Record Collectors

Record Collector: Michele Bianchi, aka islandofdead666

Michele Bianch lives in Switzerland with his wife, Jennifer, their beautiful little girl, Cassandra. He works as a chef and loves spinning records in his spare time. He loves horror and sci-fi moves, and that plays in perfectly with his passion for collecting vinyl. Please join me in welcoming Michele into the Record Collector club.
 
How long have you been collecting records?
 
I started collecting records around 2006, quite regularly until about 2009, then I had to slow things down due to other priorities such as the usual lack of money that afflicts us collectors from time to time and storage space. I ultimately came back into it around two years ago.

 

Justice - Justice Old School Hardcore Belgium, Complete Control Records 2005 Another Hardcore Monday to kick off the week and another 20 days straight of work, this album sure has the attributes to let it start rolling with the right attitude! Filled with pile on's calling singalong lyrics and jumping riffs Belgium's Justice knew how to write down killer hardcore songs! Wish me good luck as I go into the week kicking and screaming in Justice style! #justice #completecontrolrecords #hardcore #straightedge #yellowvinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove #nowspinning

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Where/how do you usually find your records these days?

When it comes to new releases, my main source is the Internet, more specifically, I try to directly support labels who releases them by purchasing from their stores against buying from Amazon or third parties in general. For used or out of print ricords, Discogs is my go-to place. Unfortunately, there aren't many proper record stores in my area, so whenever I have to chance I take a trip to Tondo Music. It's basically the only store where I dig my way through tons of crates filled mainly with classics and old obscure records. They really have an incredible amount of amazing stuff although they lack the newest releases, but there are so many gems to satisfy my thirst for a blind buy, or two, that I dont really feel the need of newer records while I'm there.

Last but not least, whenever I have the chance to see a band live, I always make sure to get a vinyl by their merch table.

 

Guru - Jazzmatazz Volume 1 Jazzy Hip Hop USA, Music On Vinyl / Chrysalis Records 2018 (Reissue) Let's keep the weekend chilling and mellow with this exceptional Guru album, along with a tons of other vocalists, rhymes the shit out of dope jazz based beats with first tier class and style, I used to jam this album a lot years ago and a few weeks ago I found it in a local media store and I couldnt pass it up, a killer collection of jams that just suits the warmer weather damn good! #guru #jazzmatazz #volumeone #musiconvinyl #chrysalisrecords #hiphop #jazz #rap #bluevinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove

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What is the most you paid for a single record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it?
 
The most expensive record I ever pre ordered was for The Armed — Only Love with the wood box that came at around $100, if I remember correctly. As far as regular albums without fancy box sets go, I'd say the Sunn o))) and Boris collaborative album (Altar) was sold at Tondo's for around 80 Swiss Francs (around $80) but that was a 3xLP set. Necrophagist's Epitaph — reissued by Relapse last year — is the most I've ever spent on a single vinyl album with a regular sleeve, which was around $60 on Discogs, kinda expensive all things considered, but I really wanted it and regretted a lot missing out when if was originally reissued
 
Although I try to avoid spending too much on a single record that happens from time to time I guess.

 

Necrophagist - Epitaph Technical Melodic Death Metal USA, Relapse Records 2017 (Reissue) Finally got my hands on this one after shamefully sleeping on it when it was reissued! This record is INSANE!! Super technical, super fast, super melodic, super metal, super deadly, super super! The things that amazes me the most is the lead guitar, I mean, it's either soloing at the speed of light or raining melodic leads at insane speeds, AND the guy was in charge of vocal duties as well, how is that even possible?? This is not death metal, this is mental metal done by nuts for nuts! Finally able to spin this one and gotta tell ya, it's gorgeus to looo at while it spins! @relapserecords once again delivered a first class coloured wax like always! #necrophagist #epitaph #relapserecords #technicaldeathmetal #techdeath #melodicdeathmetal #eurometal #marblevinyl #splattervinyl #coloredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove

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If you had to pick one record label you feel had/has the best track record of quality releases, who would that be and what are some key titles you love?

