London, UK | New record store, Upside Down Records, opens in South London: The new Deptford pre-loved vinyl and CD shop is run by Philippe Giron, who managed Camberwell’s beloved Rat Records for 15 years until its closure in June 2022. A new record store has opened in South London. Upside Down Records is the newest addition to Deptford High Street and aims to be a “social hub for music heads”. It specialises in secondhand vinyl and CDs, and so far pre-loved stock includes genres like house, reggae, drum & bass, IDM, jazz, funk, fusion and more. …The shop is run by Philippe Giron, who managed Camberwell’s beloved Rat Records for 15 years until its closure in June 2022. “Record shops may have a reputation for being intimidating sometimes, but I believe you won’t find that here”, Giron wrote on the store’s website. “…I’m always amazed by the level of passion from customers, and find that to be contagious. That’s why I’m starting Upside Down Records, to keep my passion alive.”
Belfast, IE | New business continuing the Van Morrison family legacy in east Belfast: A new east Belfast business is following in the footsteps of Van Morrison’s parents bringing vinyl sales – with a twist – to the Beersbridge Road for the first time in years. Set up by long-term friends Paddy Baird and Jason Hawthorne, Bread and Records brings together two unlikely businesses under one roof. Heading up Assemble Bakery, Mr Baird brings freshly baked treats and coffee to the shop, while Mr Hawthorne sells a carefully curated selection of new and vintage records through First Press Vinyl. The new bakery and record shop is based on the ground floor of a former two storey office building, on the Beersbridge Road. That same road was once home to Caledonia Records, a record shop set up by Van Morrison’s parents Violet and George after they returned to Belfast from California.
Stockton, UK | Tom Butchart’s Sound It Out Records makes staggering £23,500 as first lot goes under the hammer: The vinyl shop closed two months after Tom sadly died suddenly in his shop. More than £23,000 has already been raised from Sound It Out Records stock in memory of much-loved owner Tom Butchart. Store owner Tom sadly died suddenly in his shop in June, leaving his wife Clare, parents, three younger brothers, and the Teesside music community devastated. The Stockton vinyl shop closed two months later after serving the North East since 1998. …Over the years the shop grew and became one of the most popular vinyl shops in the country. At the time of Tom’s death, Teesside Live reported on the hundreds of tributes left to Tom. His wife Clare said: “Thank you to everyone for the many kind, heartfelt messages we’ve received about Tom. “There are so many of them which shows just how well loved and respected Tom was. We are utterly devastated at his loss but people’s kind words are a comfort to me and Tom’s family at this impossibly difficult time.”
Palm Beach, FL | Rust & Wax store grows along with the popularity of new and used vinyl records. It’s almost cliché to say that the pandemic inspired bold change in people’s lives. Quarantine-induced reflection worldwide saw individuals taking stock. For Florida natives Melanie Feldman and Jesse Feldman, COVID-19 couldn’t have come at a better time. It helped propel their side gig selling vintage goods into one of Palm Beach County’s premier record stores, Rust & Wax. The West Palm Beach-based store focuses primarily on selling new and used vinyl records, everything from the latest Taylor Swift album to classic rock, indie pop, reggae and jazz. Business is going so well that the store will move to larger digs in January, just a few doors down from their current location within Industry Alley, a hip, rehabbed retail oasis just off Belvedere Road adjacent to the railroad tracks. “We’re doubling our size, to about 1,600 square feet of retail space,” says Melanie.
Philadelphia, PA | 48 Record Bar, a vinyl listening room and cocktail lounge, to open in Old City: The 37-seat space above Sassafras Bar will host events celebrating the Wu-Tang Clan’s first album and Tony Trov’s ‘Hoagiewave’ Anew bar is coming to Old City that caters as much to music obsessives as it does to cocktail enthusiasts. 48 Record Bar, a 37-seat vinyl listening room and cocktail lounge, is set to open above Sassafras Bar near 2nd and Chestnut streets in early December. It will pair a menu of 16 cocktails, beer and wine with a high-fidelity sound system for vinyl records. The new cocktail lounge will host events like DJ sets, record-release parties, live podcast tapings and vinyl listening sessions. Things kick off Dec. 2 with a low-fidelity electronic music set from South Fellini’s Tony Trov, who released the Philly-inspired album “Hoagiewave” this summer. A vinyl listening night celebrating the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” will take place on Dec. 7.
