Why Record Stores Are More Important Than Ever: Magnets for fellow misfits, record shops provide us the chance to venture outside our preferred lanes and inhale some oxygen, dust and mold spores alongside strangers we might not otherwise have planned to be in the same room with. Maybe we make new friends, maybe not (at least not without extensive record paranoia-fueled vetting). But at a moment in history when the perpetuation of divisions is suffocating us, something as gravitationally organic and simple as hanging out in a shared space of music appreciation/ nerdery remains one of the most vital interpersonal bridges we’ve got.
Records having a ‘real resurgence’ nationally, and locally: It’s a trend that has surprised even Josh Ferko, who has managed several record stores since graduating from Penn State in 1973. “I think it’s a great reaction from people to the whole streaming world,” Ferko said. “I’ve stuck with it because I’ve always believed in it as a format.” Ferko buys records to sell at Stax of Trax, a shop-within-a-shop that he has managed for almost 15 years at Webster’s Bookstore Cafe in downtown State College. He said the care vinyl records require, as well as the way they are packaged, appeals to those used to digital libraries. And, if you ask him, they sound better too.
Veteran DJ and vinyl record label founder will be music curator at the new At Six: Victor Sanchez is one of Stockholm’s club life’s biggest music profiles, an enthusiast who mix gigs around the world with its own vinyl label Sound & Echo. Now is his goal that music should be a big part of the experience of the memories you carry with you when you leave the modern luxury hotel At Six. He has organized clubs and played music in everything from abandoned factories to Grodan and the F12 Terrace, from Into the Valley to Tokyo.
Wrensilva Loft Record Console can play your vinyl and stream digital music: While many manufacturers are happy to enjoy the recent vinyl renaissance by cranking out turntables again, San Diego-based Wrensilva takes a different approach. The Standard One, released last year, was a full-blown record console, complete with room to store your vinyl collection. The company’s latest, the Wrensilva Loft, takes a similar approach, but with a more light and airy look. With a body made from hand-selected hardwoods and a look that is straight out of an earlier time, the Loft may have your friends asking you how you managed to land a piece of vintage audio gear in such pristine condition. It helps you show off your vinyl collection as well, with a “now spinning” record slot carved into the lid.
