Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is hosting the inaugural Yarra Winter Record Store Day
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Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is hosting the inaugural Yarra Winter Record Store Day

Purchasing music digitally just doesn’t have the same experience or sense of satisfaction as you get when holding the real deal in your hands. It really doesn’t even come close to the buzz you get from hitting your local record store, sifting through black-wax gems, chatting with fellow music devotees and fighting for the last copy of something. It’s something that you have to experience to understand.

While we’re waxing lyrical about vinyl, there’s an event coming up where you can truly throw your support behind music on wax with the inaugural Yarra Winter Record Store Day on Saturday July 6, as part of the Leaps and Bounds Music Festival.

Inspired by the worldwide phenomenon of Record Store Day, this one-day event puts a focus on the independent record stores within the City of Yarra, encouraging local music lovers to shop local.

Not only will you be able to browse the latest imports or golden oldies, but these stores also put a focus on local music, supporting the producers, DJs, bands, and musicians from across the genre spectrum opting to release their music on the format.

Specialising in soul and funk, Gertrude Street’s Northside Records has been a longtime favourite within local music circles. Stocking the very best in music to get down to, you’ll love what you find – whether you’re after straight soul groove or some jazzed-up reggae blues. In celebration of Yarra’s Winter Record Store Day, Northside will be hosting DRMNGNOW’s (aka independent Artist based in Naarm/Birraranga Neil Morris) ‘Australia Does Not Exist/Always Remember’ 7” vinyl launch. DRMNGNOW’s sound and approach, grounded in strong cultural and values fuses a striking interdisciplinary approach to his art as an MC, instrumentalist and poet with a searing decolonial and culturally engrossing message. He has developed a reputation as one of the most important rising artists in the land with his live show known to transfix audiences. If you’re around for the day, we’d recommend heading in-store to get your hands on one of these 7” releases.

Just a short walk down the road, Flight To Dubai will also be performing live in-store at Oh! Jean Records on Nicholson Street as part of the Leaps and Bounds Music Festival. This all-ages gig will see the Sydney based four-piece Flight To Dubai dig up and reinvigorate 70’s garage punk. The deep, assertive baritone of frontman Atlas Abell will lure you music lovers into a raw, passionate and deliberate performance accompanied by trembling counter melodies, scathing guitar parts and flanked by a hot and heavy rhythm section. Try and swing by if you can!

Other stores we’d recommend checking out include The Searchers, Poison City Records, and Plug Seven in Fitzoy, Wah Wah Records, Ricks Records, and Happy Valley in Collingwood, Dutch Vinyl in Abbotsford, and Strangeworld Records in Fitzroy North – just to name a few!

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But wait, there’s more!

If you’re a local to the area, you’d know the Collingwood Underground Car Park, one of Collingwood’s best-kept secrets. If you don’t know it, it’s a performance space, artists residence, gym, bicycle repair workshops AND a roller disco! As part of the Leaps and Bounds Music Festival’s Yarra’s Winter Record Store Day, Northside Records, The Searchers, and Plug Seven Records will take part in a ‘2on2 DJ battle’. Taking place once all the in-stores are done, the vinyl love continues with the stores bringing down some of their best records to sell from 6pm till 11pm, while the DJ battle will kick off from 7pm. You can also rent a pair of skates for the evening if you really want to get amongst it.

Whether you’re looking for something new to fill that small space in between Joy Division and Judas Priest, or you’re just an old soul, searching for music you can actually hold in your hand, this free event across Yarra’s diverse and many record stores is one not to be missed.

For the full program of events go to leapsandboundsmusicfestival.com.