DIGGIN' MELBOURNE

Final call for 2016 Diggin’ Melbourne listings

Record Store Day is almost upon us again (Saturday 16.04.16) – and that means new Diggin’ maps for Melbourne and Sydney! If you are a record store owner or manager, it’s time to ensure your current listing is up-to-date and your payment is made before March 18. If you are a new store and we have not contacted you already, please contact us asap if you wish to participate in the 2016 Diggin’ Melbourne Map. With limited spaces available in this year’s edition of the map payment by the due date is essential.

New maps will be available in the week leading up to Record Store Day, and our website will be updated soon to include all new store listings and news about what will be happening in your neighbourhood for Record Store Day. Lots of exciting new stores in the CBD and Collingwood/Fitzroy areas. Some new stores are already featured on the Store Guide pages. Watch this space for more updates.

March 15, 2016

VINYL
PBS106.7FM Record Fair

Melbourne’s community radio stations have always been a rich source of musical knowledge and inspiration, and increasingly they are becoming a source of records!

PBS 106.7FM has just announced their inaugural PBS Record Fair on Saturday November 21! 40 stalls jam packed with dealers selling the finest collectables as well as thousands of bargains. There’ll be something for everyone. LPs, 12”, 7”, CDs, Posters, T-Shirts, Music Memorabilia and more! It all goes down at Collingwood Town Hall. Profits go back to PBS, so do your thing to support community radio.

$7 early bird entry (9am) / $5 general entry (10am) pbsfm.org.au

A little bird told me there will be fresh heat from Northern Africa… funk, afrobeat, highlife and more. Plus there’ll be loads of those soul 45s you here on PBS, and so much more. Dig.

October 15, 2015

SECOND HAND RECORDS, VINYL
3MBS Record Fair

The bi-annual 3MBS Book & Music Fair is back this weekend (Sept 5 & 6). The 2015 fairs will be held at the home of 3MBS, at the Abbotsford Convent (for those not familiar with the Convent, it is next door to the Collingwood Children’s Farm). 3MBS has a massive amount of material for sale this year, much of which has been kindly donated by the 3MBS community and listeners. The fair also hosts independent and interstate record dealers, bringing an incredible amount of diversity and some flavours you might not expect to find at a 3MBS fair. And it’s not just records – expect a massive selection of Books, CDs and sheet music as well. See the poster for all the details or visit the Facebook page. Happy digging!

September 2, 2015

SECOND HAND RECORDS, VINYL
Black Gold by Martin

As mentioned in previous posts, Black Gold is a fanzine created by ‘Martin‘, documenting his epic search for “all the pre-1983 releases on No-future records” in Melbourne – with a copy of Diggin’ Melbourne acting as his “gloriously meticulous” tour guide. We were lucky enough to receive a couple of copies in the mail last week and shared them around at the map launch. We all had a laugh at Martin’s awesome zine – which he describes as “more of a stream of consciousness than a blow-by-blow review”.

After reading through Martin’s fanzine I wanted to share a little more information, and some tips about the Diggin’ Melbourne map. If you’re visiting Melbourne, please note: THE MAPS ARE NOT TO EXACT SCALE, and the scale of the store maps often varies to include surrounding landmarks. Case in point being Martin’s day in Williamstown (see below). Whilst we encourage using environmentally friendly modes of transport, there are some places you just have to drive to, and the Williamstown/Yarraville area is one of these. What appears like a few millimeters on a map can actually be a few kilometeres. Always refer to Greater Melbourne Map to get your bearings and assess your best mode of transport… Sorry Martin – and thanks for bringing this to our attention.

If you enjoyed reading that (and you’re not already in the car driving to Lost Ark), you’ll definitely enjoy the rest of Black Gold. Although, as Martin points out about all the stores in Melbourne, “two thirds of them don’t really deserve a mention so they don’t get one”, proving that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Black Gold is definitely one for the punk collectors out there, but still essential reading for anyone on the hunt for records in Melbourne. We’re not exactly sure where you can get a copy today – but as soon as that info comes to hand we’ll share it here. If you’re desperate to get a copy, email us at digmelbourne@gmail.com and we’ll put you in contact with the main man Martin.

