With Record Store Day 2012 taking place tomorrow and musical greats such as The Kinks set to celebrate, the team at MTTM decided to share with you their fave independent musical haunts. Be sure to check them out and pay yours a visit tomorrow!!
Emily Bruce, Reviewer – Resident Records, Brighton
When I was a student in Brighton I couldn’t go into Resident Records in the North Laines without spending way too much money. It’s such a fantastic shop, one of my favourite things about it is that it manages to be reasonably priced (which was good for me as a student!), something a lot of independent record stores (understandably) struggle with. I absolutely loved their different displays, especially ‘change from a fiver’ (bargainous deals to be found!) and their ‘three of their best’, which features selections of three classic albums by some of the best artists out there – great if you’ve only just discovered someone and want to know where to start or what to buy next. The staff are also really helpful and always have good recommendations. I could spend all day in there and it’s one of the things I miss most about Brighton!
Maria Turauskis, Reviewer – Rough Trade East
Arguably, Rough Trade East is not a truly independent music shop, as there is currently a sister site at Notting Hill and a third site rumoured to be opening in York in the summer. For me, however, Rough Trade East is the perfect music shop experience and the best indie record store bar none. This 5000 square foot haven of independent sounds has quite literally everything any music lover could ask for and more. The store has a marvellous vibe that encourages you to graze and unearth new things. This is a more personal, more idiosyncratic form of organic musical experience, with obscure imports and innovative new concepts, such as the album badge (a badge based picture of the album cover, with a chip inside that contains the whole album to listen to in MP3 form). There is also a plethora of services to nurture and encourage musical exploration, (and a pleasant general in-store experience), including a fair-trade café, a snug seating area, a tech booth and electronics store, a book and magazine section and an old fashioned photo booth which gives you four unique pictures for only £3. They even have in-store gigs on a regular basis, with a well set-up stage and a dedicated techie. This store, simply put, is pure muso bliss.
Siobhanne Beattie, Reviewer – Love Music, Glasgow
Love Music in my home town of Glasgow is my favourite independent record store. I was introduced to it by a friend back in 2006 when it was Avalanche Records and I instantly felt like I’d found my vinyl home! I have been a regular customer ever since, sometimes spending the best part of my weekend browsing and buying records, some of which were released decades before I was born!
Love Music is a hidden “treasure trove” for the vinyl lover where the staff are always friendly and the atmosphere welcoming!
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