September
Hi folks
Welcome back to the Vinyl Vanguard newsletter - or welcome to it if you’re new to our mailing list. It’s our first since we’ve reopened after the national lockdown, when we announced our covid arrangements that have helped protect you our customers and ourselves, and thereby all do our bit to ease the burden on our NHS, social services, care workers, and economy.
Well, we’ve now decided we can safely rejig our arrangements somewhat. We’ll still require you to wear a mask over your mouth and nose, and to use our hand sanitiser before entering, but we’ll now admit two customers at a time, and from this Tuesday, 22 September, our trading hours will be as indicated at the foot of this newsletter.
So, here’s a taster of what’s been happening this summer in the city at Vinyl Vanguard:
Our customers include a growing number of DJs, including Titus shown here with his partner Shaki. The couple popped over after Titus had completed a morning workout at the boxing gym just round the corner from the shop. Titus told us: “we do a radio show called Moneyshot on the classic pirate radio station Dejavufm that has been a platform for many grime artists including Dizzee Rascal. Our show is mainly underground vinyl sets focusing on underground UK garage, drum and bass and jungle. Amongst the records Titus bought at Vinyl Vanguard was a record by DJ zinc: “me and Shaki met at one of his gigs”.
Shaki, meanwhile, is shown holding one of Vinyl Vanguard’s understatedly sexy new tote bags. They’re £3 each but free if you spend £50-plus with us.
ROY OF THE ROVERS
One very welcome visitor was DJ Roy Meddalion, who trekked over from west London to our east London shop; one disc he picked out was Ruddy Thomas’ ‘Key To The World’. Roy presents a lovers rock show on Colourful Radio; check him out at: https://www.facebook.com/Roy-Medallion-Lovers-Rock-King-1947331302169144/
Yet another DJ is Kyle, who we often see at the shop. He brings his own portable mini-turntable. listening on that through his headphones. What he digs for obscure is squelchy, trip-hop, beats, techno etc.
Tubby or not Tubby
When Louis, a regular customer, pops into Vinyl Vanguard, one never quite know generically what he is going to emerge with. He often buys avant-experimental music and edgy jazz from us, but recently emerged from the shop with a bit of King Tubby dub reggae. Also some Japanese traditional music from our international section - talking of which …
Although our main focus at the Vanguard is second hand vinyl, we do like to buy in new releases from intriguing labels. Hence we’ve taken stock this summer from the locally-based Olindo Records whose founder Oliver is pictured dropping off albums by: Waaju, titled Grown - “a blend of Latin polyrhythms, psychedelic Malian blues, licks and dance floor-orientated UK jazz arrangements; Betsayda Mahado, whose Loe Loe is a landmark album of Afro-Venezuelan music; and Afla Sackey’s Koichi Sakai - “electronic and west African music was master percussionist Sakey.
Among the other genre-defying local labels we support is ByrdOut, whose most recent release, an album of Polish dub by Astigmatic associates, Sarmacja - titled 'Jazda Polska' - we highlighted in our last newsletter. The album, which includes a track remixed by The Orb, was subsequently featured, last month, on BBC 6 Music's Radcliffe and Maconie show. We still have a couple of copies for sale.
Among the collections we’ve picked up over the summer is a good collection of excellent condition eighties rock and pop; some of the LPs and 12” are depicted above. The collection also includes a bunch of 7” of similar vintage.