“Vinyl to me is an event almost similar to cinema. You drop the needle and you’re in it, you sit down and stay for the whole show. Listening in a format that just draws you in.”
“My earliest memory of vinyl is sitting in a smoke-filled basement, at a local musician hangout, in my home town of Mifflintown, Pa. We were listening to Robert Johnson and Nat King Cole and I felt like I was transported back in time. The warmth and the scratching of the needle on an old record was so comforting and cool. These memories are fleeting, due to circumstances better left unsaid, but I will never forget that first, very vague, yet at the same time extremely specific moment in my life.
A few years later a friend loaned me a portable record player while out of town working on a film. I was living in a house on Kingsland Avenue in Brooklyn at the time, and lucky for me it was stocked with crate after crate after crate of records. Once I had my own personal turntable I locked myself in my room for a few weeks, and this is when I developed a true understanding and appreciation for these magical little grooved out disks.
During that time The Doors’ LA Woman was what hooked me. Each time I put that record on I was captivated and still always feel the album ended too soon. This was something I hadn’t really experienced since listening to cassette tapes as young kid.
I’m not sure if digital music today is just too easy and acceptable but it’s rare that a downloaded album captivates me the same way as when I’m spinning a record. It’s more personal on vinyl when you carefully hold the music and lay it down to play—listening becomes a moment of respected attention which really draws you in.
Today I start nearly every morning over a coffee and listening to a record with my girlfriend. It’s the best way to wake up! Lately we’ve been spinning Paul McCartney – Ram, Fleetwood Mac – Tusk, Goat – Commune, and Talking Heads – Little Creatures.
My newest purchase is George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh and my most current collection raid was of my aunt’s record collection from the ’70s. It’s killer… Zeppelin, Sabbath, the Beach Boys, etc..she rules!
One of my proudest moments to date was when we (Walking Shapes) released Taka Come On on vinyl. I was given two copies of the test press from our label and was to give them both to our producer, Gus Oberg, to check the mix. While walking home I ran into my buddy, Mike, from the band Shinobi Ninja who invited me to his place to give the record its first spin. After we listened to the record I was so stoked that I ended up giving him one of the two test presses to keep for himself (but this is before I had even met up with Gus).
Next minute, I’m with our producer and he’s asking where the second pressing is. At this point I started stuttering and the excitement was totally gone. I’m thinking oh shit, I’ve ruined the record, it’s going to lack low end and it will be all my fault! Thankfully the label held on to an extra few copies and luckily it all worked out. The vinyl sounds sick and we are very proud of to have it out!”
—Nathaniel Hoho
Walking Shapes’ full length Taka Come On is available on limited edition, 12″ white vinyl. Enter to win a copy by regaling us in the comments below with what’s currently spinning on your turntable. He or she with a solid recommendation for us and a North American mailing address will take home the record. We’ll choose one winner a week from today, Monday, December 15!
