Now in it’s tenth year and second incarnation, “The Beating Heart of NYC’s Underground,” as it was described on the cover of Time Out New York’s 2001 Clubs Annual, is a rare breed, indeed. In a time when urban culture is co-opted, corrupted, and consumed without shame, halcyon endures, independent and unmolested; a valued icon of authenticity, a trusted purveyor of quality, an established pillar centered in, and powered by, the world’s most diverse and dynamic creative community – Brooklyn, NY.

Guided by these core principles; independence, authenticity, quality and community, halcyon has evolved from humble origins into a multifaceted entity, engaging along the way in an array of artistic projects, organic collaborations and business initiatives that have touched upon the fields of hospitality/nightlife, retail, event production, promotion, interior design, music & arts programming, digital publishing & media sales, product development, e-commerce, community building, charitable fund raising, and more.

It all began innocently enough, in Brooklyn on 9/9/99, at a time when scant attention was being paid to the borough’s burgeoning artist population. The original halcyon was conceived as a social hub and creative showcase; a beacon and resource for a local community brimming with talent yet to be discovered. At 227 Smith St. in Cobble Hill, in a mere 1500 sq ft., halcyon deftly combined a coffee bar/café, DJ lounge, record shop, vintage furnishings dealership, art gallery and multi-media performance space, prompting Paper Magazine to proclaim, “…the halcyon kids have hit the zeitgeist on it’s elusive head with a synergy of underground essentials.”

The rest, as they say, is history. An overnight phenomenon in the truest sense, halcyon’s relaxed, quirky vibe acted like a magnet, attracting not only a loyal following of local hipsters who embraced it as their own, but through word-of-mouth, the attention and respect of their brethren far and wide. A storied five year run followed, during which halcyon played host to an endless list of DJs, musicians, artists and authors; a list replete with luminaries and novices alike, many who were destined for greatness of their own. A steady stream of global press and published accolades cemented halcyon’s reputation as a communal and cultural nexus; a crucible in which imaginative ideas mingle, synchronicities surface and fresh leaders of the vanguard emerge.

Headquartered since ’04 in Dumbo, Brooklyn’s chicest neighborhood on the rise, “halcyon the shop,” is the brand’s second concept space, integrating the DJ-centric record store from the previous embodiment with an expanded gallery and design boutique that define the avant-garde of Brooklyn street aesthetics. From this vantage point, halcyon serves it’s global following via a trio of websites that reflects it’s plentiful and varied offerings. At halcyonline.com, a blog site, users can tap into news, events, projects, innovative products and key music releases chosen by halcyon’s staff DJs. The media-rich site is home to several free weekly podcasts produced at the shop that feature top DJs highlighting the latest music releases in the mix. halcyontheshop.com provides fans around world mail order access to the shop’s entire catalog of products from vinyl and cds to artwork, fashion and accessories by local designers. Finally, halcyondigi.com extends halcyon’s musical reach into the digital realm with downloadable high grade mp3 and wav files from over 800 of the best indie labels worldwide, making halcyon one of the only indie record shops to offer music across all platforms.

In it’s Tenth Year Anniversary, halcyon enters 2010 as a well established and widely regarded creator and transmitter of the world’s most sophisticated urban culture.