Record Safari
Loving music – much like loving The Office – isn’t a personality trait.
Everyone loves music. Everyone feels an emotional connection to their favorite songs; to the very experience of audiation, the process of our brains processing the precisely arranged sonic vibrations and sound waves that make up the soundtracks to our lives.
But loving vinyl is a personality trait, especially at a time in human history where practically every song ever recorded since the gramophone era exists in the binary cloud for a monthly fee.
Being a record collector is a lifestyle – a uniquely analog lifestyle in a digital world.
It’s a hobby born out of a hands-on passion for music, mixed with an anthropologist’s curiosity to explore new things and a new librarian’s knack for keeping a catalogue organized.
It involves trips to dusty flea markets for the ultimate “find”.
It involves trips to eccentric record stores to commune with fellow vinyl aficionados.
It involves nerding out over stuff – a lot of stuff. Endless combinations of turntables and tunes and speakers to perfect the ultimate auditory experience great recorded music deserves – that warm, fuzzy analog sound that wraps you like a warm fleece blanket.
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Alex Rodriguez is a serious vinyl collection. He’s been collecting vinyl practically since his middle school years, amassing a personal collection consists of over 23,000 records.
Rodriguez is the man behind Coachella Music Festival on-site record store. To do that, he spends practically all year on the road buying records. In that process, he’s built a huge network of vinyl collectors and enthusiasts, along with musicians and producers.
Record Safari is a new documentary chronicling Rodriguez’s experience and how he turned his passion into a true career. Here’s the log line:
Dig into the world of record collecting, as Alex spends weeks on the road, buying records and swapping stories with fellow collectors, musicians, and producers.
Featuring interviews with Pete Rock, Lenny Kaye, Monalisa Murray, Oliver Wang, Valerie Calano, “Slug” and “Ant” from Atmosphere, Sheila Burgel, Steven Blush, Rebecca Birmingham, Jamison Harvey “DJ Prestige”, and Kevin Patrick. Record Safari gives viewers an intimate inside look into the world of record collecting through some of the industry’s most knowledgeable enthusiasts. Is it just a hobby or something deeper and more meaningful? What explains vinyl records’ steady popularity in the age of streaming?
It’s essential watching for anyone who loves record collecting, whether you’re just starting out with a small collection and a simple set-up or a true aficionado.
Dig in HERE to stream on your platform of choice.
Check the trailer here: