“Oddly enough, my first experience with vinyl was not in my own home. My mother was more of an individual who listened to the radio, and my dad owned a massive Jazz CD collection.”
“My first interactions with vinyl came from my great aunt and her daughter. During holidays, summer breaks and other occasions, I would frequently visit my great aunt. During my visits, she would play records that she really enjoyed, which exposed me to all different types of music, from Albert King to The Carpenters. Her daughter, my big cousin Robin (which is my mother’s first cousin), also had a large record collection which consisted mainly of my great aunt’s records, since she was tasked with “watching over” them, due to my great aunt not having the space to store her huge collection. It was through my big cousin where I was introduced to the idea of playing records, proper handling, and the awesomeness of album artwork.
For hours on end, I’d just sit and absorb all their records. They had everything from Elton John to Stevie Wonder (personal favorite), as well as all types of R&B, Soul, Funk, and Jazz. Any and all artists you could think of within these genres, and even some outside, were present. I wanted their collection so bad, but my cousin wasn’t willing to part with it, even though I know she wasn’t listening to them all.
Her brother gifted me a record player, amp, and speakers which I stashed it away while in college, studying as an audio major. I learned so much more about music during my studies that after graduation, I started to really dive into the culture of collecting and digging for vinyl.
I was fortunate enough to inherit a few large record collections and began to get voracious about collecting with the goal of replicating my great aunt’s collection. It’s gotten really…really serious in the past three years, as I’ve had more financial resources to fund my obsession and have developed a better eye while digging.
I’m always looking for something new to listen to while working out, or cleaning around my apartment. I have a lot of stuff ranging from classic rock to, of course, R&B, Soul, and Funk. As of today, my record collection is pretty significant and my collecting habit has elevated to the point that one of my buddies who works at the antique store (which I frequent) is always on the road looking for records for me…I call him my record plug!”
—Larry “Fallout” Morris, vocals
Illphonics’ forthcoming album, Gone With the Trends arrives in stores on April 1, 2016.
