Academy LPs is a New York based record label. Founded in 2009 by Mike Davis, it specialises in reissues, rarities and specialities. It started with a book business founded in 1977 by Alan Weiner. Following that he gradually opened record stores under the name ‘Academy’. From the beginning, Joseph Ga Nun was an employee for the book business and together they opened the record store Academy Records & CDs directly next to the bookstore in 1996. Together with his partner Mike Davis, the stores Academy LPs in East Village and Academy Annex in Williamsburg soon followed. For lovers of well-kept vinyls the Academy shops are still an institution in New York. With the knowledge of good and rare music, they both felt called to form a record label and in a short time they re-released deserving treasures. The record label Academy LPs is the sole responsibility of Mike Davis. Academy LPs had re-released high quality West African music from the late 1960’s until the early 1980s. These are records, which have either been forgotten about or did not capture the people’s attention. For some releases, Mike Davis has joined forces with Frank Gossner from record label Voodoo Funk. What all releases have in common is that they have exposed musicians and their work to the public, which until now had not been achieved but most definitely earned.