-selling book and cultural time capsule. This is a conversation about creativity, community, risk-taking, and building something meaningful from scratch.
🎙 Episode Highlights:
• Origins of Dust & Grooves — how one idea sparked a global movement
• The 6-year journey — 300 collectors, 1,000+ pages, endless stories
• Travel adventures — Suriname, Guyana, Cameroon, Japan, France, Israel
• The turning point — Random House calls (after passing), Questlove reaches out
• Photographing private collections — trust, access & storytelling
• Survival mode → creativity — why risk shaped Eilon’s best work
• His next big project — a global deep dive with top collectors
• Passion, purpose & staying true to the craft
A must-listen for fans of vinyl culture, photography, creativity, and long-form storytelling.
📸 Follow the show: instagram.com/gems.podcast
#DustAndGrooves #GemsWithShom #EilonPaz #VinylCommunity #RecordCollectors #PhotographyLife
