by Cam Lucadou-Wells
The hallowed warm sound of vinyl records is attracting a new legion of followers, says Dandenong record shop founder Mark Mannens.
His 36-year-old business Radical Records has carved a groove at The Hub arcade, defying challenges such as Covid and digital streaming.
“We are one of the lucky ones. A lot of record shops didn’t survive Covid and shut down.
“But people still want the physical items. We do music and movie DVDs – and JB Hi-Fi doesn’t even do that anymore.”
Vinyl albums – which peaked in the 1970s – made a comeback about 15 years ago, Mannens says.
“There’s that physical aspect of something. And a warmth in the music that you might not get from CDs.
“And there’s also great artwork (on record covers) for old people like me to enjoy.
After a long hiatus, younger generations are discovering vinyl and adopting their parents’ tastes for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Beatles and Black Sabbath.
They’re also discovering the joys that their parents had in old-school record shops – the browsing of album covers, T-shirts and merch.
Radical Records will be part of the upcoming worldwide Record Store Day.
On the day, the outlet will be offering 20 per cent discounts on vinyl as well as a live band Hot Tubs Time Machine.
Hot Tubs Time Machine is a duo of Dandenong frontman Marcus Rechsteiner and Daniel Twomey.
It’s described as an “entertaining” mix of “bedroom pop, new-wave and electronica” and engaging stories.
Record Store Day is on Saturday 20 April, with Hot Tubs Time Machine playing from 3pm.
