Toulouse is heating up the turntables for Record Store Day, here’s where to enjoy it
By Philip Salvador
Published on
The next D-day has been set for Saturday April 23, 2022. For this great vinyl celebration, half a dozen Toulouse independent record stores (see below) will offer nearly 230 unpublished references, rare or collectors, in limited edition. Among which, reissues of legendary albums the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, the Doors, David Bowie, U2, Prince, Pearl Jam, or Miles Davis. As well as new versions of titles from the Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, or Taylor Swift, who is this year’s ambassador for the event.
An edition without gauge or mask
Responsible for vicious circle shopin the city center of Toulouse, Grégoire Rameaux is delighted that Record Store Day 2022 is taking place in better sanitary conditions than in the previous two years. In 2020 and 2021, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the event had indeed been split into 4 or 3 episodes. “This time, no more mask or gauge. However, we will not organize a concert, as we did before the Covid crisis. This serum a half-hearted edition. But our very loyal clientele will be there”, anticipates the Toulouse record store.
As with each edition, the latter expects to see the number of visitors to his store and his sales triple.
“Customers cannot order in advance. The goal of the game is for them to perform on site. It is an event eagerly awaited by a whole population that comes exclusively for this day.”
“The whole music industry participates”
The Record Store Day has been, for 12 years, the most important date of the year for recorded music. “The whole sector is participating in it, collectively. From labels to record stores, passing through pressing plants”, underlines David Godevais, creator of the event in France.
5 million vinyls sold last year in France
According to this cake enthusiast, “Disquaire Day is at the origin of the return of vinyl, all over the world… Independently of our will! “It sold more than 5 million copies in France last year, according to figures from the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishers (SNEP). “This corresponds to the number of sales that we make at the beginning of the 1990s“Slips David Godevais.
“All musical styles are concerned, with the exception of classical. Because, often, the pieces do not fit on one side. To listen to them in full, the listener is obliged to turn the disc. Which is not not the case with a CD.”
Another reason for the craze: listening comfort. “Music on vinyl is not compressed, unlike music on CD. As for the sound, very degraded, delivered by streaming platforms… after a quarter of an hour, my ears hurt! David Godevais points out that the sector is one of the few to have experienced “a total regression” in terms of sound quality.
Finally, beyond its vintage side, vinyl offers the possibility for artists to express themselves in the design of their covers.
“The graphics capabilities are greater on 30 cm than on 12. We find a notion of complete cultural object, both in terms of sound and aesthetics”
A second Record Store Day to satisfy all requests
A second session of this Disquaire Day 2022 is scheduled for Saturday, June 18. “Given the pressing delays, linked both to the very high demand for production and the lack of raw materials, we will assure the labels that their discs planned for Record Store Day will be available at independent record stores” explain the organizers.
Independent record stores in Toulouse participating in Record Store Day
- Vinyls Paul Emileat 5 rue Temponières
- New Bullitat 20 rue des Lois
- Croco Vinylat 7 rue des Lois, which will present for the occasion an exhibition of collages and graphic creations by the artist Laura Zanti
- Gibert-Josephat 3 rue du Taur
- vicious circle shopat 56 rue Léon Gambetta
- The laboratoryat 9 rue de la Bourse, which will also feature an exhibition of rock shots by Toulouse photographer Franck Alix.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Toulouse in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.