Houston, TX | Deep End Records goes under, Insomnia Gallery shuts its doors for now: If you’ve ever attended one of Insomnia Gallery’s vividly imaginative art shows — frequently reviewed by Thresher staff and featured in our weekly roundup of local arts events in recent years — you’ve been greeted with walls lined with colorful cassette tapes and bins filled with vinyl records old and new to rifle through. Deep End Records, tucked in that front room of the indie gallery since early 2018, was a frequent stop on my first solo adventures in Houston thanks to its laid-back vibe, wide selection and insane affordability — I was incredulous to have been able to snag an Elton John album for just $5 on one of my first visits. On Sept. 25, Insomnia announced via Instagram Live that it would be going on a hiatus and that Deep End was closing permanently; both businesses will have vacated their cozy alcove on 708 Telephone Road by the end of this month. Instagram comments flooded in from local music lovers reminiscing about times they’d discovered and adopted gems, many expressing hope for another Deep End venture somewhere down the line.
Prague, CZ | A new record shop has opened in Prague: “An audio and visual exploration playground for the open-minded.” A new record shop called YUKU Music has opened in Prague. Founded by the label of the same name, YUKU will function as a “record shop, exhibition space, audio and visual exploration playground for the open-minded,” with live performances and sets. The shop will stock genres including: ambient, IDM, bass music, jungle, experimental electronica, genre fusions, modern classical music, and movie soundtracks. YUKU shares: “For us, opening our store (we are a husband and wife team) is about making a statement in relation to the value of music and art. In an era where music has been devalued due to streaming, we see the emergence of a new ‘listeners’ culture — a culture of ‘slow music’, much as has emerged in fashion and food. The tide of cheap consumerism and endless accessibility has made intimate experiences with music more desirable for certain people.” “We want to create a space for the senses, where people can come and listen to our carefully created selection of vinyl, or sit on the listening couch and read, or experiment with our live visual set up…”
Devizes, UK | Metal signs and vinyl records doing the business in Devizes: Two small Devizes businesses which managed to weather lockdown are looking to the future with optimism. Belgard antiques and record shop Vinyl Realm are neighbours in Northgate Street and offer something different to the norm. Both are finding that offering a product that harks back to earlier eras is capturing the imagination of people living under the threat of Covid-19. Sean Belgard opened his doors 19 Northgate Stree just days before lockdown back in March but says that since he has been able to re-open trade has been surprisingly good. Vinyl Realm moved at the end of last month from Long Street to 59 Northgate Street and can at last spread out its vast collection of albums and other music related goods to show them off to their best advantage.
Green Day announces 25th anniversary ‘Insomniac’ vinyl reissue: Green Day has announced a vinyl reissue of the band’s 1995 album Insomniac to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The two-LP collection includes the original record remastered, plus a batch of rare and previously unreleased live tracks. “Insomniac is finally old enough to rent a car (or whatever else you can do when you’re 25, we’re not lawyers),” the punk trio says. “So we remastered it to celebrate, and we’re throwing in some bonus goodies to boot!” The reissue is set to ship in March 2021. You can pre-order it now via the Green Day web store. Insomniac was released on October 10, 1995. While not as commercially successful as its diamond-certified predecessor, 1994’s Dookie, the record did spawn classic Green Day singles including “Geek Stink Breath,” “Brain Stew” and “Jaded,” and was certified double-platinum. Green Day released their latest album, Father of All…, in February.
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’ Soundtrack Getting Deluxe Vinyl Release With Two Previously Unreleased Tracks! On Black Friday (November 27th), publishing/production house 1984 Publishing will release a deluxe vinyl edition of the Silent Night, Deadly Night soundtrack via Record Store Day. The LP packaging is designed by “Ghoulish” Gary Pullin, who previously worked with 1984 on his coffee table book Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin, the vinyl soundtrack for 1980’s Prom Night, and the double A-side 12-inch for Goblin’s themes for Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead. Silent Night, Deadly Night features 12 songs produced and arranged by Morgan Ames, who worked directly with producer Scott Schneid and 1984 on the album. Two of the songs, “Merry Christmas Sweetheart” and “Christmas In My Dreams” were recorded for the film and went unused. This release marks their exclusive debut. Silent Night, Deadly Night producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead said, “Ames’ songs have always been deserving of a stand-alone LP. [Her songs are] classically sweet, funky as all get-out, and doo-wop to the max – a conglomeration of musical styles that are sure to put a smile on your face.
Mondo Unveils El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Vinyl Soundtrack! In partnership with Sony Masterworks, Alamo Drafthouse-owned Mondo Records has unveiled the premiere release of the vinyl soundtrack to El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, the acclaimed sequel film and epilogue to the AMC series of the same name… “There is something so perfectly analog about the world Vince Gilligan created for his characters in the Breaking Bad universe – so when the opportunity to premiere the exclusive release of the soundtrack to El Camino was presented to us, it felt almost as perfect as when we first heard that Vince had created an entire feature length epilogue to the greatest television show of all time… in secret!” Mo Shafeek, Mondo Creative Director of Music, said in a statement. “Dave Porter’s score is haunting and tense, and the needle-drops are simultaneously perfect peeks into the heads of the complex characters of Vince’s expanded universe, and incredibly insightful, deep-cut slices of the American music landscape.”
