“Vinyl is nostalgic for me, and my current collection of records is heavily influenced by that of my parents which I listened to as a kid. It is totally evocative.”
“I can vividly remember being fascinated by Queen’s A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera. I can recall the way the room looked, where I laid down behind the sofa, the details of the furniture housing the hi-fi and records, even the smell of the records. Good memories.”
I was instantly attracted to The Who records; A Quick One made a massive impression – especially their cover of “Heat Wave.” Then there was the Cream’s Fresh Cream. “I Feel Free” is still one of my favourite songs – graceful, elegant, and brutal. I wouldn’t change a note of it or sound in it. So good!
I’ve got some classics in my vinyl collection now; maybe not particularly rare records, but stuff like David Bowie’s Scary Monsters sounds incredible, almost three-dimensional. I’m also lucky enough to be in possession of a friend’s collection, on the longest of long-term loans. I’m certainly hoping that is the case, as it contains loads of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, John Martin, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Rolling Stones.
There’s no doubt that all these things have influenced what I play and how I play it. It’s fair to say that John Martin and Nick Drake’s strands of folk are obvious influences when you hear The Mojo Fins’ The Spirit EP.
Shopping for records is a lot more gratifying than instantly finding something on Spotify.
It’s nice to go and browse, hold the records in your hand, study the artwork, the liner notes, maybe read some of lyrics and then politely suggest a cheaper price than the one displayed and take it from there. I buy most of my records from a shop in Brighton called Monkey Music, which is also where I get all of my hi-fi equipment from – it’s mostly reconditioned stuff from the ’70s. It seems fitting that the records I play on it are from a similar era.”
—Adam Luke Atkins
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