Looking back it was quite some tape for a fellow year-old to have made; loads of B-sides and non-obvious tracks! No man is an island, and I like death, doom and black metal, jazz, punk, indie guitar swing, psych and folk, but my specialist subjects are Belgian alternative music from Antwerp from the early 90s to the present day, and old-school metal.
Why Belgian music, I hear you say? What makes these guys different is that unlike most UK and US bands they are just as influenced by jazz as they are other rock music. I have loads stored in my old flat and where I now live with my girlfriend. If you look behind the CD tray of some of these albums they have a secret EP that you can find if you rewind the CD before track one.
Obviously Discogs is the most dangerous website in the world, but nothing beats trawling around record shops, stalls and even charity shops; though charity shop prices are often more expensive than shops these days. A lot of the stuff I buy is released on such tiny labels that I often go direct to them; I do try and be conscious of where I spend my money as much as possible. If you want small shops, bands and labels to exist you have to support them. They were both metal-orientated and formed a great part of my early education; Woolworths does also warrant a mention.
Coming from a small town and having three places on my doorstep to buy records and hang out in was priceless in fact if anyone has any pictures of those shops β please get in touch.
I also have to mention The Rock Box in Camberley which we used to get a train to after school and buy from in bulk. I ended up working there for nearly eight years, and as a home to the biggest collection of freaks and music nerds, it really taught me the role of the record shop in the local community. I listen to it constantly. The music is there to be played, be it on vinyl, cassette or CD. I hate to listen to downloads.
