Love vinyl records? Indulge in communal listening at this turntable festival

A participant examines a turntable during a listening session

Music listening is increasingly a solo activity. Plugged earphones filtering into specifically curated playlists make for individualistic tastes. Gone are the days of exchanging the latest audio cassettes or CD collections among friends over summer holidays. Yet, a growing community of record collectors is starting to reshape this experience. The Turntable Festival by The Revolver Club at Bandra next week hopes to play a role in this experiential restructure.

"The base of the festival's idea is that many of the audience feel unable to connect with traditional hi-fi stores and brands," shares Mihir Lapalikar, organiser with The Revolver Club. The festival seeks to provide collectors and listeners with access to new turntables on the market, listening kiosks as well as bring back the communal listening experience, he adds.

This is particularly aimed at the younger demographic. Lapalikar notes, "A large part of the younger audience is interested in the ritualistic aspect of the experience, putting on the records, dropping the needle and feeling the vinyl and the art. There used to be an intimidation factor when it came to the vinyl record, but it is gradually changing." It is also a unique way of commemorating Record Store Day, dedicated to independent record store owners. "We have also called in collectors and record store owners who may want to sell their owned records to new listeners," he shares.

A reason for this growing interest is the rise in the community of collectors, and a space for them to interact. Actor-writer Namit Das has been a collector for the last five years, and boasts a collection of over 1,000 records. The community, he shares, is a key part of the experience. "At such meet-ups, you meet a diverse range of people. The experience is a nice balance of the mind and the heart - with the mind stimulated by the knowledge of new music, technology and conversation, while the heart is stimulated by friendships," he says.

Namit Das with his collection; (right) Mihir Lapalikar

For Rohan Mehta, the community is an organic part of the interest in record collection. The 24-year-old account manager explains, "It is a package. People are drawn to vinyl as a novelty factor, then comes the passion. Once the passion takes over, you seek out people who share your worldview or musical interests, and that is where the space becomes vital."

This contributes to more than just knowledge. Das shares, "When I started out, I was interested only in collecting Hindustani music records. My understanding of jazz, and an interest in the genre grew as I began to attend more listening sessions. In fact, it evolved to such an extent that I needed a separate space for my collection. This led to a rented office space that also inspired my creative writing."

Rohan Mehta; Members examine a vinyl cover; attendees browse through record collections

Mehta remarks that at its core, the vinyl community remains a source of knowledge. "For me, I am always interested in the new things I can learn from collectors. Starting out, it was difficult to find people who shared this interest. I needed to know if there were people like me, and needed a place to congregate, listen to records and talk about it. These spaces need to be in surplus across cities," he says. For now, the festival will ensure the music plays on.

On April 20; 12 pm
At Club Pandora, Station Road, Khar West.
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