The vinyl revival has been talked about for many a year, but given the seemingly sustained rise in sales and influx of vinyl-only labels and nights making their presence felt, is it finally here to stay? Defected’s Ben Lovett investigates...
Despite the constant talk around digital revolution within the electronic music industry, vinyl records have always persevered. There have always been DJs prepared to protect the format by including it within their sets, and labels committed to limited edition vinyl releases. And yet the industry phenomena surrounding those simple 12” diameter circles of black (and sometimes coloured) plastic appears to have intensified in recent months.
One only need look at London’s bubbling underground club scene for a big first clue. Vinyl-only (or strongly vinyl-focussed) parties have been springing up all over the city for some time now, including Crates in Brixton, Stop, Drop And Roll in Bethnal Green, Peckham’s renowned Rhythm Section, Vinyl Warriors at the Lightbox, Vauxhall (where revellers flock for 12” trance and hard house) and Southern Hospitality’s monthly, hip-hop-inspired Twelve 12s series at Fitzrovia’s The Social. But elsewhere in the UK, too, the trend continues to gain momentum. Hessle Audio’s Ramadanman launched the vinyl-specific Acetate night in Leeds nearly three years ago and, combining everything from twisted dubstep to funky tech via vintage house and disco, it continues to thrive and draw wider audiences.
Why, then, the renewed interest in twelves? Rob Pursey, promoter of Twelve 12s, thinks nostalgia is a powerful factor. “You can’t deny that for DJs and dancers alike vinyl generates a warm, fuzzy feeling of days gone by” he suggests. “I think exclusivity is another important consideration. Today, we’re bombarded by music; new, formulaic music is available hour by hour at the touch of a smartphone button. We’re starting to see people resisting that reality, and wanting to connect with something exclusive which vinyl can deliver.”
The vinyl format lends itself to exclusive music because of the considerable costs involved to press up new releases versus cheaply knocking out beats on a bedroom laptop and distributing via Beatport. If an artist or label pursues vinyl then it’s often for the purest, most passionate of motives; in other words, it has to be worth it. Inevitably, the vinyl format plays host to a refined selection of top quality, genre-breaking, limited edition tunes.
“Vinyl is all about quality control,” adds Dan Hill, Managing Director of vinyl-led distributor Above Board, whose illustrious clients include Visionquest, Crosstown Rebels, Hot Creations and Defected. “It costs around £600 to press up a vinyl release; that investment means that labels give the release their fullest attention and effort. Digital releases, on the other hand, represent music by numbers, circulated by labels to the friends of friends of friends. Their massive accessibility can make them a little anonymous.”
These days, Above Board often orchestrates a limited edition vinyl run of new material before the full digital release kicks in. “Digital before vinyl would kill sales but the other way round and you have an effective promo, building steady engagement and buzz” he explains. “Shop revenues for vinyl are up this year, without a doubt, but releasing and distributing the format still requires careful thought in the current climate.”
Hence the openness to combining different formats within release campaigns. Vinyl might well be resurgent (some $171m was spent on it last year, globally) but the global dominance of digital is incontestable. “A few years ago the battle lines were firmly drawn on the dancefloor between you r vinyl and Serato [digital DJ software] loving crowds. They hated each other. Now, though, things are actually really interchangeable” Pursey highlights. “The popularity of vinyl is growing again, which is fantastic, but the bigger picture is that people are finally coming to terms with the fact that it’s OK to use a variety of different formats and approaches to make your musical point. Different things work at different times.”
For Anthony Chalmers, promoter of east London vinyl-only club night Keepers (at The Alibi, Dalston), vinyl guarantees dancefloor freedom and fun. “It seems to me that a lot of bars and clubs are losing touch with the more extreme, strange and cutting-edge sides of music. The wonder has been taken away” he reflects. “I launched Keepers to make sure I didn’t lose touch either. If I played those eclectic records more then I’d buy other stuff like it.
“At the same time, Keepers is thriving on the strong markets today for 7” releases, for disco, house and rock ‘n’ roll vinyl. People are interested in vinyl and what it offers. The music is unique and fun, and that creates a great atmosphere when played out. The DJs too, you know are committed, because anyone who plays vinyl out will be carrying heavy crates around with them, and will have needed to sit down and painstakingly select tracks beforehand. That’s dedication, which a crowd respects.”
