In the latest installment of Record Collector, we drill Brandon Leja, aka xslowdeathx on Instagram, about his vinyl obsession.
How long have you been collecting hardcore vinyl?
I've been collecting records for about 5-6 years now. The past few months I started thinning out my collection and sold pretty much everything but my hardcore records.
Where/how do you usually find your hardcore records?
I live in Akron, OH and the local record never have anything worth while as far as hardcore goes. I pretty much get everything online, usually through a label's online store, or distro sites like Rev HQ. Sometimes Discogs if the price is right. Also, I get stuff by buying and trading from people on Instagram.
What is the most you paid for a hardcore record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it?
The most i paid for a record is $85. It was Every Time I Die's Hot Damn! It was my white whale record. It just never came up for sale on Ebay or Discogs. The few times it did was on EBay, and I was outbid. I ended up finding it on some dudes Storenvy page. All he had for sale was a NOFX record and Hot Damn! I didn't have the money at the time, so I emailed him and asked if he could take it down and hold it for me til the next week. He was really cool about and held it for me.
What is your most prized hardcore record and why?
My most prized would have to be Hot Damn! because it's one of my all-time favorite records/bands, and because of the hunt and how I finally obtained it.
Outside of the money you spend, what do you hate most about record collecting in the hardcore world?
Honestly, I can't really think of anything I hate. Well, actually, I hate the people who preorder multiple copies of the most limited variants so they can sell them on eBay later for a ridiculous price. I hate those bastards!
Which record(s) are still on your want list that you've had a tough time tracking down through the years?
There's an Every Time I Die's Last Night In Town/Hot Damn!/Gutter Phenomenom 3xLP box set I need. I'd love to get my hands on one of the red/white/blue versions. They only pressed 300 of the colored vinyl version back in '06. They very rarely come up for sale and when they do, it's on eBay and there's always a bidding war end up going at a crazy price. The one I did see sold for $300+.
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Follow Brandon on Instagram and don't torture the man by outbidding him on eBay.
Tagged: hardcore, record collector
