Minneapolis, MN | New vinyl records and coffee shop to open in Minneapolis this summer: A combination record store-coffee shop is opening in south Minneapolis this summer, joining a growing number of businesses adding java to attract daily visitors. Driving the news: Colin Wilkinson and Joel Eckerson, the owners of online shop Disco Death Records, are opening a physical location next month, with an expansive record and cassette collection, a film lab and an in-house coffee shop. The pair previously ran the all-things-analog store Dead Media, which closed in May 2020. What they’re saying: “We didn’t want to do a record store again,” Eckerson told Axios. “It’s fun, but it’s not a completely self-sustaining affair. Coffee is another source of income that brings people in, who then find and shop our records.” The big picture: Adding cafes to get more people through the door isn’t a new concept, but it’s becoming increasingly popular, especially for businesses that might not have steady flows of frequent customers.
CA | 15 independent record stores in Southern California: Check out shops in your area with new, used and rare music offerings. Looking for vinyl? Here are 15 stores to check out in Southern California. Amoeba Music 6200 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-245-6400. amoeba.com Amoeba Music moved from its original home on Sunset Boulevard and reopened last year just a few blocks away in the El Centro complex on Hollywood Boulevard. The store has the largest selection of vinyl, CD, DVD and Blu-rays as well as rare concert posters, books, T-shirts and other collectibles. It also hosts in-store performances by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, artists signings, DJ nights and more. Canterbury Records 805 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 626-792-7184. canterburyrecords.com Independent record store offering rock, indie rock, R&B, jazz, classical, blues, folk and bluegrass music and an extensive collection of movies and new and used vinyl…
Los Angeles, CA | Hotel Ziggy, Hottest Hotel on the Sunset Strip, Awarded LIV Hospitality Award: …As an eclectic mix of a vintage 1970’s neighborhood record store and an amateur recording studio, Hotel Ziggy fuses a cocktail lounge, pizza joint, music venue and lobby, where hotel guests are invited to check-in at a sociable and engaging bar lined with hundreds of vinyl albums. Filled with record-playing tunes from every genre, Hotel Ziggy has created a versatile music venue called “Backbeat,” which supports local musicians and invites them to come and share their sound in a new space to rise above the noise. It has already welcomed the likes of notable rock musicians as both performers and patrons, such as Dave Navarro, Matt Sorum, Leif Garrett, Pink Floyd’s Scott Page, Haley Reinhart, David Hernandez, Nine Inch Nails’ Alex Carapetis, DJs like Pookie and James Kennedy, and many more…
Seoul, KR | Café Sinola: Where Lovers Of Vinyl Records & Analog Music Can Experience Paris In Seoul: Trendy cafes with bright and boisterous settings are all the craze in Korea right now, but for those who appreciate a moment of solitude while enjoying a coffee or cuppa, Café Sinola is the perfect place to seek refuge from the bustle of life. Café Sinola is a small outfit with a vintage and rustic interior – most of their furniture is made of wood. It also has ceiling-to-floor windows that let in plenty of natural light, so when the weather is pleasant, customers can enjoy the street view while having their meals. Café Sinola describes itself as a “tiny listening cafe”, which is the key highlight of its operation. Music in the cafe comes courtesy of vinyl records, which are played on a turntable. A different playlist is handpicked by the owner everyday, and the song titles are handwritten on a board.
Fangamer’s Gorgeous Banjo-Tooie Vinyl Box Set Is Now Available: Back in 2019, Fangamer launched a rather lovely-looking set of Banjo-Kazooie goodies that was hard for some of us here at Nintendo Life to resist. Within that collection was a gorgeous vinyl set for the first game with tracks curated by the composer himself, Grant Kirkhope! Of course, us Banjo fans expected Banjo-Tooie to get the same treatment — same composer, even more bloomin’ marvellous music, and all that. We’ve had to wait a bit longer, but finally, the sequel’s music has now been immortalised in beautiful vinyl form. Priced at $64 — which is the same as the first game’s set — Banjo-Tooie’s soundtrack box set has been as lovingly put together as its predecessor. From the skeletal Gruntilda, next to her sisters, holding up the blackboard (you can see her feet at the bottom) to the six Jinjos taking to the stage alongside the bird and bear duo and Mumbo, the cover is full of the game’s cartoony energy.
Manila, PH | How it took 41 years to put out The Jerks’ original material on vinyl: Sometimes, it is better late than never. The Jerks seven-inch extended play single featuring three songs that date back to 1981 that were only played on radio and never released on any format are finally available. Forty-one years later. The Jerks EP is available from independent label Mutilated Noise in a project I initiated some three years ago. I had heard the songs “Romantic Kill,” “Big Deal,” and “I Need Something Inside Me” on DZRJ back in the day when the late Howlin’ Dave played their songs after seeing them on the now defunct On Disco. I constantly pestered Howlin’ Dave to play the songs even after he just played them. One time, the exasperated disc jockey told me off: “Look, kid, we just played their song. We cannot play it again minutes after.” “But, Dave,” I said – respectfully, I must add – “this could light a fire for local music.”
The Elephantine Indie Pop Archives of Spain’s Elefant Records: When indie pop first emerged in the UK during the early ’80s, the movement was defined by its contrasting punk rock roots and effete charm, a juxtaposition that softened at the decade’s end, when Bristol label Sarah Records slackened the genre’s feverish pace to make room for more starry-eyed sentiment. At the same time that Sarah was pressing its first wave of iconic singles, Spanish popkid Luis Calvo began laying the foundation for an underground empire of his own. “When I was a teenager, there was a great explosion of new groups and independent labels after the end of the dictatorship in Spain in the ‘70s,” he says. “It left a huge impression on me, especially on a musical level. I grew up listening to indie groups and saw how a lot of labels were being founded here and around the world.” Fascinated by the staunch DIY ethos of these upstart projects, Calvo began DJing parties in Madrid, publishing a fanzine titled La Linea del Arco, and eventually launching a label—Elefant Records—with his girlfriend Montse Santalla in 1989.
