How important is the specialized trade for you in times of the Internet and MP3, as a musician as well as a customer and music fan?
There is still and always will be the value of something you can examine in the flesh, actually hold in your hand before and after you buy it, also the fact that one is more likely to come across the unexpected and therefore be better off going to a good store than the other options out there. Basically if record stores ceased to exist the world would be a duller, greyer place for music.
What meaning do record stores have for the music culture in the general and for your music in particular?
For music culture I think they provide a place where you feel closest to the music. You can go through the shelves and time travel, look to the past and the future, also I think it plays a part in drawing the new generation of music lovers into the fold.
When and where did you buy your first records or CDs and what memories do you connect with record stores?
My first records were bought at specialty stores stocking big dusty selections of things that I had never heard of. More often than not it was the cover that drew me in and more often than was clever I drove home in a $500 dollar car with $300 worth of records in the back seat….. Oh and always wrapped in brown paper, there is something special about the smell, feel and look of cd’s or vinyl in brown paper.
What are your current CD tips and which musicians and albums should not be missing from any CD shelve?
I love a great soul voice and a good chilled summer album so I recently bought ‚Sunny side up‘ the second offering form Paulo Nutini the South American/Scottish singer. He has a really good soulful way of using his pipes….
For my money some good off the beaten track, soul compilations are absolutely necessary for any music lover, they come in handy at all night parties or when you are kicking back at home reading a book…. a must have.
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