Big thanks to Martin for sharing this with us, and apologies for making you “walk for an hour and a half in the baking sun”. Welcome to Melbourne!

Black Gold “Diggin for records in Melbourne”
By Martin. 2015.
Available at specially selected record stores in the near future. (see previous posts for a cover image)

April 22, 2015

SECOND HAND RECORDS, Uncategorized
Diggin’ Melbourne 2015 – Launch Party

To celebrate the release of the 2015 Diggin’ Melbourne map we are throwing a Launch Party at Belleville on Thursday, 16th April. Aside from the new maps, we’ll have vinyl crazy DJs from featured stores (especially those stores that cater for the DJ) dropping in for 60 minute sets. Joining us are Jimmy James of Strictly Vinyl fame, representing Dixons, Johan Elgstrom from Bounce Audio, Ms. Butt repping for Northside, Geezy (Mellowdias Thump) doing it up for Wax Museum Records, and a couple of guests – bringing you an evening super dope sounds and vinyl obscurities.

If you’re a fan/user/addict of Diggin’ Melbourne please come celebrate with us. The needle drops at 7pm, and the sounds continue until late. You can even get your fried chicken fix at Belleville – so come for dinner. If you’re not familiar with Belleville, it’s located in Globe Alley just off Little Bourke St, close to the corner of Swanston St. and Chinatown.

Keep an eye out for Beat magazine this week (out Wed. April 15), who will be doing a special Record Store Day/Diggin’ Melbourne feature – including a full listing of the 54 stores featured in this years map, along with interviews and a run-down of everything that’s happening on Record Store Day.

For our dedicated website users – note that the store guide has already been updated an includes all the new stores as featured in this years map. Get the jump on everyone else and raid the crates before Record Store Day arrives.

+++ If the postman is on the case we might even have a special surprise for the select few at the Launch Party. Earlier this week I received an email from a mysterious character by the name of Martin – a certified vinyl freak. Not only did he visit every store on last year’s map – he made his own fanzine about his adventures, entitled Black Gold. Fingers crossed we’ll have both Black Gold and Martin in the house on Thursday night. Check the cover below – that’s some Mingering Mike kinda shit right there! Right on Martin. We’ll do a proper post on this when it drops.

April 10, 2015

Uncategorized
New maps arriving for Record Store Day

With Record Store Day fast approaching (Saturday April 18), we are in the final stages of finalising this years Diggin’ Melbourne and Diggin’ Sydney record store maps. Both Sydney and Melbourne have again expanded the list of stores – with Melbourne now busting at the seems with 54 stores, and Sydney has broadened their range to include 33 stores from all sides of the city – and even out to Katoomba. There are some exciting new stores for the dedicated!

The Melbourne maps will hit the streets in just a few days – giving you plenty of time to plan your RSD attack! We will once again be collaborating with Beat magazine to present a Record Store Day supplement – listing all the Diggin’ spots plus a full list of Record Store Day activities at all the participating stores. The Beat supplement will be published on Wednesday April 15.

And that’s not all – we are also having a launch party for the 2015 Diggin’ Melbourne map on Thursday April 16 at Belleville in the CBD, with guest DJs and friends. Watch this space for more info. Watch the streets for the new maps – they look like this…

There’s so much action coming your way on Record Store Day it might be an idea to get out there before it happens. Check this – we have a new store in the city called Vinyl Alive, two new shops on Smith Street in Collingwood, Plug Seven (pictured below) and Eureka Rebellion Trading, Vinyl Space opening in upcoming days on Johnston St and a new Goldmine Records on St. Georges Rd in North Fitzroy + other new stores/listings include Prime Cuts in Reservoir, Metal Mosh in Frankston and more to be announced! Full details coming soon.

Pictured above and below: Plug Seven Records in Collingwood – one of the new listings for 2015. A massive selection of vinyl spanning rock, punk, reggae, soul, jazz, latin, funk, hip hop and more + a back room full of bargains. Tell ’em Diggin’ Melbourne sent you!

Want more? We’ll be updating the Diggin’ Melbourne website in upcoming days. Follow us to get notification + a head start!

