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VINYL frontier TOM Hughes
THOUGH FOR SOME PEOPLE it never went away, vinyl has made something of a comeback over the last ten years or so, and it’s no different here in Shanghai.
? Uptown stock a range of genres, generally more weighted towards the rock/indie/alternative end of the spectrum, though you can find other stuff such as house & techno and hip-hop on their well-stocked shelves. ? The records are carefully grouped by genre and all handpicked by proprietor Sacco, and there is also a website which lists much of the catalogue (uptownchina.com). This underground space already incorporates a vintage clothing outlet called Disco Kitty, and Sacco has plans to develop this further with a secondhand bookshop and more besides in the coming months. ? If you’ve got some cash to burn, and you don’t want to risk a wasted trip, check it out; I guarantee you there’s something for everyone here. ? For those of us with a little more time to while away and/or take particular pleasure in unearthing a gem that’s passed others by at a bargain price, we’re lucky enough to have Kook Music to retreat to. ? Kook’s owner, Joe Citzen, slings vinyl at rockbottom prices. The catch? For the most part you’re going to have to rifle through a fair amount of terrible late ‘90s R’n’B before you come across the good stuff - but when you do I promise it’s more than worth it. If you’re like me and coming out of a record shop after four hours with black fingers and a crooked spine is all part of the fun, you’re in for a treat. ? If you live locally there are a couple of other spots worth checking out every so often - 2046 Music Record Store and Broadway DVD 2. You’ll find lots of re-pressings of classic ‘70s LPs and maybe the odd Japanese version that looks kind of cool, but the selection is both random and small. If you make these trips
one are the days when the only wax you were likely to come across was the odd 78 sat on an antique gramophone outside a shop on Dongtai Lu. Now Shanghai has a couple of shops dedicated to shifting quality second-hand vinyl, as well as online options to get newer releases, and even a handful of DVD retailers who have realized that certain rare pieces can bring in big cash. ? So, where can you get your hands on this stuff? Well, unsurprisingly that depends to a large extent on what you’re after. Uptown Records on Xingfu lu is probably the spot most people have heard of, despite having only been in operation for the last couple of years.
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