Lausanne, CH | Swiss record store Legram Vinyl Garden to close end of 2022: Run by DJs Anaïs Liro and Oscar Conway (AKA Oscar VG), the shop isn’t having its lease renewed. Beloved record store Legram Vinyl Garden, located in a suburb of Lausanne, is closing down at the end of the year. Owned by DJs Oscar Conway (AKA Oscar VG) and Anaïs Liro, Legram VG sits in the sleepy commuter town of Renens. As Conway explained to Resident Advisor, the closure was inevitable. “When we moved into the spot we knew that at some point we’d get bad news, we just didn’t know when,” he said. “The local council who provided the building have been amazing with us though, we’ve had a solid relationship with them since the beginning. They come in all the time to eat in the restaurant downstairs and often have drinks after work—the mayor even bought a funk record once (€2). It’s just people above them poring over graphs, generally not thinking about bodged-up, second-hand record stores. We just hope that the string pullers over the next spot are into their tunes.”
York, UK | York Record Fair returns to city next month: A popular record fair is returning to York next month – with thousands of records available to customers under one roof. The second York Record Fair of the year is to be held at York Racecourse in The Knavesmire Stand on Saturday November 5. There will be up to 50 record sellers from all over the UK, bringing with them a selection of vinyl records of all genres. There will also be some CDs, 78s, music-related books and magazines, ephemera, posters and jukeboxes. Fair organiser, John Cox, said: “From Abba to Zappa, there will be something for everyone, with many rare collectables and lots of bargains. In addition to sought after first pressings from yesteryear, there will be recent releases of current music. Some stalls will specialise in particular types of music and others will have a wide range. “In addition to all the record stalls, there’ll be six hours of DJs spinning an eclectic mix of music, and jukeboxes playing for the final hour. “The first fair in April was a great success and this one looks like being even better, with even more quality stalls.”
Frederick, MD | 300-plus volunteers serve Frederick community on ‘Day of Action’ …Business owner Sam Lock was especially grateful for the support. Volunteers came to his store at 410 N. Market St. in Frederick to help transform what will be the new home of The Record Exchange. The record store was damaged in August after apartments above it caught fire, forcing Lock to relocate the business from 151 N. Market St. Thankfully, he found a new spot quickly. Customers donated records to help him refill inventory. He hopes to open Dec. 1, but much work is to be done. Volunteers primed the store’s walls Friday morning. Lock estimated it would have taken two weeks to do it without their help. When the priming is complete, he plans to paint the walls red, like at the old shop. Lock said he has been overwhelmed with support from the Frederick community, citing fundraisers and donations of vinyl records. “It’s incredible,” Lock said. “Just so heartwarming.”
UK | Beyonce rocks Rolling Stones T-shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots to sign vinyl versions of new album Renaissance in slick new video: Beyoncé’s latest studio album, Renaissance, is already another huge hit for the pop superstar, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart weeks after lead single Break My Soul topped the US Billboard Hot 100. As a result, she now has the distinction of being the only female musical artist to have her first seven studio albums debut at number one in the U.S. Still firmly entrenched in promo mode some two months later, Queen Bey made her way to a record store to sign copies of her record-setting album, looking casually-cool rocking a Rolling Stones T-shirt, vintage blue jeans and black cowboy boots. Still firmly entrenched in promo mode some two months later, Queen Bey made her way to a record store to sign copies of her record-setting album, looking casually-cool rocking a Rolling Stones T-shirt, vintage blue jeans and black cowboy boots.
Tokyo, JP | $50,000 turntables amp up tunes for affluent vinyl fans: Success of niche manufacturer Esoteric rescues parent Teac from financial abyss. High-end Japanese audio equipment maker Esoteric has launched its first analog turntable — at a sticker price normally reserved for new cars. The Grandioso T1, released last month, sets itself apart by using a magnetic driver and platter to achieve contactless rotation. Unlike conventional turntables, it reduces vibrations that would disturb the playback of a record. The device does not come cheap: its suggested retail price starts at 7.15 million yen ($49,500). Esoteric’s parent company Teac, an electronics maker, invited this reporter to the company’s headquarters to take a listen to the turntable. The equipment was hooked up to Teac speakers priced at 40 million yen. The Grandioso played a powerful instrumental piece, and the ear was able to pick out the most minute notes. Although the experience was overwhelming, it was hard to tell whether the credit goes to the turntable or the high-end speakers.
The Best Vintage Turntables That You Can (Maybe) Still Buy: Why would you want to buy a vintage turntable? The aesthetic, the nostalgia and the price. We’re living in a vinyl renaissance — there’s no doubt about that. Vinyl sales continue to break year-over-year records (and have done so since 2005); its popularity has grown so much that more and more vinyl pressing plants are opening up. Audio companies are going back to analog, too, making new-age hi-fi components like amps, preamps, receivers and, of course, turntables. But they don’t make them like they used to, right? At least not with the same charm and nostalgia. If you were to ask a true hi-fi lover or audiophile, they’d likely tell you that the golden age of vinyl was in the ’70s and ’80s. It was a time before cassettes, CDs and the digital audio revolution, when a vinyl record was the easiest and most popular way to listen to an album. It was a time when there was an abundance of turntable manufacturers, too, such as Technics, Luxman, Acoustic Research, Linn, JVC, Denon, Pioneer and Sony (just to name a few).
Harry Styles’ Harry’s House is the best-selling vinyl release of the year so far: Wet Leg, Yard Act and Arctic Monkeys also feature in the top 10. Official Charts has revealed that Harry Styles has had the biggest-selling vinyl release of the year so far in the UK. Harry’s House, the One Direction man’s third solo album, has sold 60,000 copies on vinyl since its release in May. It’s been a good year for Styles in the vinyl world – his sophomore release Fine Line and self-titled debut sit at 27 and 37 on the ranking respectively. The top 10 is filled out by Liam Gallagher’s C’mon You Know, Wet Leg’s excellent self-titled debut, Fontaines DC and Arctic Monkey’s AM, an album that continues to outlive Tumblr – the original source of its power.
