Happy Record Store Day!

Once again, I'm not taking part in this year's RSD, cause, life. HAHAHA.

But would like to say thank you to my trusty Record Shop in Indonesia, Millers Record for helping me get some RSD releases! Especially Olafur Arnalds' RSD version of re:member. Man I really really want to get that album but because I know I won't be in RSD, I felt a bit sad that I won't be able to get it but boom, Millers Record got it! So thank you so much for getting me a copy of that. Also got Madonna's RSD of La Isla Bonita single and remix of it. Which is one of my favourite songs from her!

Well I think it's getting harder for me to join RSD in the future. And so far I only got one RSD special release, which is Shura's Touch single on a hot pink vinyl mwahaha. Which was also sent by an angel from Glasgow. Thanks Mandy! But well, I still stand firm with the idea of buying physical format.

There's just really something about collecting physical format. And I've been doing this for 17 years mind you haha. Even though it's not vinyls but CDs. I'm still going to continue doing this until I can't, or until the music industry has stopped producing physical formats. Which I hope not.

Alright that's all for this short random post! Once again happy Record Store Day eveeryone.

Here's to the people who still believe that music needs a physical manifestation!

Keep spinning.

Happy Record Store Day!

 The only RSD release that I own

Shura's Touch single, for RSD 2016!

Thanks Mandy :)

A belated one that is, it's supposed to be yesterday but... RSD usually lasts a weekend right! Haha. So still, a happy Record Store Day to you! Well I couldn't make it for this year's RSD again but it's okay. Like I said last year, I'm still living the minimalist life so yeah. Still sticking to that rule of only buying records that I really really love. If you get what I mean yes.

Anyway it's just another day for me to reflect about music in general. But most importantly, about the joy of collecting physical formats. Well to be honest I think I've been "pausing"  a lot for this year. Maybe also because most of the albums that I've been anticipating this year are not released yet. Most of them coming next month! So yes I'm pretty excited. I've pre-ordered PREP 2nd EP and Chvrches third album, and I can't wait to receive them in my mail :)

So far I've only bought errr.... Let's see, 7 records and 2 CDs this year HAHAHA. Okay that's quite a lot actually. I bought Adele's 19, Best of Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson Thriller and Depeche Mode's Violator. And for this year's releases, First Aid Kit's Ruins, Rhye's Blood and S. Carey A Hundred Acres. More to come this year and yup! Hope to collect more too,

Come to think of it I've actually been collecting CDs for 16 years now! Back to when I was 10, when I came to Singapore to study. I remember I would ask my sister to bring me to HMV. I would spend a good hour there looking through albums, especially in the classical/world music section haha. I love it when they have sales. I remember in P5 there was this "3 CDs for $21" sale rack and I was so spoilt for choices. But well my sister only allowed 3 CDs and no more! Haha.

And that's how I discover more music I guess.

I don't know why, maybe it has become a habit and a hobby. But it's a childhood dream of mine to actually build my own music library when I grow up. And then listen to my favourite albums while I sip some tea at night. Even though yes, I listen to my iPod/Phone more than I listen to my CDs, I just want to collect CDs and other physical formats. And I have no plans to stop.

So yup, Happy Record Store Day, here's to everyone who still believes that music still needs a physical manifestation. And here's to more CDs and Vinyl to come! :P

A Different Record Store Day

Happy Record Store Day!

A few of my measly vinyl collection

Hello! Today is the third Saturday of April which means it's Record Store Day (or RSD)! So happy Record Store Day everyone....! Okay I didn't go to any record store today. I'm feeling quite bumped that I couldn't make it for RSD in Jakarta this year, again! Well last year it fell on the Saturday that I was going to Tibet. This year? Life happened and I couldn't make it haha. Oh well no worries, I'm currently writing this with Kings of Convenience's Declaration of Dependence spinning.

To be honest this year's RSD felt a bit different for me. I'm not sure how to explain it but okay it has something to do with the minimalist lifestyle I'm trying to incorporate haha. Don't get me wrong though, I will still buy physical formats. In fact I have 4 more vinyls coming in heh. Just that I have decided not to buy more vinyls/albums, unless it's something that I really want to get.

No more buying things on impulse, no more buying vinyls for the sake of owning them! Heh. I've become really selective I suppose. Okay I still buy CDs that's for sure. This year I've already purchased 6 releases mwahaha. I've pre-ordered some upcoming LPs as well (Oh Wonder's and Asgeir's). And bought another vinyl. I am still looking forward to building my "music library" which I always dreamed of since a young boy. Just that back then, I didn't expect to be collecting vinyls!

