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| :: The Diskery, Birmingham 2014 :: |
This morning I successfully managed to detach myself from all luminous screens and venture into Birmingham city centre. On my journey home I somehow eventuated at another sonic Aladdin's Cave. Initially I couldn't believe my luck. After a stunted moment of realisation I pretty much ran through the door - just incase it disappeared before I could get there. The sight was one for sore eyes. On leaving my home town (Adelaide), there were two record stores that I use to frequent - one had a die-hard cult following with the 'younger' music lovers - selling old and new vinyl - with a renowned electronic section that rivalled no other I have come across ever since. The other, was not unlike The Diskery - perhaps less popular musics such as the 'Big Hit' material from any decade. On a quick return to Adelaide about three years later - both stores had folded - I would say the surge in digital would have played a part.
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| :: Jimmy chats to a regular (which is almost everyone who walks through the door) :: |
The photos I took of The Diskery don't really do the place justice. The sheer amount of the collection has reached the point of climbing the walls and spilling across the ceilings. Fortunately, I arrived just before a big rush - when I had to compete with a number of hatted, caned and elderly gentlemen, for the attentions of the two in house experts - Jimmy and Liam. Lovely, lovely people - Liam has been working at The Diskery for 42 years, whilst Jimmy, is going on 47. Entering the store is like entering their home and their love of music (all types) and phenomenal knowledge becomes apparent with each enquiry - no matter how trivial.
My find for the day was the record, 'FIREWORKS! JVC presents the Spectacular Sound of CD-4'. As a rule, I don't let myself buy records when I am travelling - particularly heavy and prone to bending they don't make for good travel companions but in this instance, I thought an exception could be made. As I have come to Birmingham as a student, who works with field recordings in multichannel, it only seems fitting that on seeing a CD-4 record containing sounds of fireworks - it should be mine. CD-4 is one of the many attempts at commercial release of multichannel recordings on hardcopy media. To be honest - I don't know much about it but a quick
wikki tells me it was introduced as early as 1972 (!) I can't wait to get home and try it out - A/B it with my own quad work - should be vEry entertaining! I'd like to also better comprehend its technology - it's fascinating to learn about the many multichannel formats we have tried and old technology in hardcopy appears quite appealing to me at the moment.......
If you would like to hear more about Liam and Jimmy at The Diskery - you can view a clip on youtube
HERE - or drop by and say hello at 99 Bromsgrove St.