This is an hard one for a guy like me who always has an hard time picking just one, so I may be bending the rules a bit here, and I'll give you three records labels instead.
 
I'll start with Elusive Sound from Switzerland, that label sure takes the cake both for being Swiss Best Kept Secret but mainly cause you can literally feel all the love they put into their releases. I wouldnt have discovered some amazing bands without them (BLAK, TRNA, Show Me a Dinosaur, Silent Whale Becomes A° Dream... to name my favorites). Their releases also always sound great, as in crystal-clear, loud, and deep-sounding great. but their variants are also insane. It's all well-thought, gorgeous-looking, and with a deluxe touch that never hurts. Just looking at Silent Whale Becomes A° Dream's book hardcover variant of Requiem is awe-inducing, but all the names I mentioned before are well worth checking out as they're great albums!

 

Show Me A Dinosaur - Show Me A Dinosaur Blackgaze Russia, Elusive Sound 2018 (Repress) Show Me A Dinosaur are the perfect soundtrack to the season, warmer days and cold nights, a sense of incoming warmth wiped out by darkness, a true gem of blackgaze, although there's more to it than another boring deafheaven clone, I can hear some screamo influence here and there, some post rock vibes, even some more crust oriented fast parts; Show Me A Dinosaur takes the listener to a dimension of never ending winter where occasionaly some sun rays shine through the clouds but not for long, immediately we're sucked down to icy sharp winter wind. This may be the best blackgaze album of 2017 and probably in the top three black metal albums even! Oh and as usual @elusivesoundch provides an incredible package and vinyl that pairs the sleeve masterfully, gladly enough I managed to grab the limited repress out of 30 cause I was not much into the silver logo, the gold one fits way better! #showmeadinisaur #elusivesound #blackgaze #postrock #screamo #blackmetal #splattervinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove #nowspinning

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A label I feel like is still outside too many people's radar is Translation Loss, so that's my second pick. They recently reissued Rosetta's massive debut, Galilean Satellites, in the best way possible: a deluxe box set that's seriously nuts, both in sound quality and looks. Besides being one of the most visionary post-metal albums to date, they actually made sure this was the best press possibile for every fan to own and listen to it! Kenoma's The Tides WIll Prevail is another one of their albums that I really love, melodic yet heavy instrumental post metal with some doom thrown in it, a great unknown gem that way too few people are aware of it seems! A personal favorite recent release is the new Svalbard album that may just be the best hardcore album of 2018!

 

Svalbard - It's Hard To Have Hope Blackened Post Youthcrew Hardcore UK, Translation Loss Records 2018 No better way to kick off the week than a newly released killer album, even better if it's built upon youthcrew foundation with tons of black metal and post rock progression, that sounds delicious, doesnt it? It is actually even better when listening to the whole thing, what hooked me right away on this album is the strong youthcrew leaning it has on some songs, although the whole album actually sounds a lot like a modern take on hardcore with black metal speed parts and mosh inducing breakdowns, it's hardcore like it should sound in 2018, melodic but open minded to other genres, there's no denying its attitude and any doubts get wiped out by the overly political lyrics! Although I was introduced to Svalbard early on by a friend of mine years ago I kinda never really got into them but this is an album that will get countless spins from now on! #svalbard #itshardtohavehope #translationlossrecords #screamo #hardcore #youthcrew #blackmetal #postrock #mergevinyl #splattervinyl #whitevinyl #goldvinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #recordroom #discogs #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove

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Last but not least, going outside "music made by bands" territory, Waxwork Records sure deserves a place as my third pick. They specialize in movie scores and their focus is on horror and sci-fi films, both old and modern classics. If I was to pick a few favorite titles from Waxwork, I would surely mention The Thing, released on a deluxe limited ice-breaker box set, as if the score alone wasnt great enough, the package takes it to a completely breathtaking dimension. Logan's Run is one of their latest releases, and being a big sci-fi nerd, the announcement of its score being released on vinyl was one of the best news ever! It, Tenebrae, Rosemary's Baby, Don't Look Now... I could go on and on for hour. Long story short: Waxwork Records is where horror/sci-fi nerds and vinyl collectors' wet dreams meet!