I only buy vinyls of albums that I really love, have a special connection with, or albums that mean something to me. I'm not trying to say that I don't love the other albums or that they are meaningless, but well just something really really special to me. I'm sure you get what I mean hahaha.

Compared to the other vinyl experts and lovers out there, I only have a measly collection! Let me share with you my collection, in no particular order alright:

My Vinyl Collection:

1. Every Open Eye by Chvrches (my birthday present from Brenda! :D)

2. Tigersapp by Szymon (first vinyl that I bought)

3. EP and II double EP by Yumi Zouma

4, Yoncalla by Yumi Zouma

5. Declaration of Dependence by Kings of Convenience

6. Riot On An Empty Street by Kings of Convenience

7. A Rush of Blood To The Head by Coldplay (my first Coldplay album)

8. Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay

9. A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay

10. Touch Single and remixes by Shura (2016 RSD release!)

11. Nothing's Real by Shura

12. Agaetis Byrjun by Sigur Ros

13. Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Ros

14. Take Five by John Coltrane

15. Blue Rondo a la Turk by Dave Brubeck Quartet 

16. Born To Die by Lana Del Rey

17. Headcase / Hard To Read Double EP by Daywave

18. Walking On A Dream by Empire of The Sun

19. Time/Space double EP by Charlie Lim

20. Futures EP by PREP

21. Breakthrough by Nidji (Special 10 year anniversary edition)

22. Clarinet Concerto in A Major / Oboe Concerto in C by Bucarest Orchestra

Yup that is all! Just 22 vinyls in total. I haven't even reached 50 haha. All of these albums hold a special significance in my life. Be it because I really really love them, or they remind me of great memories. I can take days to talk to you about every of these albums. But yes I love them all.

And I do have some vinyls that I still want to get. For example Takk by Sigur Ros, Enya albums, White Shoes and The Couples Company Vakansi and Skenario Masa Muda, and many more. I found out the news that Warner Music is releasing some of Enya's albums on vinyl this year! I have pre-ordered the Best of Enya album which will be released next month and A Day Without Rain in June. Amarantine will be out in July too. Okay I'm so going broke haha, and not forgetting this year's albums!

But anyway, I will always buy physical formats. It is something that I've been doing since a young boy and I will continue to do it. Both as a hobby and also as a way to support my favourite artists. We live in a digital world now and not many people still buy CDs. Vinyls is getting more popular though so that's good. In fact I still have "the look" when people find out that I still buy CDs. But nah who cares.

There's something awesome about collecting physical formats that I really enjoy. It brings me back to when I was young, when my friends would ask me to lend them some albums. And I would ask them too. We would do CD exchanges and rip them off (oops). Sometimes we borrow CDs to try if the album is worth buying or not. Nowadays, people no longer do this because albums are readily available in iTunes and Spotify, which is great in my opinion, I'm a user too.

But well it's a bit weird to realise that we now live in a world where the answer to "Have you listened to XXX new album yet?" is "Yeah! I listened to them in Spotify, it's so good" or "Yeah I've downloaded the album on iTunes". Okay I'm not a hypocrite, I download lots of albums on iTunes too. But I just feel like when you own a physical copy of the album, that album feels more special I suppose? Rather than just digital files on your computer. Of course, we'll import the songs inside our computer too.

I'd like to quote Jarrett from Vinyl Eyezz (check out his channel on YouTube!), when collecting physical formats, there's that physical element that we can experience rather than mere digital files. Like the album cover, the media itself (vinyl/CD/cassette etc), the art work, and so on. True eh?

Well yeah these are just my thoughts. I won't stop collecting physical formats until one day, every musician decided to release their materials digitally only. Which I hope is not going to happen! Alright once again wishing everyone a happy record store day! Here's to the people who still believe that music needs a physical manifestation. And as always: Keep Spinning! :D

Happy (belated) Record Store Day!

"Who needs a boyfriend when you have a record collection"

First of all, wishing you a belated Happy Record Store Day! So on the third Saturday in the month of April, the whole world celebrates Record Store Day (RSD) which is a day in which different artists release special releases in a physical format. Be it in the form of vinyl, CD and even cassette. And also to me, it is a day of celebration for people who believe that music still needs a physical manifestation!

Although RSD happened on Saturday, I'm so sorry but I just have the chance to blog about it now!

This is my first time participating in an RSD. Last year I wanted to to but I was having something on that day so I couldn't go for it. This year I am determined to go for it because I've been wanting to experience it! Although I myself don't have a vinyl player, and all I'm looking for in RSD is CDs, which I think is fine too. It is still a physical format for music. Besides there are many booths participating and majority of them are selling CDs too.

