Silver Spring, MD | Md. record store owner rent check stolen, cashed for $9K: Johnson Lee has sold plenty of copies of the Dead Kennedy’s album containing the song “Stealing People’s Mail” — now the owner of Joe’s Record Paradise in Silver Spring, Maryland, said that’s what has happened to him. “I was speaking to my landlords today, and they mentioned they did not get last month’s rent,” Lee told WTOP. “I went to the bank and got some printouts and noticed a $9,000 check, which doesn’t seem like something we would do.” Lee rushed back to his shop, matched up check numbers, and realized the rent check he wrote and dropped in the mail had been stolen, doctored and deposited, and he was out $9,000. ”I’d written the check and put it into the mailbox on Georgia Avenue,” Lee said. “It’s pretty brazen of them to steal from that box — it’s extremely visible to traffic all day.” Lee said the thieves didn’t just take his check and cash it — they helped themselves to a lot more.
Perth, AU | Check Out This Rad New Record Store Full Of Rare Finds Underneath The State Buildings: We’re not short on cool record stores around Perth (we even made a list for them, which is now due for an update), but the newest edition to the scene may just be its most aesthetically – and aurally – pleasing. Shari-Vari Records, underneath the State Buildings in Perth’s CBD, is a curated, one-of-a-kind import record store specialising in a quality-over-quantity selection of new and used vinyls traversing ambient, experimental, house, techno, soul, disco, reggae, dub, African and Brazilian genres. It’s the brainchild of Patrick Little, who moved to Perth a few years ago and set up the Shari-Vari Records Online Store, and for a short while had a small selection on sale at SHOP MAN-TLE. This in turn has led to an opening at the State Buildings and an opportunity to expand his real world offering and following, while still providing that specially-curated selection of sounds he’s come to be known for.
Wilmington Island, GA | Coastal Empire Records part of Vinyl Revival: Wilmington Island record shop seeing sales soar due to rebirth of vinyl records: It’s a vinyl revival in the age of streaming and downloads. Despite having the ability to summon any song, band or genre of music by simply touching a screen, many are turning to vinyl records as their source for music. As the popularity for vinyl records grows, so are the crowds at Coastal Empire Records on Wilmington Island. “Vinyl has appreciated in the past couple years,” says owner Ken Jordan. “You’re not just buying records for your collection, but it’s an investment.” After a successful career in retail pharmacy, Ken’s head was spinning with possibilities for retirement. He and wife Shirlene decided to drop the needle on a new business venture. It was something near and dear to the Jordan’s. “I’ve been collecting for so long and I just wanted to do something fun after 35 years in the corporate world…”
Denver, CO | DJ A-L Is Bringing a Throwback Vinyl Party to Ophelia’s: When Aaron Ladley, aka DJ A-L, was seven years old, he asked Santa for a Salt-N-Pepa cassette tape, and Father Christmas responded favorably. At age eight, he heard Jam Master Jay scratch on a record. Now, almost thirty years later, A-L calls himself an untraditional musician, and he’s bringing an untraditional throwback dance party to Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox on Saturday, August 27. A-L, who estimates he’s spun more than a thousand sets throughout a decade of throwing parties in Denver, is approaching HYPE’s monthly residency at Ophelia’s as an art installation. “I don’t need to make a killing. I need to make art,” he says. “I’ve been passing out fliers that look bad — a silly ’90s aesthetic. It’s ridiculous to turn a throwback party into a work of art, but I love that type of challenge.” He hasn’t seen his version of the ’90s at other throwback parties he’s attended in Denver, so he’s creating his own. The event will put an emphasis on turntablism and authenticity, rooted in the foundation of hip-hop culture. “Without Boyz II Men, there’s no Backstreet Boys,” he notes.
