Bristol, UK | Idle Hands raise £10,000 toward rent costs ahead of hunt for new home: Bristol’s Idle Hands is shutting its doors at the end of August but, with the help of the public, the record store could see a new location somewhere in the city. Idle Hands has been fundraising to help with rent costs and ongoing payments before the store closes at the end of the month. So far, the store has raised over £10,000. “I’m sad to say our time on City Road is coming to an end with the shop closing later this month,” the crowdfunder states, citing the pandemic and Brexit as two main reasons for its current struggle. “These are tricky times, but I do believe Idle Hands still has a future. A future that involves a more centrally located premises, a refresh and a new strategy to make the business more sustainable,” they added. Idle Hands has been running for some 11 years, first opening in Bristol’s St. Paul’s. Producer, DJ, and founder of Idle Hands, Chris Farrell, began the imprint just two years earlier in 2009…
Tunbridge Wells, UK | How London Road record store got into the groove following lockdown: One of the biggest lockdown success stories in Tunbridge Wells is that of vinyl record store Sugarbush Records after owner Markus Holler’s online business rocketed during Covid… It’s cheering to hear of a Tunbridge Wells success story, and on top of the town centre burger boom reported in our Food pages, we’re celebrating the popularity of the new vinyl record exchange shop in London Road – Sugarbush Records. Owner Markus Holler had been successfully buying and selling vinyl online full time for 30 years, but it was long his dream to open an actual record shop. And it was during the pandemic, when he was playing and selling music on The Forum terrace every Saturday, that he spotted the ideal premises on the main road opposite when it came on to the market. So come spring of this year, he opened up, and it has been doing a roaring trade ever since.
London, UK | South London’s Rat Records is reopening under new ownership, and a new name: “The fact that it will rise again as another record shop is the stuff of romance.” A new record shop is opening in London’s Camberwell neighbourhood, taking over Rat Records’ previous space. Dash The Henge is a new label launched with the “aim of introducing groups to the fore that might not get picked up by what we call the Mainstream Indie Industrial Complex,” co-founder Zsa Zsa Sapien, of SCUD FM and Meatraffle, shared in an announcement on Facebook. “We have noticed that many of these so-called independent labels have become even more conservative than the majors or bigger indie labels and not willing to take risks, understandable sometimes as external financial pressures can deform the integrity of an organisation,” the statement continues. The label’s physical outpost will be in Rat Records’ old shop in Camberwell, which the label notes was in danger of being “turned into yet another fast food chain or even worse an estate agents.”
Milwaukee, WI | Lilliput Records will celebrate its Grand Opening this weekend with deals, beer, music, more: In late July, Lilliput Records rose from the ashes of the Exclusive Company at 1669 N. Farwell Ave., keeping the independent record store dream alive on the East Side. The store is owned by former Exclusive managers Brian Kirk and Tanner Musgrove, who bought the business (and received an outpouring of community support) when Exclusive announced it was closing all of its stores. This weekend, August 19-21, Lilliput will celebrate its Grand Opening with deals and discounts, raffles and beer, and in-store music from Blue Unit, Cabin Essence, and Holy Pinto. It’s gonna be great. Here’s what the weekend looks like. And here’s what the store looks like. Not a ton has changed since the Exclusive days—and Kirk and Musgrove still have plenty of work left to do—but it’s great to see the old space getting an injection of new life. Let’s all shop there this weekend, Milwaukee. Let’s all shop there after this weekend, too.
Lancaster, PA | Used vinyl records can be messages from the past: There’s just something about used vinyl records. New ones are nice, but there’s something about the history contained within a used record that I can’t help but appreciate more with age. Assuming that the price is nice, and that the record hasn’t been “loved” too much over its history, a used record can serve as not only a window to the past, but a message, too. One of the last remaining 50-cent bins for used records in the Lancaster area isn’t a bin at all — there are shelves and shelves of records that have seen better days in the 50-cent area at Mr. Suit Records on Lancaster city’s West Chestnut Street. Certainly enough to while away an entire afternoon, which is why I usually just skim the tops of each row to see the most recent arrivals. These can range anywhere from Tijuana Brass albums to well-known classics whose glory days are long ago.
HMV mark 100 years with mascot-branded Pro-Ject T1 turntable: HMV team up with Henley Audio for a new Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB turntable featuring the retailer’s mascot Nipper. Entertainment retailer HMV have been celebrating their 100th anniversary over the past 12 months, and as the centenary comes to an end, they’re marking the milestone with a brand new turntable. They’ve teamed up with Henley Audio for a new Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB turntable which features the famous HMV logo, complete with mascot Nipper. The plinth of the turntable features no plastic or hollow spaces to ensure there are no vibrations to disrupt your listening, while the glass platter also guarantees “heavy, zero-resonance form.” The Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB also features a Ortofon OM 5E cartridge, Connect it ePhono cable, felt mat, dust cover, power supply, styles pressure gauge and an adapter to allow you to play singles.
How to clean vinyl records: 7 easy steps. Cleaning vinyl records is easier than you might think. If you’ve never done it before, cleaning your records yourself can be a little daunting. If you’re like most vinyl lovers, you’re probably very protective over your record collection, and will not want any harm to come to your beloved vinyl! Fear not. This guide will show you how to clean vinyl records safely at home without damaging them. With a little bit of guidance, cleaning records is easy, and can be done without the need for expensive products or equipment. That said, with the resurgence of vinyl in recent years, there is a whole range of useful gear out there that can make the job even easier. For that reason, this guide will explain both how to clean records on a budget, as well as pointing you to recommended products for a more professional level of cleaning. This guide covers the following points…
