Starting from scratch–getting into vinyl collecting: So, at the risk of coming off as a chai latte sipping, kale munching bearded hipster, I’ve decided that a vinyl collection is in order. But I’m not in for collecting the latest from Vampire Weekend or another melancholy shrill from Courtney Barnett. I’ve decided to apply a few rules, some borrowed from my other hoarding collecting project of video games. And if you’re like me and just stating out in on a vinyl journey, these few pointers might help. My collection will only consist of what I want to listen to.
Batavia record shop ahead of the curve in vinyl comeback: To hear music industry analysts tell it, one would think that vinyl records have made some sort of dramatic comeback in just the past year or so. “They’ve been popular for the past 10 years or more,” said Mike Messerschmidt, co-founder of Kiss the Sky, which has had thousands of used and new albums on sale locally for nearly two decades. Kiss the Sky has seen an increase in vinyl record sales every year, especially during the annual Record Store Day celebrations in late April. “But now we’re kind of seeing a plateau at our little store because there are more players in the game (of selling records) now,” Messerschmidt said. “There is a lot of bandwagon jumping going on at a lot of the retailers in selling records now, and many other stores have popped up over the years.”
Master of None season 2 soundtrack coming to 2xLP blue vinyl: Aziz Ansari’s excellent, critically acclaimed Netflix series Master of None premiered its full second season today. While some of the season’s soundtrack has been uncovered – it’s got everything from Kraftwerk and D’Angelo to Tupac and ‘Scatman’ – the Italian music that scores Ansari’s character Dev’s European pilgrimage to learn pasta-making is coming to vinyl. Mondo and Lakeshore Records have collaborated on a 2xLP that comes in both blue vinyl and traditional black. As Mondo describes it, “season 2’s narrative launch in Italy takes the soundtrack into equally distinct, if not more diverse musical directions, [as season 1]” and it’s all collected here.
Timestep unveils modified Technics SL-1210GR: Timestep, the Devon-based audio company and master of the modified Technics, has unveiled a newly minted upgrade on the Technics SL-1210GR. A (slightly) more affordable iteration of Technics’ flagship relaunch last year, Timestep have fitted the Technics SL-1210GR with a Michell TecnoArm, whose low-resonance drilled armtube and under-slung counterweight give it all the markings of audiophile quality. While you can add you own cartridge, Timestep typically goes for a Denon DL-110 high output moving coil cartridge.
