“I have had vinyl all around me from the day I was born!”
“My dad had a big collection and my mum had an even larger one as she was a DJ since 1990. My favourites were Miriam Makeba—the way she was involved with the South African and African American struggle was inspiring, and I loved her music from when I was very young.
My mum’s jazz funk, ’80s soul, and jungle collections were also a huge inspiration for me. The Roy Ayers Ubiquity album—Everybody Loves The Sunshine—is a massive influence for David and me.
For us, it’s incredibly important to release our music on vinyl. An example is when we did a crowdfunder so that we could release our “Freedom” EP and our two albums along with the “Vibe Central” EP.
Our favourite record store is Pure Vinyl in Brixton. Claudia, the owner of the shop, has sold all of our vinyl. She has long conversations with customers about us. She’s so passionate about her vinyl; it’s incredible to see.
She has an amazing jam night called ‘Straight Pocket’ in her actual shop. We play there sometimes. It’s so packed people are on the street listening too because they can’t squeeze in. She encourages younger musicians at a junior jam and has a monthly night where young beginner DJs can come and spin their records.
We are so happy to see that vinyl sales are steadily going up year after year and hope it can continue to inspire and feed musical lives like it has ours.”
—NK-OK
The “We Will Rise” EP from Blue Lab Beats is in stores now. Its vinyl edition arrives in record stores on June 18, 2021.
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PHOTO: ABBEY MENSAH