 

#aprilvinylshowers - 30. GEEK OUT Richard Bellis - Stephen King's IT (Soundtrack From The Television Motion Picture) Jazz/Circus/Orchestral Score USA, Waxwork Records 2018 Oh look a great deluxe score by @waxworkrecords popping up as a record of choice for today's challenge task! This recently came in and went right at the top of my Waxwork releases, this time around the kings of scores overdid themselves big time, nothing suprising since they seem to keep getting better with every release! Triple LPs set on baloon coloured wax and a triple fold gatefold filled with fantastic art for a incredible score that makes everyone happy, there are Circus music songs, jazz interludes and the classic orchestral burst announcing Pennywise on the run making trouble to everyone! #IT #stephenking #televisionmotionpicture #score #jazz #circus #circusmusic #orchestralscore #yellowvinyl #redvinyl #bluevinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinylforever #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove #nowspinning

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There are tons of other great labels that puts out an endless flow of amazing records like Relapse, Profound Lore, Dunk! Records, and Pelagic Records, and I could go on for days, but these three are the ones that make me excited the most. 

Of everything in your current collection, what is your most prized record and why?

There are two of them I really enjoy owning and spinning for similar reasons, the Jurassic Park Original Motion Picture repress by Mondo, and Pennywise's Full Circle. As many other people, I used to be obsessed with dinosaurs when I was a kid, and when Jurassic Park came out, I couldnt get enough of it. Finally owning its score as an adult feels so satisfying! Pennywise was the band that set me on the punk rock path. I wouldnt know where I would be if I hadnt heard Full Circle being blasted by my school mates one day on the way home on a dusty school bus, but I'm glad I did, and years after I grabbed it, it was a long overdue addition to my collection for sure!

 

#aprilvinylshowers - 18. GLORY DAYS Pennywise - Full Circle Punk Rock USA, Epitaph Records 1997 Admittely I got into this record in my late middle school years rather than in high school but it was the record my schoolmates blasted on the school bus on the way hom, it was the record that made me totally fell in love with punk and eventually turned me into the path that built who I am today, it's the record that literally EVERY SINGLE ONE in my school listened to at that age, even people who fell off the punk path have listened or at least are aware of this record around here, it's a classic punk rock album, it's a milestone for Pennywise and the emotion it is filled with is clearly audible. Back then during summer I met some other kids who were into punk rock and one of those used to call me Pennywishead cause I was obsessed with this band so much, so yeah this this is definitely a record I was obsessed with around that age! #pennywise #fullcircle #epitaphrecords #punkrock #melodichardcore #punk #blackvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove #nowspinning

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Besides those two, to which I'm emotionally linked, I have to mention Sumac's The Deal, What One Becomes, and the Keiji Haino collab, all three albums literally give me a Stendhal syndrome attack everytime I just hold them in my hands. 

 

SUMAC - The Deal Progressive Math Sludge USA, Sige Records 2015 (Repress) Been a while since I last posted a good ol' fashioned piece of black wax, so let's keep it Nick Yacyshyn with SUMAC, besides, their upcoming album is by far my most awaited release of this second half of 2018! It doesnt matter how many times I do listen to The Deal, it still amazes me everytime, the noisy suffocating intro, the intricate drum pattern opening Thorn In The Lion's Pawn followed by violence clashing with melody, the brutal heavyness of Hollow King, the dragging Blight's End Angel opening, the almost Southern inspired The Deal and the mellow melancholic turning into deafening noise closing The Radiance Of Being. SUMAC are building a legacy in their name, a legacy of perfectly ceafted songs, technical improvisation, gloomy ambiental parts, just holding their albums in my hands gives me the thrills and I seriously can't wait what they have in store for us! #sumac #thedeal #sigerecords #sludgemetal #doommetal #technicalsludge #progressivesludge #mathmetal #blackvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove #nowspinning

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Is there anything that frustrates you about the current record collecting scene?
 