So I left my hometown in the morning for RSD Indonesia which takes place at Bara Futsal Building in Kemang, Southern Jakarta. I was feeling really excited as I came with a list of CDs I am looking for. And I was also trying my luck in finding great albums that I chanced upon.

Happy digging!

There were lots of booths from various record stores and music stores and they were selling a lot of albums, mostly in the form of vinyls (duh!). But they also sell CDs and cassette tapes, and some booths specialise in only CDs. I love the feel and the vibe of the whole event. I find it very intimate, raw and communal. The camaraderie of the whole place is beautiful, it is indeed a place where people who share the same passion mix and mingle together, you can feel the love everywhere.

I was just digging through the piles of CDs from the different booths. The first one I went to was the booth from Kedai Musik - which is a shop I've been following on Instagram haha. It feels kinda awesome to meet the man behind that shop (although we don't know each other heh). In his booth I discovered Deep Forest's Boheme album!!! I have been looking for this album for years, back when I first discovered them. HMV doesn't have them, the different CD shops I went to don't have them either. Contemplated to get it through Amazon but they no longer ship to Indonesia. So when I discovered the album I just took it and keep it safe hah. I mean... I'm preventing other buyers from taking it hahaha.

My haul

Anyway here are the CD haul I got from yesterday's RSD:
- Bjork's Vulnicura
- Lightcraft's Colours of Joy
- Payung Teduh's Dunia Batas
- Deep Forest's Boheme

Bjork released her new album this year and I've been looking to get a physical copy of it! So much raw and beautiful emotions in this album. Such a heart-raising album, I wanna see her live one day.

Lightcraft is an Indonesian Indie band and I actually discovered them yesterday while they were performing live. I was about to leave the event when they started playing. Their opening song totally caught my ears and I went back all the way to the other end of the building to catch their performance. I asked one of their personnel who was standing near the stage if I can get their album and she kindly brought me to a booth that sells their album. Thank you for your help! You have a new fan :)

I discovered Payung Teduh back in 2012 I think... I know I was definitely still back in Singapore when I saw one of their videos on Youtube. I thought hey, I will find their album when I'm back in Indonesia but boy I was wrong, their album is nowhere to be found hah. Everyone was looking for their album as it was made a limited number of copies I think. So I was determined to look for it in RSD and I'm so glad I did! They are an awesome band, and I love how chill and "cooling" their music is. Definitely the kind of song you wanna play on a rainy day, or late nights. Definitely a great Indonesian band!

Isn't this too pretty

I also bought this notebook with a Sigur Ros Takk cover printed on wood covers! It is such an exquisite notebook and my notebook fetish just boils strongly inside and I was like... I have to buy this. So I burned a hole in my wallet and got it. But it's cool, cause well the lady said they only made this specially for RSD so I'll take it as a memoir keepsake too. I'm still drooling over it now.

Anyway all in all, I truly love my first Record Store Day experience. It is a day where we take our pride in owning physical forms of music - physical manifestations of music. During my experience in RSD Indonesia, I chatted with a few different people. Some of them asked me what CDs I was looking for, what genres I like and stuff. I realised that we all share one love - of owning physical forms of music. For example I met this guy who has been looking for Payung Teduh's album but had no luck (oops I bought it already haha). And then there was also the owner of Kedai Musik who was offering me some CDs who will definitely become a rarity in the future.

So I realised one thing - even know deeply I know that the CD industry is dying slowly, it is still something that people are looking for. And knowing that I owned quite a number of CDs made me feel "special", knowing that in the future, other people might be looking for what I have been owning for years. And this is what makes owning physical forms of music so unique and so awesome. As the year goes by, the value of your albums will increase. Well maybe it's not that much for CDs but definitely for vinyls. Although I know in the future, the number of people who are actually still looking for physical forms of music is going to decrease. Or well, I hope it is going to increase!

I have been collecting CDs and albums for as long as I can remember. I can still remember back in primary school, I would spend my hard-saved cash on two things - Lego and CDs. I remember back in P6, I went to HMV with my sister and they were having a sale promotion. Like buying three CDs (of this special rack) for the price of 21 bucks. One of the albums I got was this compilation of different instrumental music, mostly by Japanese arists. Believe it or not, some of the music that I bought back then is still inside my iPod now. And of course, I still have the CD with me.

Record Store Day is a pretty special day for me. To be surrounded by people who share the same passion as you, to meet like-minded people in terms of owning physical forms of music, and to be hopeful for the future of this industry. I am definitely coming back next year, and if you are interested, you can start collecting the CDs of your favourite musicians as well :)