Zagreb, HR | Beloved Zagreb Music Store, Croatia Records, to Close Doors: As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the oldest record store in this area is closing, and one of the cult locations in central Zagreb is quietly going down in history. This is the story of the former Jugoton, today’s Croatia Records – a much loved Zagreb music store which opened its doors back in 1964, seventeen years after the founding of the first record company Jugoton in the former Yugoslavia. …For almost fifty-seven years, this Zagreb music store in Bogoviceva was the first and direct connection to discophiles and those who became passionate record collectors with the first record they bought, and the store quickly became a gathering place for the musicians themselves. “Oh but of course! I used to be there with Gabi Novak and Zdenko Kovacicek,” recalls Tereza Kesovija, who, as has been since learned from Croatia Records, was the very first star to sign an album for her fans at a promotion in Bogoviceva. Kesovija has stated that she will be sad to see this Zagreb music store go as the end of an era draws close.
Istanbul, TR | Istanbul’s record sellers miss old days before digitalization: Once frequented by musicians who came from across Turkey to sell their talents with the hope of becoming famous, the Unkapanı Bazaar now longs for its glorious heyday. …Although sales of vinyl records increased during the coronavirus period, the draw of the bazaar is unlike before as people already went off the boil. While musicians used to form long queues in front of record labels to be able to release their albums, the bazaar is no longer frequented by those seeking stardom. Prospective singers are looking to become famous through digital platforms such as social media, rather than visiting the bazaar in the present. Shopkeepers in the bazaar are quite concerned about the situation. They say that the songs of singers who become famous through digital platforms will remain popular only for a short time and that this undermines the quality of music. Despite their setbacks, record labels in the bazaar still introduce permanent, high-quality works to the Turkish music world, albeit with much less frequency. The shopkeepers are still struggling to hand down the beautiful works to future generations.
Marrickville, AU | RPM Records: During the height of COVID-19 and the stay/work from home orders many of us had to quickly build home offices or even revamp the offices we already had. For many that need seemed to mean looking for acoustic options such as vinyl record players and actual vinyl records. It was here that RPM Records in Marrickville came to the fore with their extensive range of fantastic, and in some cases very rare, records. Speaking with the Inner West Independent store owners Steve and Lizzie regaled us with the story of RPM Records and their thoughts on vinyl records as a special music medium. Founded in 2015 RPM Records started as a dream of “one day opening a record store” for the couple. Then with the help of music promoter Kevin Jacobson that dream became a reality on the six month anniversary of Steve and Lizzie dating. “Our first date was actually in a record shop and we quickly bonded over our shared love of music. Then when Kevin Jacobson asked us to sell his memorabilia collection we knew that was the moment we had the love for vinyl and memorabilia together in a store,” recalled Steve. Whilst the old cliche is to never work with loved ones, for Steve and Lizzie RPM Records it only intensified their love and bond because now they had “created our dream environment” together.
San Francisco, CA | Passionfruit’s Globe-Trotting DJ Mixes Tell Stories Through Disco: When you press play on one of Passionfruit’s mixes, you might find yourself swept away on a whirlwind world tour. Suddenly, a funky pulse becomes your compass as you dance your way through Ghana, Colombia, Australia and Japan. Like most of us, the Bay Area DJ and avid traveler is stuck at home right now. But the mixes she’s put out during the pandemic have attracted an international audience that comes for her wide-ranging musical knowledge and savvy curation of global rhythms. …Yonas is an event producer by day whose resume includes major festivals such as Coachella, Envision in Costa Rica and Harvest in Turkey. Whether traveling for work or on a solo adventure, she’s always made it a point to follow her ears to each destination’s music scene. Chatting up locals in Berlin and pulling out Shazam at markets in Morocco, Yonas has built a massive record collection of international funk, disco and other dance music mostly from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and found surprising links between different cultures while doing it. Her mixes tap into a universal sense of celebration and connection, and speak to how different cultures have thrived in spite of colonization and other forms of oppression.
Vinyl Record Display Shelves Turn Boring Walls Into Art Gallery: If you’re like me and have found yourself on more video calls this year, you’ve likely figured out you need a more sophisticated background than an unmade bed and piles of dirty laundry. But why shell out money for expensive wall art when you have a record collection full of masterpieces to put on display? Enter these record holders from Oaprire. These acrylic shelves are easy to hang and offer a simple solution for jazzing up your walls. A two-pack of these shelves will run you $10.99 plus tax on Amazon. They’re also available in packs of four and six shelves. Installation can be as difficult or as easy as you’d like to make it. If you have a fear that the shelves are going to come crashing down while listening to your vinyl cranked up to 11, then maybe use the screws that come with the shelves to attach them to the wall. Then again, maybe you’re like me and you in ability to secure screws into a drywall outweighs your fear of vinyl falling to the floor. I opted to use the adhesive strips, which were included with the shelves. There are four adhesive pads for each shelf. While I haven’t popped a four-album record up on one of the shelves, I’m pretty confident that much adhesive will keep them in place.
