Wait until next year

I miss record shops. I remember many happy Saturday afternoons working my way through all the local places, trawling their bargain bins and hoping something wonderful would appear. Now and then I’d make my way up town and work my way along Berwick Street’s record shops before taking on the giant Tower Records and HMV. 

Obviously record shops still exist, it’s just there are far fewer of them. So when I have the opportunity to root through some records and CDs, I take it. Ace Records’ pop-up shop at Chalk Farm offered one of those opportunities. As part of their 50th birthday celebrations they have taken over an empty shop for a few days and filled it with much of their extensive back catalogue, predominantly of reissues of rare and previously unheralded tracks, along with some real rarities from their collection, including test pressings, along with some fun merchandise. There was loads of great stuff, and all reasonably priced too.

As much as it would be great to have a permanent physical home for Ace Records, a pop-up is a pretty good second best. I think it is something plenty of other labels could try. Last year Numero Group had a similar pop-up shop in London that was brilliant. There’s something quite special about being able to immerse yourself in a label’s back catalogue for a while.

I particularly enjoyed overhearing the conversations between staff and customers. I think I know a fair bit about music, but I was in the presence of people who have forgotten more than I have ever known, who were clearly enjoying finding a venue where they could actually use their esoteric knowledge in a social setting. Funny how in just a few minutes you can hear about obscure old producers, the best record cutting services, upcoming gigs and major beefs amongst record collectors (something I didn’t even realise was a thing!). Record shop spaces can feel intimidating sometimes, but they can also be fascinating and very funny, intentionally or not.

On my way back I thought about what I see as The Collector Impulse – an impression that some people gain more fun in collecting (and hoarding) than in the actual thing itself. The thrill is in the chase beyond anything else. I see it sometimes in those people snapping up rare beer releases, or seeing how many football grounds they can visit, or…collecting rare records.

And then I thought how Ace Records, as a reissue label, is the antithesis of that impulse – they haven’t just collected, they have shared – and there is so much more wonderful music out there and easy to access because of their work. These songs aren’t lost, or lingering in a handful of private collections, but are back out there in the world enjoying a second life. It is a democratisation of music, bringing it to everyone, not just those with the time and budget to uncover lost classics. And that’s a very, very good thing.

The pop-up shop is open until Sunday, at 1 Adelaide Road, NW3 3QE, across the road from Chalk Farm tube station.