Ben Sims, well respected Brit techno DJ-producer, picks up on Pursey’s point that fans of electronic music are starting to resist certain surges of the industry’s turning digital tide. “It’s about a younger generation coming through, who’ve only ever known digital and are totally unfamiliar with the age-old tradition of vinyl collecting, and the community that that creates in stores and clubs” he says. “Over the past couple of years I think that this generation has felt something lacking and realised what vinyl stands for.”
The format is oft viewed as a declaration of serious creative intent. “Absolutely” Sims agrees. “It’s a statement of credibility and of intent for the artist and label. Vinyl has underpinned my career, maybe I’ve stuck with it through habit and familiarity; I’ve never been one for jumping on short-term trends. But the format has certainly served me well.”
Upon launching his solo label Theory in 1997, Sims was keen to listen to audience feedback on what and how he released. Over time his followers told him that they wanted more vinyl-only output. “I thought that I’d let the people decide” he confirms. “In recent years their answer has become clearer and clearer. Vinyl can be a little elitist but I’m more than happy to push a limited, 150-copy run of something, watch copies sell for £50 a go on Discogs.com and soak up the buzz and engagement. Of course, bigger releases need a combination of release formats to ensure I can keep running Theory viably.”
Elsewhere, Sims’ 2012-launched label with Kirk Degiorgio, Machine, promises a slew of limited 10” vinyl releases later this year. These, however, will also mix with EPs and albums spread across a range of digital platforms. Vinyl is definitely back, says Sims, but it isn’t strong enough to stand entirely alone. The risks of a vinyl-only label strategy remain considerable.
It’s not simply digital revolution and macro-economic chop ‘n’ change that is to blame. The poor condition of turntables across clubland, infrequently serviced for the past decade or so, has accelerated the switch to sleeker, tech-led DJ tools, computer screens and software bundles. “That, for me, is perhaps the biggest reason why vinyl diminished” Hill comments. “The traditional turntable equipment in the clubs was allowed to deteriorate and so no-one wanted to use it. The sound was really hum-y, cartridges were falling apart and the platters would get damaged where DJs continually leant laptops on them. It all encouraged the upgrade to digital.”
Ironically, Sims has been DJing digitally for the past nine months: “In fairness, I was getting recordings jumping all the time and poor sound quality in quite a few clubs. A lot of sound engineers have grown up with the newer technology, so they aren’t confident enough to set-up turntables in a system the way they should be.”
Still, the future looks bright for vinyl. “It’s got some legs” Pursey urges. “It might peak then drop, but there will be other peaks; it will always be there, even though we’re surrounded by technology. I always remember people saying that the launch of Serato would be the final death knell for vinyl but it proved the opposite. People realised they could connect their decks and that opened up a new wave of teenagers to 12-inch records.”
Chalmers agrees: “Vinyl has a feel, an emotion... people can own and hold it; I don’t want to be looking at screens all the time, there’s too much to do. Vinyl keeps it classic, simple. The fact that dance music, forever associated with vinyl culture, is really booming at the moment will also help it re-grow.” And Danny Ryan, at funk, soul, jazz and experimental distributor Kudos, adds: “We are still seeing a shift from physical to digital [but] what has become apparent is that vinyl is holding its own against digital better than the CD. It’s warmer and more tactile...[it] provides people with a visual and tangible aspect to a DJ’s performance. Similarly, the vinyl-only label concept encourages the collector in you to go out and buy it physically before it sells out.”
Tsuba Records boss Kevin Griffiths has a more cautious outlook despite overseeing 12 vinyl releases already in 2013: “I’m scaling back on Tsuba Limited [Tsuba’s vinyl-only sub-label] as they [releases] don’t really make any money and I’m not sure the vinyl-only thing is as relevant at the moment. It’s very cyclical; vinyl seems particularly in vogue but that means it will also go out of fashion again soon. Underneath these trends there will always be the underground, the real enthusiasts that will always buy records regardless.”
The bottom line is that, whether or not it suggests long-term renaissance or periodical fascination, vinyl has a firm place in the contemporary club landscape. “Heritage is important” Hill concludes, “and vinyl has that. It also has a unique analogue sound, and represents quality and exclusivity. These things are desirable in today’s disposable, delete-able music climate. People will always want to own things; particularly, the records that no-one else does. Vinyl is about personality and being an individual. You can see that in the DJs championing it today, big names like Seth Troxler and Sven Vath. It’s holding its own.”
Words: Ben Lovett
Pipes - Crooked Love (inc. Trevino mixes) is available now from Phonica
For more info on Twelve 12s visit www.southernhospitality.co.uk and on Keepers hit www.anthonychalmers.com/keepers .
