My favourite records: Rob Kent #1

I was introduced to vinyl back I when was around sixteen. There were so many albums I wanted to buy on CD but could only ever find on Vinyl. I was a huge Pop Punk fan at the time and I recall 'Everyone that dragged you here' by Real Friends becoming a one of my must haves but I couldn't find it anywhere on CD- only on vinyl. I went to the Oasis Market for the first time a few months later and was greeted by the sight of people who I would have loved to discuss 'Cradle of Filth' with but never had the chance. I then found 'Ignite Records'. All I saw was boxes of records filled with the albums I wanted and after flicking through Rich Perri’s (the owner) catalogue of music, it became clear that 'Ignite Records' was the place to spend my money so that I could add to my collection.

'Ignite', then and now, stocks a great selection of hardcore, punk, metal and indie releases. Most recently, Hip-Hop and rap are now stocked there. So whether it’s Mobb, Deep, Modern Baseball or Morbid Angel you wish to own on vinyl, 'Ignite' is the place to support and keep alive!

Rich is very knowledgeable about music; he introduced me to great bands such as 'Down To Nothing', 'More than Life' and 'I Call Fives'. If you have a spare £15 and want to buy a new record, I recommend chatting to Rich because we will always know the right direction to point you in so that you leave the shop with a great record.

After collecting countless CDs I then decided to only purchase records on vinyls that I considered classics, along with the obvious exclusive releases. Having these classic records gives you the chance to appreciate and study the art and the concept of the music in a deeper fashion. Physically compared to a CD, vinyl looks huge, so having the LP records stacked on one shelf shows which records the listener thinks really deserve the extra money and listening effort as they want to own this music with the qualities that come with vinyl. As well, the smell of the sleeve and record, the flipping at the mid way point- these are all characteristics that can’t be achieved in the digital format.

Saying all of this, I actually never purchased an album on vinyl until I was 19, despite being aware of the huge selection of records that were only a bus journey away from me. I didn't own a record player at the time so didn't see the point until one day I purchased three Bruce Springsteen records on vinyl. After ticking off my bucket list slowly but surely, my mother brought me a record player for my 20th birthday and I began collecting more and more. So shout out to her for helping me do that!

(To be continued...)

By Rob Kent

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page to read part 2!