Before starting to write about record shops I was certain (without evidence) that the top ten highest paid dj’s in the world would probably not be seen dead with a new or 2nd hand vinyl in hand. So I typed in Google “Top ten highest paid DJ’s” and it brought up Forbes’ official list for 2013. Coincidentally it matched my top ten most smegma riddled bulbs of 2013! All the usual muppets were in there. Deadmouse, Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Skrrllxx (I don’t know how you spell it but you know the cunt I mean. Someone please stick him back up the vadge of the horror show of a woman that bore him.) Anyway as predicted not one fukin picture of a record or a turntable. 10 Dj’s all with laptops and a few of those were covered in diamantees! Again this is not a rant about laptop DJ’s. Its about DJ’s that have no interest in owning or promoting vinyl culture and there accompanying artworks.
Record shops are one of those places that will be missed when there gone. And most of them will be gone if the buying culture doesn’t change or the shops don’t get smarter in how they make money or market themselves. So called superstar DJ’s have a responsibility to use their high profiles to encourage people to own and appreciate records and artworks. Anyway at the end of the day owning vinyl has its advantages. I tried to ease the pain of a distressed work colleague who had been collecting music on hard drives for years. There was a flood in his house and his computer was ruined. The good news? He had it all backed up……. The bad news? Backup drive was under 2 feet of water. ha ah ah aha ahaahahahahah :D Now if that was vinyl the only thing ruined would have been the covers. And even they can be dried out and still work.
Sometimes I hear the problems a younger generation have that want to buy into vinyl culture. The main issue being the cost thing. "Records cost money init!" Well records weren’t free 20 years ago dick nose. One day when I was 14 I took my birthday money to the city centre and bought 5 rave records. That was the start of my collection. Now I’m still popping into my local record shops on small exciting journeys of discovery. Anyway if you spend wisely and look after your records it could actually be worth a lot more than its original purchase value. Especially these days as many small labels have seen releases double in price in less than a month! If you bought a Red Laser EP1 for £7.99 three weeks later you would have to pay £19.99 for the fucker 2nd hand. So records are actually becoming a canny investment. In fact records are the new Stamps. I mean who collects stamps anymore anyway? A load of old blokes? They'l all end up dead and the stamps they paid £20,000 for will be worth fuck all cos nobody will give a shit.
The great thing about the internet isn’t the free unlimited supply of badly sounding MP3’s, its the access to millions of tracks you would have never even had a chance to come across before the web made the world one big music library. I stream mix tapes online for free and watch you tube vids n that but if something grabs me I save up some doe and buy a hard copy of the fucker. You never have to buy a shit record again.
Another problem i have come across is people see how many records you have after 24 years of collecting and want that many right NOW!!!! They give up before they get started because of the thought of the amount of effort they may have to put in to obtain that amount of vinyl. Well here’s the fukin lowdown ar kid. Having 50 thousand records don’t mean shit if only 100 of them are any good. Some of the best record collections I have ever seen have been only around a few thousand strong with maybe even 600 of the most amazing records in that one place. In the words of DJ Randy Marsh “All hitters and no shitters!!!” The size of a collection doesn’t mean fuck all. It’s the quality of your purchases. I don’t need piles of non descript jazz records that I will never play again! What’s the point of 2000 hip hop records all trying to sound like DJ Premiere and doing it badly. So over many years I have been culling my collection to make it compact and full of concentrated bangers. Check my discogs for currently selected sale items. Ignore the bad seller rating for false gradings and unsent records
Anyway after todays long rant heres some record shop info. If you’re ever in Manchester ya just gotta check these out
Piccadilly Records
Oldham Street Manchester - Ace variety of new and old. Bespoke labels and one offs in abundance. Put aside half a day for browsing the shelves
Beatin Rhythm
Tib Street Manchester - Amazing 7” goldmine. Funk, Soul, Northern, Girl Bands ect.
Vinyl Exchange
Oldham Street Manchester - Anything goes at great prices. The shelves are always packed!
King Bee Records
Wilbraham Rd Chorlton, Manchester - Suburban Record bliss. Dirty, dusty and packed full of cheap bombs. Unmissable!
Stevensons Square Manchester - Long standing institution supplying the best electronic music from around the globe as well as local artists. I was buying records here in 1989!
Eastern Bloc
Stevensons Square Manchester - Long standing institution supplying the best electronic music from around the globe as well as local artists. I was buying records here in 1989!
Il Bosco
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