Vinyl Sundays give you the chance to amp up your record collection

29 March 2017 - 12:41 By Yolisa Mkele
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Hunt for rare records at Vinyl Sundays at 44 Stanley, Johannesburg.
Hunt for rare records at Vinyl Sundays at 44 Stanley, Johannesburg.
Image: Supplied

Winter is coming which means more time spent at home with a glass of wine and your favourite vinyl playing in the background. Don't have much of vinyl stockpile? Well, this Sunday 44 Stanley will offer the perfect opportunity to beef up your collection with Vinyl Sundays.

Vinyl Sundays brings together the best dealers for a family friendly bacchanal of vinyl, food and drink on the first Sunday of every month.

"What sets us apart from other vinyl fairs is quality. All our dealers are hand-picked and leading specialists," said Bret Dougmore, a vinyl dealer and event co-organiser.

Fairs like this are a boon for those dipping a cautious toe into the world of vinyl records.

"Fairs like ours are great for beginners because it allows people to stretch their budgets.

"Where R500 might only get you one or two vinyls elsewhere, you could easily walk away from Vinyl Sundays with about 10 vinyls for that money," said Dugmore.

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Stock is sourced from nooks and crannies across the land, be it in boxes in old buildings in the Johannesburg CBD, or from someone's neglected garage on the East Rand.

This breadth of their sources means that the dealers at Vinyl Sundays offer everything from rare struggle-era South African jazz to the latest Ed Sheeran.

"It really depends on the demographic of the people at the fair, but older South African jazz is hugely sought after.

"At the same time Solange's new album was really popular last year," said Dugmore.

Beware though. While most new albums do get released in vinyl format, they tend to cost a fair amount more than second-hand records. Among other popular genres are 1980s pop a la Madonna, hard rock and Daft Punk-style electronica.

As a way to spend a Sunday afternoon, hunting for quality vinyl records, it is a pretty good one. Pair that with craft beer, artisanal food and a place for rug rats to run around in and it isn't hard to see why this event has been running longer than most of its contemporaries.

Vinyl Sundays takes place at Stanley Beer Yard, 44 Stanley Avenue, Auckland Park, from 10am to 3pm. Visit facebook.com/vinylfair.

This article was originally published in The Times.

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