Philadelphia, PA | LOVE Records: Brewerytown Beats brings a new vinyl popup to Radio Kismet in West Philly: The owner of the beloved Brewerytown brick and mortar offers a curated collection of Philly-themed records for your holiday shopping. Crate diggers rejoice! While Brewerytown Beats will close its Bailey Street location in North Philly this winter, owner Max Ochester has started a new popup shop, LOVE Records, inside Radio Kismet on 34th Street in West Philly for the holiday season. The popup will operate every Thursday through Saturday until the new year, from 11 a.m. until Radio Kismet’s podcast studios close at 4 p.m., with Ochester himself filling in to add evening hours when possible (check their Instagram for special hours). …At LOVE Records, Ochester says he hopes to stir up some holiday spirit and keep sharing the Philly records he can no longer sell at Brewerytown Beats.
Dallas, TX | 8 Offbeat Places to Buy Vinyl Records in Dallas: If you’re bored with more traditional record stores, this collection of businesses that happen to sell records has you covered. In recent years, collecting and listening to vinyl records has made a major comeback, and it’s not just hipsters and old people doing it anymore. In the age of streaming, purchasing physical copies of music is one of the best ways to financially support your favorite artists, and owning it on vinyl is how you do it in style. Now that even big-box retailers want in on record store mania, local businesses are leaning into unique angles to stand out. Whether they’re designated record stores with a twist or niche businesses that include vinyl records in their inventory, here are some North Texas stores that make buying new vinyl a unique experience.
Isle of Wight, UK | Isle of Wight’s vinyl legends shine at ‘Needles in the Groove’ exhibition launch: From legends of the yesteryear to modern hitmakers, Tuesday evening saw Isle of Wight musicians attend the official launch party for Needles in the Groove, a free exhibition bringing together eight decades of Isle of Wight music on vinyl. Showcasing records by Level 42, The Bees, Craig Douglas, Grade 2, Lauran Hibberd and many more Island musicians, the display runs until 8th December 2023 at The Depozitory in Ryde. To officially launch the exhibition, Stu Spiller – the frontman of grunge rockers Panda Swim – and Paul Armfield were among the performers. Legendary IOW Cherokees member, Brian Sharpe, also took to the stage, and was joined by blues singer Angelina for a couple of tracks. Brian’s records from the 1960s are among the ones on display. To add to the festivities, a plethora of Island musicians were in attendance.
Dalston, UK | A decade of hi-fi haven Brilliant Corners: Brilliant Corners co-founder Amit Patel discusses the first decade of the Dalston audiophile location. Founded by entertainment lawyers and brothers Amit and Aneesh Patel in 2013, Brilliant Corners has spent the last decade building a reputation as one of the world’s leading hi-fi bar and restaurant venues. Located in Dalston, the space houses a permanent audiophile sound system and regular events and vinyl DJs alongside its izakaya-inspired food offering and natural wine list. In the ten years since Brilliant Corners’ birth, Amit and Aneesh have expanded, catering to London’s growing vinyl and audiophile scene with new businesses such as Giant Steps (a travelling Soundsystem living in Hackney Wick), vinyl and wine store Idle Moments and a new bar, restaurant and live venue called mu.
Winnipeg, CA | Vinyl Vault transforms Power Building basement into a musical wonderland: Winnipeg music lovers were drawn downtown Saturday as the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra’s (MCO) Vinyl Vault opened its doors once again for its monthly sale. Located in the basement of the Power Building at 428 Portage Avenue, the sale runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of every month. “We have LPs, we have CDs. We have laserdiscs, in case you remember those back from the nineties,” said Vinyl Vault volunteer Dennis Henney. “We have VHS tapes, we have cassette tapes, a whole plethora of things for people to enjoy.” The vault houses an extensive collection of records, spanning a wide range of genres and eras. From classic rock to jazz, blues to classical, shoppers can browse through thousands of albums. For those on a budget, the majority of records were priced at just $3 each, making it an affordable way to expand one’s music collection.
Mt. Lebanon, PA | Mt. Lebanon’s coffee and records store a chic local destination: Needle and Bean markets itself as “coffee and records,” but really, it’s a destination: a sleek space that smells like java, sounds like a movie soundtrack and feels like a place in which one could start an ink drawing, finish a novella or write a song. “I wanted something for the community,” said Mike Butala, who opened Needle and Bean along Castle Shannon Boulevard in August. “We like people to drive here and visit from distances, but the big drive is the community that’s around us. It’s something local for everybody to enjoy.” Butala grew up in Hermitage and, after graduating with a degree in engineering from Penn State Behrend, moved west. A love for music began with a CD collection in his youth, and an affinity for coffee started over cups with high school friends at the local Eat ‘n Park; both passions were cultivated in California.
London, UK | Inside the London pub filled with 6,000 vinyl records and where huge bands play secret gigs: The gig had to be kept top secret by the pub in a story that sounds like it came from a movie. When you think of a Green Day gig you you’d be forgiven for thinking of a sold-out Wembley Stadium but their most recent live performance last week had a much more humble setting. That would be the family-owned central London pub The Marquis run by the aptly named Tommy McGuinness. The pub’s heartbeat has always been pumped by music, Tommy said, who plays hits from his 6000-strong vinyl record collection daily alongside top-quality local live acts coming to play a number of times a week. Though last Thursday’s (9 November) surprise gig was different to what the Chandos Place pub is so used to – Tommy had to keep the whole affair entirely secret for starters. “It was the most bizarre night of my life really,” Tommy said, “It was because I had to keep it quiet and I like talking.”
Haarlem, NL | Haarlem Vinyl Festival has announced dates for its second edition, which will take place from 27-29 September 2024. The festival made its debut earlier this year to great success, attracting an estimated 15,000 visitors across 30 locations over three days. Next year’s event is said to be “bigger and bolder”, with more DJs, artists, talks, concerts, workshops for vinyl enthusiasts from around the world. 2024’s program also celebrates 70 years since the first gold record was awarded worldwide, in Haarlem. Aside from celebrating history, the festival also teases some of the latest innovations in the audio and vinyl industry. The first program components will be announced soon, according to organisers. Meanwhile, you can look forward to a record fair that’s set to take place again at the Nieuwe Groenmarkt on the festival’s weekend (28-29 September). The fair, organised in collaboration with Europe’s leading host Record Planet, is free of charge. Besides celebrating vinyl culture, the festival also serves as an international stage for Dutch talent, and a place where established and local artists can meet and bond through their love for vinyl.
