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As Independent Record Store Day looms large on the horizon, we felt an overwhelming urge to highlight one of Bristol’s beloved vinyl hotspots for you to check out tomorrow.
Idle Hands, located on the mean streets of Stokes Croft, is run by the ever present Chris Farrell. Having worked a few streets up at the infamous Rooted Records, Chris decided to open his own store after Rooted called it quits.
After a lick of paint, some elbow grease and a few pints in between, Chris managed to transform the old DMT hub from a mouldy carcass to an ever-shiny abyss of dance music heaven.
The shop has created a community full of DJ’s, producers and fans alike, whilst still keeping its doors open to any interested passer-by.
Idle Hands has already played host to some of the finest producers in the scene. Back in March, 2562 played a storming three hour set to an army of fans and intrigued first timers.
Bristol dwellers, Appleblim and October performed a collaborative mix last week, to celebrate the release of their new tune NY Fizzzzz / Fountains on Paradise on Schmorgasbord Records.
Although Idle Hands is an independent record store, it won’t ‘officially’ be taking part on Saturday. But Chris will be flying his shop flag during the day with balloons galore.
He said: “We thought it’d be nice to tie it in with Record Store Day. We sell records every day and we basically want to promote keeping records alive.”
The staff, including one of Bristol’s finest DJs Kowton, will be playing a few sets throughout the day. Head of the Immerse label, KidKut will also be taking to the decks.
Record Store Day could be seen as highly focussed on pushing rock music. But Chris is keen to support the dance genre: “Some people think that ‘dance’ is a dirty word, like kids music, when in reality it’s dance music that’s always been on vinyl.”
It’s with this in mind, that Idle Hands is so important. Of course, Saturday is a fantastic event, promoting the physical single, but it’s shops like Idle Hands that promote this every day.
Even if dance music isn’t exactly your cup of tea, Idle Hands is well worth a visit. Chris is simply a music lover, and will welcome any like-minded Tom, Dick or Harry.
But what is it that makes him open up shop every day? “I like vinyl and I like record shops and I don’t think I’m the only one. Even on my rare days off, I’ll go record shopping and whilst it remains sustainable we’ll keep doing it.”
So, pop into Idle Hands on Stokes Croft and have a go at sustaining it, eh?