Leicester, UK | Family-run Clarendon Park record shop launched during pandemic announces permanent closure: Shakup Records was opened by a musician who once played with Stevie Wonder: An independent Leicester record shop launched during the pandemic has announced its permanent closure. Shakup Records, in Montague Road, Clarendon Park, will serve its final customers this weekend. …Described as “Leicester’s grooviest vinyl store and music hub”, it stocks new and used vinyl ranging from funk and soul to hip-hop, jungle to punk rock, and everything else in between. Owner Nick has had a long career in music, which in 1984 included playing on a record, Feel It, with the legendary Stevie Wonder, when Nick was in the Leicester-based group Feelabeelia. He then fronted the band Ska-Boom and has played in bands ever since, before deciding to open the record shop two years ago. He teamed up with his sons, Sonny and Finn, who are house music producers and DJs and go under the alias Murphy’s Law. But the venture will come to an end this weekend, with stock going for a song until then with 50% off.
DZ | Iconic Algeria record store’s fortunes revived by DJ Snake: Legendary Algerian music label Disco Maghreb, which launched the careers of some of the Rai folk-inspired genre’s most famous stars, has seen a revival thanks to a hit song by DJ Snake. This week, the label’s miniature headquarters at a long-shuttered record store in the eastern city of Oran will receive another prominent guest: French President Emmanuel Macron, whose official visit will be focused on outreach to youth in the North African country. Owner Boualem Benhaoua, 68, said he has “so many memories in the music, so many memories with Rai singers, they all came through here.” Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami, Cheb Hasni and Cheba Zahouania are among the most famous stars of the genre, which emerged in 1920s Oran but became a major world music genre in the 1980s, particularly popular in Algeria’s former colonial ruler France.
Manchester, UK | I work in town: Martin Evans, Piccadilly Records… the best view of the city? ‘From the 250 bus heading towards Hulme.’ ‘To anyone visiting, just avoid the Arndale, Market Street and Piccadilly.’ Manchester and music are synonymous. From punk in the 70s, indie in the 80s, Madchester in the 90s, and then the Britpop boom shortly after, each era has brought a distinct soundtrack to life in this great city. And the best tunes can be found in one of Manchester’s finest institutions, Piccadilly Records. Now on Oldham Street, the record store has become a pilgrimage for vinyl lovers from all over the country. With all the latest releases and a back catalogue of classic records, the shop is a music-lover’s paradise. We spoke to shop assistant Martin Evans, to find out what makes him tick.
Miami, FL | Calling all vinyl collectors: The Miami Record Fair is here to stay: Even though music technology has advanced far beyond cassettes, 8-track tapes and CDs, there continue to be plenty of old-school vinyl enthusiasts. For the last four years, collectors have had a home: The Miami Record Fair. Now held monthly at The Oasis at 2335 No. Miami Ave. in Wynwood, the event is free and open to the public. This celebration of music is hosted by the record label Terrestrial Funk from noon to 5 p.m. on the last Sunday of every month. This month it’s planned for August 28. Daniel Edenburg, who prefers the name “Brother Dan,” is the owner, curator and manager of Terrestrial Funk, a four-year-old label that “catalogs timeless sounds that evoke the human spirit,” according to their website. “An event like this is bigger than the person putting it together,” said Brother Dan. “It’s just putting the pieces of a community together.”
Biologist creates world’s first “living record” with live yeast: Mikael Hwang calls the record “a project at the intersection of biology, sound, and music.” Electronic artist Mikael Hwang (AKA Psients), who also works as a scientist, has created the world’s first electronic record filled with living yeast cells. ‘Signal’ is the first playable, live music medium in the world to both include and be mediated by a microorganism. The EP release has been accompanied by an art exhibition, which debuted at South Korea’s Paradise Art Lab Festival in 2022. The record boasts a custom hybridised petri dish, including hidden material within the record that made it easier to record the vibrations of the yeast cells and consequently relay them as audio. Speaking to Art Style about his inspiration for the project, Hwang explained: “Clubs and dance floors are essential spaces for people to dance and enjoy music – that’s where my love of electronic music blossomed,” says Hwang in Art Style.
