ANALOG MELODIES
Yes, totally get it, we’re already in 2026. But there are some things about last year that made me very happy and I love it to share it with people.
On May 2025 I got fired from my job. Obviously I got sad, didn’t know what to do next. Then I remembered all the projects I wanted to do and had to stop because of my current job. So it was a great opportunity to retake them again.
One of those projects was a photography one about the vinyl stores in Madrid. I didn’t want to make any kind of project, I wanted to know the story behind them, why they exist, what’s the thing these people had about music… you know, stuff like that. So I started my research and found three stores who caught my attention not only because of the store, but for the people who were there.
ROCK N’ ROLL CIRCUS
The year is 1996, and after working in a big amount of record stores you decide to open your own. And, although genres like grunge and pop were at their peak, you didn’t care about it.
You open your store in Callao, and, as you enter, you can hear Jim Morrison’s hypnotic voice in a record player.
And the question is: why 60’s or 70’s music and not what is trendy right now? Because you want to share what you truly like, not get into a ‘just because it sells’ mindset.
Joaquin, the owner, is a truly music lover, but it’s more of a listener and expert about it. He tells that he never had a band and don’t play any instrument, but, because of bands like the Beatles, he molded his music passion and made him work in record stores until 1996 when he opened Rock n Roll Circus.
With blues, jazz and classic rock records, the variety never ends. But he confessed that people over 40 years old are more of his common costumers, Joaquin don’t care that much about the new technologies, but he supports it as a new way to share his passion without avoiding the classic way.
QUIOSCO MORRISON
It’s January 2024 and you open your own record store… or better said, record “kiosk” in Madrid. And also you enjoy a good coffee and art works as you listen to your favorite record.
That’s the whole point of Fausto’s store, who decided to combine both of his passions and open his own space in Manuel Becerra with his cat’s name… yes, that’s the Morrison we’re talking about.
And it’s not only coffee and the music’s companion, but work from emerging artists who need somewhere to show their beautiful work.
From Venezuela, Fausto, a music lover and also a drummer, he doesn’t sell just because. He takes the “recommend” verb too seriously. From Alice in Chains to Lana Del Rey, his record selection reflects his openness to discovering new artists while chatting with customers.
LIQUIDATOR STORE
When you see the outside of Liquidator Store, with a subtle place, but when you step in, the music is loud and you meet up with Carlos or Antonio enjoying a lot what they’re listening to.
Liquidator originally started as a record label in the 90’s for reggae, jazz, ska artists. In 2016, the store is open who has other genres like punk rock, latin music, among many others.
Over the years, Antonio has recorded with several artists from the genre, and nowadays it is the artists themselves who approach him to record with the label. Although music is a great passion, it is not something one can live on alone.
Antonio has another job in addition to running the shop and the label, since, as he says himself, ‘you can’t always make a living doing what you love.’
Even so, the joy and enthusiasm of people leaving the shop with their new record is undeniable.
With all that said, we can see how much people have approached to know new ways to discover music and listen to it. Yes, there are new technologies like Youtube or Spotify who has showed an easy way to support artists doesn’t matter if they are “old” or new. The only thing we can’t never forget is how music has joined people and expressed so many feelings in different ways and formats that this is something it will never change.
And remember,
“If you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.”
-Penny Lane from “Almost Famous” movie.
