Vinyl record revival amplifies Halifax music scene

Records are famously part of hip-hop culture, and Halifax rapper Tachichi has always presented his music on vinyl, but in the last few years he’s noticed more and more people switching to retro formats. I was.

“I love vinyl, so I love it,” he said. “When people started loving hip-hop in the ’80s, they started with vinyl.”

When his career took off in the late 1990s, fans used to buy vinyl albums at his shows, but in the early 2000s, CDs took over and the momentum waned.

“It was simply easier. It was easier to manufacture and much cheaper,” he said. “It was the CD of that stint.”

During that time, he only did custom pressings of records, but has now turned around.

Records are trending again, mostly bought by fans when they perform live.

“Now with streaming and records, people are buying a lot of hip-hop records, especially our type of hip-hop underground boom-bop stuff,” he said. ”

Streaming continues to dominate the music industry, accounting for more than 80% of total revenue, but the RIAA’s latest sales show 17 years of growth for the vinyl format.

Statistics show that about 41 million LPs were sold last year, compared to 33 million CDs.

With so many music fans returning to the warm sound, many artists are taking notice.

Halifax reggae singer Jah Mila made a small batch of vinyl for her debut album roots girl.

“Somehow the music sounds richer,” she said. “There’s something very nostalgic about that sound.”

Music and records are her way of life.

Her father, Earl (Chinna) Smith, is an acclaimed guitarist who has appeared on hundreds of albums, including Jamila’s.

He also started a record label and owned a record shop.

Like Tachichi on her album, her music is also available on streaming platforms, but vinyl releases mean more to her.

“That’s the way I like to remember it,” she said.

More and more record fans of all musical genres come to browse thousands of records at Renegade Records in downtown Dartmouth, NS.

Owner Tom Spence said, “I think it’s people coming back to the hobby and young people starting it for the first time.

His record store carries both new and vintage records, as well as CDs and other media.

The hefty setup cost of purchasing turntables and speakers doesn’t stop listeners willing to shell out $30 or more for an album.

Dropping a needle on a record and watching it spin has a very different appeal than clicking on a track on a digital device.

“It’s more ritualistic, the artwork is bigger. It’s more of an experience, they’re more focused on listening,” Spence explained.

The thrill of hunting is also a big part of the experience.

Stephen Hines has been collecting records since 1976, and he still charges when he finds the record he’s been looking for while flipping through crates.

“I like to come into stores and find things I want, things I don’t want, things I didn’t know I wanted, and that makes me happy.

Passion for Records Leads to Halifax Record Label

Hundreds of record fans like Hines have attended Halifax’s record fairs since Black Buffalo Record’s inception in 2011.

Black Buffalo president Kevin Beal says he expected a record comeback when he founded his underground hip-hop record label in 2016.

“At record fairs, I saw a lot of people coming in for a particular genre, like hip-hop records,” Biel said.

The business is known not only for releasing vinyl albums, but also for singles used by famous DJs such as Skratch Bastid and Jazzy Jeff.

These DJ edits are modified versions of original songs with new beats that professional DJs can use in their live sets and mix with other tracks.

“One of the foundations of hip-hop is the DJ. When it first started, it was a dance party,” says Beal. “To be able to release a record that a DJ can spin and create another hip-hop tune or track of his is very appealing to me.”

Beer, a Metis, also pays tribute to the Mi’kmaq tribe by acknowledging their ancestral land on its record label.

Records still aren’t cheap to make, he says, but his niche interest allows the label to press hundreds with each release.

“It’s a passion for us,” he said.

It’s a trend we expect to continue as people build their collections.

Tachichi confident about next album found moneyA collaboration with East Coast rapper LXVNDR will also be pressed on vinyl. Fall in June.