Liverpool, UK | Record your own vinyl at The Jacaranda for one day only in its 1947 Voice-O-Graph booth: For one day only! Record messages and music straight to vinyl at Liverpool’s iconic Jacaranda bar using on one of the world’s last remaining vinyl recording booths. On Sunday 3rd December for one day only The Jacaranda is opening up their Voice-O-Graph machine to the public to record messages and music straight to a vinyl record that they can take home to add to their record collection or perhaps even gift it to somebody. The Voice-O-Graph machine, about the size of a photo booth, was designed in 1939 and allowed people to record messages, songs and poetry straight to vinyl. They’d often be found in arcades, movie theaters and bus stations across the US. Even at the height of its popularity there were less than 400 Voice-O-Graph machines in global circulation and now very few remain. Over the past few years The Jacaranda’s Voice-O-Graph has been exclusively used on a very limited basis with artists such as Birdy, Tim Burgess, Jamie Webster, The Big Moon and Frank Turner all recording in the booth.
Teesdale, UK | It’s only a rock and roll fair… but we liked it! Forget streaming. Forget CDs. For many of us, there is simply no substitute for the vinyl album. Editor Stuart Laundy was among kindred spirits as he headed to Barnard Castle’s first record fair. Parallel Lines, by Blondie. That was my first album. Released in September 1978, I reckon I bought it the following summer having saved up money from my paper round. Does everybody remember the first record they bought? Parallel Lines may have been the first album to grace my collection but my first record was a single, Rockin’ All Over The World, by Status Quo which was released in 1977. I picked that up on the cheap from a box of 45s that were on sale in a newsagent’s shop in Neasham Road, Darlington. While I liked Rockin’, it was the B-side that got me hooked on Quo. Ring of a Change, a track from the Blue for You album.
Cork, IE | It’ll be tasty vinyl, mulled wine and mince pies at this festive Record Fair: Ready to find that needle in the haystack? If you’re in the mood for immersing yourself in the world of dusty albums, on the hunt for a hidden gem, or perhaps eager to sell off or exchange some of your vinyl collection, the Kinsale Record Fair returns to Pier Road for a Christmas special this year on December 3rd, 2023. This year the event will be supporting Kinsale Youth Theatre Project and there will be a table at the fair for donated CDs, tapes, and records. ..The fair will be celebrating the festivities with complimentary mulled wine and mince pies for browsers, with a live DJ set by the KRF DJ, Milward on the day. The fun kicks off at 11am on December 3rd and runs until 5pm and entry is €2. Our advice is to bring a bag in case you unearth more gems than you bargained for.
U-Turn Orbit Special turntable review: revamped and out of this world: I’ve always been impressed with U-Turn Audio’s lineup of affordable Orbit turntables that it started making in 2012. Over the following decade, the Orbit earned a reputation for being a no-nonsense record player that looks good, is simple to operate, and is made with good components — you could even mix and match them to suit your needs and budget, which made the line appealing to a wide range of vinyl enthusiasts, including myself. So, when U-Turn launched its 2nd-gen Orbit lineup last fall — the first major upgrade in the company’s history — I was excited to get my hands on one. That time has come. The entire Orbit range, which includes the Orbit Basic, Plus, and Special, has been revamped. U-Turn has furnished me with both ends of the range, the Basic and Special, but this review will focus on the latter. Taking more than a few pointers from its premium-range Orbit Theory turntable that U-Turn successfully launched in late 2022, the upgrades to the 2nd-gen Orbit Special have made it a near perfect midrange turntable that is a joy to use.