March 30, 2015

Uncategorized
Diggin’ Melbourne 2015 – Call for entries

With Record Store Day 2015 almost upon us, it’s time to update the Diggin’ Melbourne map. If you’re a new store or know of a new store not currently listed, it’s time to send us the details. We already have some exciting new CBD and Collingwood stores to add! Don’t miss out on your chance. Submissions and payment for the 2015 Map close very soon. Please contact Northside Records for more details – tel. (03) 9417 7557.

We will once again be launching the map in the week leading up to Record Store Day (Sat. April 18), along with a Record Store Day collaboration with Beat Magazine to be distributed on April 15. The Diggin’ Sydney map is also launching their 2015 edition in conjunction with RSD. Watch this space for more details.

Furthermore, we’re having a launch party for the 2015 Diggin’ Melbourne Map and website; featuring DJs from local stores, special guests (TBA) and good times. Thursday 16th April. Venue: Belleville. Thanks to theofficeofpublicworks.com for their support.

March 5, 2015

Uncategorized
Hunter & Co Vintage now open in Preston

Today we’re excited to welcome a new store to Diggin’ Melbourne. Hunter & Co Vintage is the latest addition to our online store guide (find their listing in the Inner-North section of the Store Guide page). Hunter & Co currently stocks around 25 crates of quality second-hand vinyl – 50’s to 90’s Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Indian, Metal, Punk, Soundtracks and also some $5 bargain crates.

Hunter & Co Vintage also stock a selection of turntables & audio gear, mid-century/vintage furniture and collectables, plus a few racks of vintage clothing for the ladies (or gents 😉 ).

We’re also sad to see Pure Pop close the door of their St. Kilda store for the final time. 221 Barkly St has long been a digger’s paradise – since back in the days of Raoul Records with Ben, Declan and Carl through to it’s most recent incarnation as Pure Pop. Dave assures us Pure Pop will be back as soon as a suitable location is found. You can read more about the forced closure and keep up-to-date with Pure Pop here. The downloadable PDF of the Diggin’ Map does not include these latest additions or closures – so make sure you check the online Store Guide for the updated listing.

August 27, 2014

Uncategorized
Diggin’ Greville Records

A new regular feature on the Diggin’ Melbourne website has arrived! Over upcoming weeks and months we’ll be talking with the owners, operators and staff of Melbourne’s finest record stores about their history, favourite records and most cherished moments. To get things started we sent our Undercover Digger to one of Melbourne’s oldest and most respected music emporiums – Greville Records.

Watch this space for more Record Store features soon – or follow us receive updates.

Greville Records – We travel the Spaceways!

Here’s a record store steeped in a rich history, and depending on who you speak to and where you’re from, it’s often a store shrouded in mystery! According to the owner, Warwick Brown, “the shop first opened in 1978, I think, maybe ’79… open before 1980 anyway”. Since then the shop has been a mainstay for Melbourne’s music lovers and visitors from far and abroad, as well as a champion of Melbourne’s independent music scene.

For many people, including myself, the first experience of Greville Records is seeing someone else rocking the classic Greville Records T-Shirt, or carrying a white record bag marked with that familiar design. When you step through the door of Greville Records you can literally smell the the vinyl, and the other-worldly design and homage to Sun Ra featured on the T-shirts and record bags all makes sense…

We asked Greville Records owner Warwick Brown a few questions about the highlights of last 35 years. Here’s what he had to share.

First commenced trading?
The shop first opened in 1978, I think, maybe ’79… 0pen before 1980 anyway..?
(And according to Steve: 1979)

What is the main focus of Greville Records?
The main focus for a while has been to survive these wild and crazy times. Apart from that my main focus is to enjoy my day and to keep finding as many new and exciting LPs to get into the racks.

How have you seen the role of record stores change in the last 30 years?
It hasn’t really changed at all – we’re still striving to keeping all you crazy collectors bursting with tuneful happiness. Record stores are a place to come to get away from the usual horrible drab or surfing the net for tunes… a place for local indie artists to stock their records when no one else gives a damn… and a place to employ manic old record guys like me and keep us form destitution.

You’ve always stocked a lot of vinyl, and possibly more now than ever before. What is it that makes vinyl so desirable?
Well… in a world of fake, mass produced, cheap junk, vinyl takes us back to a time when there was a product that was beautiful, and real, and made with thought, pride, love, care, and artistic & creative desire… records are big… they are beautiful… the are real… they represent the best aspect of the human race.

