How I came here with a just a Spotify subscription and quickly gained a large collection of records.
A Short History of My Buying Habits
When I started buying music, the only choice was between record and cassette. There was never a thought that some alternative method of listening to music would appear, let alone take over. When the unimaginable did happen, I joined the music enthusiasts embracing the convenience and supposed sound quality of the compact disc, and there was a period when my music was exclusively bought on CD. But I never threw out my records. There was still something special about the sleeves which had been designed with so much consideration, the shininess and feel of the vinyl, and the sound of the needle dropping. And, of course, the sound of the music.
At some point in the last decade, my purchasing preference switched back to record and I only bought a CD if something was unavailable on record. I even started buying tapes as some independent artists chose to release new material exclusively on this much maligned medium. My record and tape collection, which had been pretty much static for some time, was growing once more. Then came a move overseas.
Move to Singapore
When I moved to Singapore, I brought just a handful of possessions with me. Well, not literally, but I brought very little and the only items of music were 6 CDs, just for the sake of having some familiar items around my new home. There was no way I would manage without music so I subscribed to Spotify and decided that this plus the availability of my favourite radio stations on the internet would get me by. I definitely wasn't going to buy a record player.
Slippery Slope, Floodgates etc.
Two months after I arrived, Record Store Day came along and I decided to check out how Singapore deals with this. I went to have a look and bought two or three albums which I would keep for the future. I knew I wouldn't be able to play them in Singapore because I wasn't going to buy a record player. I went to a vintage fair and bought an interesting looking Japanese LP, just for the future. I stumbled upon a record stall in a market and spent some time looking through the stock, buying a few local singles, for the future.
I can't remember exactly when I decided I needed to listen to those records but I bought the cheapest new record player I could find and that was it. The floodgates were open. I upgraded to an old but decent quality Technics and became a regular frequenter of record shops, markets and Carousell*, and my collection grew.
The Mr Rain Blog
As a record collector and music lover living in Singapore, I've decided to start a blog where I can share some of the records I've bought, record shops I frequent and some of the local musical acts I've enjoyed, just in case anyone out there may be interested. Unfortunately, my descriptive skills are quite poor, which is probably going to be a considerable drawback. I hope this isn't the final post.
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