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As far as hidden gems, you would be hard pressed not to have Jacaranda Records in such a category. Situated on Slater Street, from the vinyl store, to bar and gig venue, all encompassed in one where you can go and purchase vinyl’s, or take your own, listen in the booths with built in vinyl decks.
Where pray tell, did the original idea come from I hear you ask yourselves? That would be from the owner Graham Stanley. Once the last refurbishment of Jacaranda was in full swing, from the bar on the ground floor to the basement, the top floor was to be truly unique. And so come Christmas Day when he received a Steepletone record player from his wife, it was when he was having a cigarette that it came to him.
From more than just making sure turntables would be sunk into granite tables within each both, or the selling of vintage and new vinyl, the ultimate coup came with the acquisition of a voice-o-graph from Jack White’s Third Man Records Studio in Detroit, Michigan. This allows the patrons who use it to cut their own records in a matter of minutes, with direct-to-acetate recording capabilities.
Therefore you can lay down audio on a vinyl.
When it comes to where the vinyl is being sourced, people can actually come and sell their records. Some of the staff go digging from numerous sources such as people they know, markets, collections people have as well as labels for obviously newer and older releases.
This venue is definitely a hidden gem from the events it throws to with Producer sessions, music quizzes, a record club to buy sell and trade vinyls. From Djs giving talks and the producer sessions they have already played host to Lee Scratch Perry, No Fakin’ and Andy Ash. There is also drink and draw, as well as poetry sessions, whilst the basement is on hand for bands to use as a practice space.
They even livestream their DJ sessions and events on YouTube.
Look out for the Bido Lito takeover on the 10th Mach 2016 and a web series being filmed there by the name of Crate Cellar where Jacaranda Records will present interviews with local DJs and vinyl collectors to wax lyrical about their loves and histories involving vinyl. apple crates, mixing and scratching.
Jacaranda Records is set to be a musical hub for people across the spectrum with everything it offers for you to be able to congregate in what is a truly unique hidden gem for a city where music means so much.