Can you name some of the most amazing records that have passed through the store in recent times?
WOW… UMMM, We had some mind blowing Northern soul singles recently. Steve and the Board album, an extroadinary and rare Australian LP. A first week/mono UK pressing of the Beatles Please Please Me. A promotional white label USA pressing of Hendrix Electric Ladyland. A collection of Nirvana test pressings…
I could go on?

Name 3 records that define your store?
The Stooges: Funhouse
Betty Davis: Betty Davis
Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde

ABOVE: Cleves LP “Insane Rare OZ Folk Psych Rock”
BELOW: I asked Steve did he have a sleeveface for me – it took him about 6 seconds to reveal Françoise Hardy

3 records everyone should own?
Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On
Can: Soundtracks
Neil Young: Tonight’s the Night

Over the years many incredible musicians and artists have passed through your store. The Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, You Am I… and so on. Is there any particular moment you cherish – one that makes owing a record store all worthwile?
Instore… yes we’ve had anyone and everyone pass through here… the guys from Bob Dylan’s band would come hang out and buy piles of records – and became good freinds of the store. Alex Chilton – doing an instore performance and hanging out smoking weed afterwards was a massive, unbelievable day… He’s a a hero of ours! YOU AM I did a series of gigs in our carpark at the back of the shop in the 1990’s… they were incredible, brilliant!

Heads up and the low-down:

Greville Records
152 Greville St, Prahran
(03) 9510 3012 | greville@corplink.com.au

Current Vinyl stock:
In excess of 20,000 LPs / 12″
10,000+ 45s + thousands yet to be sorted & priced

Haves:
The diversity at Greville Records is incredible – Punk, Indie, Psyche, Stoner, Metal, Garage, Rock, Blues, Cajun, Soul, Funk, Folk, Brasilian, Cumbia, Jazz, Indo, Latin, R&B, Reggae, Dub, Hip Hop, Electronica, Krautrock, Tropical, Country, Rockabilly, 60s, 70s, 80s and more – and all on vinyl. T-shirts, Books, CDs, music, exploitation and cult DVDs.

Have-nots*:
Electronic dance music, House, Techno, Top 40 or Classical.
* may stock from time to time

Digging tips:
Sadly there are no facilities for listening to records at this store – You need to do your research before you go. Parking in this neighbourhood is a bitch… If you’re serious about having a dig you should avoid parking in 1 hour zones, or catch the train.

What I saw/heard/bought:
Customer: “What’s that record like?”
Warwick: “It does it all – play it backwards sideways and it will walk your dog and make your dinner…”

What’s close?
From here it’s only a short stroll to Obese Records on Izett St, and Bounce Audio on Cato St. For the dedicated it’s only 10 minutes back up the road to Licorice Pie.

Story + photos: Rex. August 2014

-37.849543 144.991775

August 21, 2014

DIGGIN’ FEATURE
Record Store Day 2014

It’s Record Store Day again! That means the new Diggin’ Melbourne Vinyl Lovers’ Tour Guide is available now at all good record stores, music emporiums and select street press outlets. If you don’t have one already you can download a copy or simply browse the updated store guide to decide how you will spend your Record Store Day (and hard earned cash).

There are numerous live performances across Melbourne on Saturday April 19, including Eagle & The Worm, Georgia Fields and Mike Rudd at Basements Discs, British India DJs, Mighty Boys and Dollar Bar at Record Paradise, DJs Harmony and Nun at Polyester, Hue Blaines, Chelsea Wilson and Florelie Escano at Rathdowne Records, Geoff Atchinson at Quality Records, Oscar Key Sung, N’Fa Jones, Sensible J & Dutch and Remi at Northside Records and My Left Boot at Heartland Records. No matter what style of music you’re into – there’s something for everyone on Record Store Day.

We’re also pleased to welcome four new stores to Diggin’ Melbourne in 2014: Feedback Cafe in Yarraville, Lost Ark Antiques & Collectables in Williamstown, The Junk Company in Elizabeth Street (CBD/North Melbourne) and De Bretts Antiques in Moonee Ponds. Make sure you tell ’em…. “Diggin’ Melbourne sent me”.

April 18, 2014

Uncategorized