Eight Vinyl Enthusiasts Share Their Record Collections In Celebration Of Record Store Day
Story originally published on The Demo Tape on August 30, 2020
Today, streaming is the most used means for fans to consume music by their favorite artists. Subscription-based services offered from the likes of companies like Apple, Tidal, and Spotify make digitally consuming music instantaneous for fans and artists alike. With the click of a few buttons, fans can listen to almost any song in the world on-the-go, in their cars, or from the comfort of their home. Most platforms have even simplified the process to make it as easy as possible for independent artists to upload their music and reach the masses.
However, there are still some people that prefer to enjoy their music the “old-fashioned” way. Believe it or not, yes — there are still people who listen to music on physical copies. While not as readily available as they once were, vinyls, CD’s and cassette tapes are still manufactured and collected in the homes of many music aficionados.
Those aficionados band together in droves annually each year for the celebration known as Record Store Day — held annually since 2008. Typically held every year on a selected Saturday each April, Record Store Day is held in commemoration of independent record stores that still stand. Exclusive releases are pressed specifically for the day, and sales are held everywhere as collectors look to scratch some of their most coveted records off of their wishlist.
This year, the day has been split into three occasions making for a Record Store season of sorts — the first day being yesterday, August 29th (with a second day on September 24th, and a third on October 24th). Releases included were from the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Weeknd, Gorillaz, and more.
Njera Perkins and I had the pleasure of interviewing eight record collectors to see what they’re looking forward to purchasing from RSD, what’s in their personal collections, and what they’re still on the hunt for.
BRITTANY “RED-I” BENTON
Brittany “Red-I” Benton not only has a sizable vinyl collection because of her profession as a DJ, but also because she serves as the owner of Brittany’s Record Shop located in Cleveland, OH. For Benton, her collection started from her buying records to sample. to digging for additions to her DJ sets.
As the owner of a record store, she says what she’s most excited for is to see new people in for this year’s Record Store Days. “It’s nothing like talking to the people,” she says. “Most people only go to record shops on Record Store Day because it’s an event. But, to me, I love when somebody comes in for Record Store Day and they talk one of their friends or relatives into coming and they’re looking around and think it’s actually cool.”
Her RSD favorites in her personal collection are Anderson .Paak’s “Bubblin” and the Kaytranada remixes of Robert Glasper’s The Art Science. Benton says she tries to make sure she purchases something each RSD. As a Cleveland native, her favorite release this year is Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Creepin on ah Come Up. Benton is hopeful that The Love Movement by A Tribe Called Quest one day receives a RSD re-pressing or a compilation of old Memphis underground tapes from the early 90’s.
Her advice to anyone looking to begin collecting records is to keep in mind a budget. “This can be as expensive as you want it to be,” says Benton. “Don’t start off buying new records unless it’s something you’re absolutely crazy about. Start digging for classics — things that you can put on right now that came out 30 years ago and just sounds timeless.”
-Justice
IRV “ZEUS” HYPPOLITE
For personal trainer & music enthusiast Irv “Zeus” Hyppolite, music has grown to be an essential part of his life and a portion of that is attributed to his belief that music is the most powerful tool we have. Coming from the era of cassette tapes, Irv’s appreciation for good music started at a young age watching his father collect tapes from a flea market in Brooklyn. While he unknowingly uncovered the world of vinyls there, it wasn’t until he got older that he was able to find the true value in collecting physical records.
“Vinyls are special and they tell a story sometimes. Remembering where we were when we actually heard a record — a lot of vinyls that we’re buying are nostalgic.” — Irv “Zeus” Hyppolite
As someone with a somewhat old-school approach to vinyls, Irv categorizes his collection of records as classics that are deserving of the investment and status many new records lack. From his crate digging days, Irv has explored places like Earwax Records in Brooklyn and even a small shop in Little Haiti in Miami where he came across a rare find of a Temptations vinyl. Included in his growing collection is Solange’s A Seat At the Table and J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Though not on this year’s release date list for Record Store Day, Irv still has hopes of finding iconic records like Lil Kim’s Hardcore, DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, Juvenile’s 400 Degreez, and a copy of Billy Stewart to add to his arsenal. With a small collection of vinyls on his hands, Irv hopes to one day be “that guy with like a hundred records.”
-Njera
COURTNEE OWENS
For Philadelphia native Courtnee Owens, collecting vinyls isn’t just a personal hobby — it’s a commonality his entire household shares. From underground hip hop, to Rock, and even Sesame Street records for his 4-year old son Azola, his family’s collection includes everything. His personal stash, which now includes favorites by the likes of Raveena and Khruangbin, started as a search to find the most obscure records he could get his hands on. Now, it lives on his family’s ‘ happinessinheadphones’ Instagram page.
Some of Owens’ favorite Record Store Day purchases include Music of Many Colours by Roy Ayers and Fela Kuti and Beauty & Essex by Free Nationals. This year, he’s hoping to add Creepin on ah Come Up by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Al Green’s Green is Blues, Ezra Collective’s Samuel L.Riddim / Dark Side Riddim, as well as Tyler, The Creator’s Cherry Bomb and the instrumentals. His son Azola is also hoping to get his hands on this year’s “Baby Shark” record.
