Discogs reveals the most collected techno releases of 2017: Discogs have released a comprehensive list showcasing the most collected records of 2017 by genre…Quite naturally, some of the most exciting and unique electronic LPs of the year made it close to the top spot on the most collected Techno list with Actress’ AZD, Blanck Mass’ World Eater, Four Tet’s ‘New Energy’ (a track from which was DJ Mag’s 15th top track of the year), Kraftwerk’s ‘3-D: The Catalogue’ and Depeche Mode’s ‘Going Backwards [Remixes]’ all ranking high. It was also great to see records like Tzusing’s incredible ‘東方不敗’ and PLO Man’s ‘Powerline’ do so well along with Dopplereffekt’s ‘Cellular Automata’, the title track from which featured in Sophia Saze’s Fresh Kicks mix which we ran in December 2017.
Vinyl record-minded bars, cafes in NYC: BierWax owner Chris Maestro, 41, vividly remembers purchasing his first vinyl record from a Binghamton, New York, radio station in the mid-1990s — before he even owned a turntable. He’ll be the first to admit he had no idea what journey that purchase would set him on. “It began there,” Maestro, 41, said. “I’ve been a DJ and vinyl collector for over two decades, but then 12 or 13 years ago I became very interested in craft beer. So BierWax really was a way of marrying my passions.” That marriage has resulted in a groovy, sudsy spot in Prospect Heights where patrons can kick back and tip back a glass of locally brewed beer to the rich, analog sounds of vinyl records. But Bierwax isn’t the only one.
My visit to the record store: Over the weekend, an old friend and I got together for lunch and a fun afternoon exploring our local record store. I’ll admit, it’s been several years, but it sure felt like home. Perusing through the bins, picking up the record sleeves, looking over the album art…pure heaven. It was also fun to see the old concert posters on the wall along with the turntables for sale. There’s definitely a resurgence in the sale of vinyl. According a recent Nielsen music report, sales reached nearly 10 million units sold by the end of 2017. The vinyl bug has caught on with younger listeners as well, with turntable sales on the uptick. If you haven’t been into a record store lately, there are a few still remaining in the bay area. We went to Amoeba Records in Berkeley, but Rasputin’s, Streetlight Records, On the Corner Music, and The Analogue Room are still alive and kickin’.
Vinyl Buffs, Smorgasburg LA Is Your Next Jam: The once-a-month event will offer “over 10,000 highly curated vintage vinyl” selections, in addition to other music-related goodies. Before you pull the record out of its sleeve, and before you pull the sleeve off the shelve, and before you make sure your player’s needle is in working order, and the speaker is on, and you’re wearing your dance socks, do you decide what you’re making for dinner? Or does it go in the other direction? Do you place all of the supper ingredients on the kitchen counter, and then line up the bowls, and then decide what you’ll listen to, as you cook, on the ol’ hi-fi? Whatever direction you head in, the fact that making a meal, and/or eating a meal, while music plays, is a treasured tradition observed in many homes. So when a music-related happening, one that involves the chance to buy records, pops up at an outdoor food market, you immediately understand how much sense the perfect pair-up makes.
Two Cocteau Twins Albums Set For Vinyl Reissue: Two of the Cocteau Twins’ albums are to be reissued on vinyl in March via 4AD. As part of the label’s ongoing series of reissues, which has already seen the group’s albums Blue Bell Knoll, Heaven or Las Vegas, Tiny Dynamine, Echoes In A Shallow Bay and The Pink Opaque given a re-release, next up is Treasure and Head Over Heels. The original release of Head Over Heels in 1983 came shortly after original bassist Will Heggie left the band, leaving behind remaining members Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie who would go on to forge the band’s characteristic sound of textured guitars alongside Fraser’s vocals. Treasure, from 1984, was the point at which the band once again became a trio with guitarist Simon Raymonde entering into the fold. The record is widely considered as one of the group’s best.
