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Digital music may be swallowed by the masses, but traditional formats continue to resonate with audiophiles of all ages
Photo: Leslie Wilson Jr.
Dubai-based expats Anil Sukhia and Reyshiel Pastrana belong to very different generations, but are connected by a shared passion for vinyl collecting.
One is a banker in his 60s and the other is a video editor in his 20s. Both were growing music lovers who fell in love with “long-running” records, or LPs for the layman.
The Retail Tracker report provides positive insight into global record sales, a clear indication that musical masterpieces like Michael Jackson’s thriller or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon have made a strong comeback in their original headshots.
As a result, the ubiquitous record player has reappeared in living rooms and music stores around the world, including in the UAE.
the beginning of a revolution
Where did it all start? On June 18, 1948, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City held a much-hyped press conference announcing an exciting new technology in music—the vinyl record, made from a substance called polyvinyl chloride.
The first breakthrough was a long-play recording of the legendary German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor recorded by the New York Philharmonic.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, more than eighty years later, millions of music lovers around the world who are avid collectors have taken the wheel. The popularity these records enjoyed in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s came to an end with the advent of the Sony Walkman based on tape technology.
CDs will evolve into digital music, making way for streaming platforms. But vinyl has fought back in full force.
on the back
Records show that 2009 was a pivotal year for vinyl fans.
While the vast majority of enthusiasts are addicted to digital music, a few return to record stores in search of turntables and vinyl. This is exciting news as LP’s sales have risen sharply for the first time since 1984, with a growth rate of nearly 90%.
Over the years, this trend has spread like wildfire and is gathering momentum.
Vinyl clubs started popping up in all major cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, with members enthusiastically building their record collections.
Original music store in Dubai
By 2018, vinyl had once again cemented its place, with an estimated global sales of nearly 10 million copies.
It’s not hard to assess the reasons behind the rapid recovery of vinyl records. Most fans think their favorite music—whether it’s rock, pop, jazz, or blues—sounds better on vinyl, the format in which records were originally made.
Many audiophiles eschew the CD’s boasted perfection, preferring to keep the flaws or flaws that vinyl has, if any.
Digital music being swallowed up by today’s millennials may be cool, but even teens are turning to vinyl and digging into the family attic or warehouse in search of landmark albums like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Fleetwood Mac The “Rumours” or Charles Mingus” ahhh.
listen to the fans
Anil is an avid vinyl collector who has spent the best years of his life building his collection that spans a range of genres. Here he talks about why he prefers this format:
“I first fell in love with music at the age of 8 when I heard the Rolling Stones’ ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ on an old tape. I was hooked,” says Anil. “I’ve been collecting vinyl records from the ’70s: The Beatles, Paul Butterfield, the Allman Brothers, Charles Mingus, Nat King Cole…you name it, I probably have.
“Vinyl gives you a very warm sound, and it’s the best way to experience music—the way it’s made. It’s so much better than CD,” he added. “I often buy discs, sets, anthologies and collector’s editions.
Reyshiel, who recently started building his own record collection, describes the vinyl experience as “pure magic”.
“You can hold a record, touch it, see it and feel it before you even play it. It’s a tangible art form,” she said. “Just appreciating the beauty of vinyl records provides a unique attachment. In the digital age, where everything is just a click away, here I am, loving vinyl records more and more!”
Hear DIFC Raw Music store manager Yassine Hakimi talk about why he and his brother decided to open a vinyl record store for audiophiles in Dubai:
Purists believe that vinyl records sound far better than CDs. “They are more organic, warm and natural than digitally enhanced CDs. The reproduction is real, the way it was recorded in the studio with an 8-track machine,” says Dubai-based vinyl enthusiast Mohan P.
“Even the scratches and rumble you hear on a record add to the natural listening experience.”
The evolution of music
Music consumption has an incredible history dating back to the late 1870s, when “pre-recorded cylinders, what we now know as records, were on sale. In the 1890s, the first phonograph shops appeared where customers could pay for Penny listens to recordings. These will evolve into record stores.
In 1889, German-American Emile Berliner recorded the first album in history, known as the “Father of the Gramophone”.
Photo: Shutterstock
Spillers is a record shop in Cardiff, Wales, that claims to be the world’s first record shop, established in 1894 during the gramophone era.
However, it wasn’t until after World War II that the first vinyl records came out, and in 1948, thanks to CBS, the world’s first LP record was born. This 12-inch wide vinyl record holds about 21 minutes of music per side. It spun at 33 1/3 RPM, the same speed that today’s turntables offer.
The beauty of record sleeves
Cover design is undoubtedly a very important part of a music album. Art in classics like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon or Blind Faith’s self-titled album is legendary. It’s no secret that many collectors and enthusiasts buy albums purely for the cover art.
In the early days, this was such an important aspect that it became a conduit for several popular artists to showcase their work, including Andy Warhol, Burt Goldblatt, and Roger Dean, among others famous artist. Many of them even gained attention after designing album covers.
Does vinyl have a future?
While music technology will undoubtedly continue to evolve (in streaming form) in the next 5 or 10 years, hyper-digital music may lose its charm.
We still ride our bikes and make coffee with a pot. Even good old-fashioned radios are still very popular in most parts of the world.
So don’t be surprised if you walk into a friend’s house for dinner and find their teenage kid glued to a record player littered with vinyl records.
It’s definitely a sweet spot for traditional music lovers like Anil or a new generation of kids like Reyshiel.
Vinyl is still very active.
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