His dream is for Channel Orange to receive an official pressing in the near future as well as SWV’s It’s About Time to join a RSD release list soon.
-Justice
MOUSE JONES
Professional host and Hip-Hop personality Mouse Jones has been surrounded by music all his life, so naturally he gravitated to the world of vinyls as he grew older. Growing up, he often accompanied his mother on trips to music store Sam Goody in his hometown of Long Island to window shop for CDs, exposing him to genres such as Hip-Hop, R&B, Gospel, and more.
Like other superfans who need something tangible to showcase their love for an artist, Mouse’s budding collection of vinyl is his small token of gratitude for some of his favorite artists and their work. To him, the magic behind the sound of vinyl is just another aspect that adds to the wax’s unique attributes. The experience of having the A side and B side of a record to listen to is unmatched for Mouse who to this day wishes he had a copy of Biggie’s Ready to Die to test the value of this theory. While Mouse remains on the hunt for Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid In Full along with some of his favorite Frankie Beverly & Maze records to add to his collection, he still has his stack of gems to lean on including Jay-Z’s The Black Album, DMX’s “How’s It Going Down,” Al Green’s Love & Happiness, and a copy of “Saturday Love” by Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal.
-Njera
MACK SCOTT
Mack Scott is damn good at making music, and he’s become pretty good at collecting it as well. Mack’s collection began with a purchase of Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap and has grown to include Pharrell’s In My Mind, Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, Hot Boys’ Guerrilla Warfare, and an autographed copy of SZA’s Ctrl.
“Owning music is a lost thing,” says Mack. “A lot of people don’t really care about owning music. I grew up in a household with books on books. This is just me recapturing that feeling for myself.” He says his best advice to those hoping to also start collecting is to “buy music that you like. Everybody that collects vinyl has favorite records. Start there, and then it’ll start to open up.”
2020 marks Mack’s first year participating in Record Store Day. He was able to secure Cherry Bomb by Tyler, The Creator and Creepin on ah Come Up by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony yesterday — two of the most sought after hip-hop releases of August 29th’s Record Store Day. September 26th’s release list, however, is filled with rap releases for fans alike. Mack says he hopes to get his hands on Curren$y’s Pilot Talk and Nas’ God’s Son. “They put all the good records on the [day] that comes the week of my birthday. I got an excuse to splurge on myself, so count me in,” he laughs.
Mack says once Record Store Day season is over, he’s looking to track down a copy of The Neptunes Present…Clones.
-Justice
JAY SWANN
If there’s one thing producer, DJ, and engineer Jay Swann knows it’s music. As someone who invests his energy into making music for a living, Jay not only picked up a habit of producing but collecting vinyl as well. After receiving a Crosley record player as a gift back in 2014, Jay found his motivation to become a vinyl collector grabbing Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as his first purchase. While he enjoys the task of finding his favorite records online, Jay values the experience that record stores bring in terms of reviving old memories of beloved forgotten records.
Previously working at independent music store The Sound Garden in Downtown Baltimore, Jay was constantly surrounded by both old and new finds of vinyl. Over the years, his growing collection of 40+ records has expanded to include albums such as Frank Ocean’s Endless and Blonde as well as out of the box records like Anything in Return by Toro y Moi — an album he had personally signed at a concert. Unlike the average vinyl collector who makes it a point to focus on grabbing the classics first, the self-dubbed music nerd’s taste in vinyls knows no bounds as he prefers to pick up whatever grabs his attention. Despite not having a chance to properly celebrate Record Store Day in previous years, Jay has plans to observe the reimagined music holiday this year with hopes of finding Roy Ayers’ newest album Jazz Is Dead 002 as well as a few Deaton Chris Anthony records.
-Njera
DJ JOSHITO
As a DJ, DJ Joshito is use to playing to the wishes of the party. However, his extensive music collection is strictly for him. “Nothing is ever going to beat physically having music in your hands,” he says. “From the artwork itself on the sleeves, just hearing that cracking sound when you have the vinyl playing. You get to see what the artist was thinking about, the credits. It’s just a different feel when it’s in your hands.”
His first time playing a record on vinyl came when he found a copy of “Going Back to Cali” by LL Cool J. “It use to be my father’s, but he passed away,” he remembers. “That was my very first record I played on my own. Then, one year, my mother got me a record player and it just felt right.” From there, he began his own collection with purchases of Off The Wall, Thriller, and a 12” Luther Vandross single.
His favorite record on vinyl, he says, is Covert Coup by Curren$y and Alchemist. However, his collection isn’t just limited to vinyls. He’s also an avid fan of West Coast Hip-Hop, for which he’s building a cassette collection of, and prefers to listen to 00’s R&B on CD — building a budding collection of those as well.
2020 will be his first year actively participating in Record Store Day. As a Curren$y fan, Joshito says he needs Pilot Talk added to his collection with September 26th’s Record Store Day.
-Justice