Besides flippers? Way too often on message boards and Facebook pages, I read too many people whining about delays and noisy records. I hate muddy-sounding vinyl as much as the next guy, but I feel like sometime people expect .wav-like quality from physical media like vinyl and that's quite utopic I think. There will always be a slight background noise on quieter vinyl, whether people like it or not. If someone feels bothered by it, then maybe vinyl is not the way they actually want to listen to music. It's the same thing with delays since it seems like people take for granted a speedy vinyl production while in fact there's so much work behind the scenes and so many issues that could surface in that process that it would be nice if people could give labels a little room to breathe if a record is delayed due to manifacturing issues. They're just as stressed about it as we are, as a matter of fact, they're probably even more stressed, having to deal with it first hand. Ss long as I eventually get the goodies, I'd rather wait and get the best product possibile than getting a mediocre product delivered in time.

 

RZL DZL - Strictly Saucers Rocking Hardcore USA, Lockin' Out Records 2008 Although I'm not a big fan of picture discs this one is so brilliant that's basically one of my favourite records in my collection, the whole gatefold jacket looks like a pizza box and, obviously, the record itself is the freaking pizza, topping on Side A, bottom on Side B, isnt it just brilliant??!! Speaking of the music this is just as great as the rest, these two dudes played some of the most fun take on punk hardcore a la Beastie Boys with loads of rock-ish riffs threwed in here and there. Kind of the perfect soundtrack to an all out booze party! Swipe to see a better view of both sides of this delicious picture disc! #rzldzl #strictlysaucers #lockinoutrecords #punk #hardcore #rock #hiphop #picturedisc #pizza #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #records #music #discogs #recordstore #recordshopping #cratedigging #nowspinning

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Which records are still on your want list that you've had a tough time tracking down through the years?
 
Quite a few actually, mainly due to their price that more often than not is above what I'd really love to spend or more than I actually can afford to spend. These are the first that come to mind:
 
American Nightmare — Background Music (Black with Brown cross variant)
God Is An Astronaut — A Moment of Stillness (Blue with black splatter)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Score (Mutara Nebula variant)
Fu Manchu — The Action Is Go (Clear with red and blue splatter)
Dashboard Confessional — Swiss Army Romance (being Swiss I need the 7" box set with alternate cover)
The Chariot — Long Live
The Chariot — One Wing
Converge — When Forever Comes Crashing  (White vinyl)
 
If anyone looks to give their copy a new caring loveful home hit me up!

 

#aprilvinylshowers - 28. HONESTLY JUST SHOW ME YOUR PETS I dont own any pets unfortunately for @heres_whats_spinning however I've heard they are like children so I went the extra mile and here it is the lovely results; world, let me introduce to y'all Cassandra ❤ Here she is with a record that she seems to particulary enjoy everytime it gets air time in our home! Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not Indie Rock('n'Roll) UK, Domino Records 2018 (VMP Exclusive) Since I've subscribed to the VMP monthly record delivery this one is the one I used to listen more when I first got into it, the whole swagger vibe, british accent, catchy hooks and overall energy got me right away and never lost me even after all these years, and it's been a lot since I last listened to this so it was definitely a nice surprise when VMP announced it as its Record Of The Month exclusive! #arcticmonkeys #whateverpeoplesayiamthatswhatimnot #dominorecords #indie #indierock #rocknroll #clearvinyl #smokedvinyl #colouredvinyl #vinyl45s #vinyloftheday #vinyligclub #vinylporn #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollectionpost #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinylforever #recordroom #discogs #marketplace #recordstore #recordshopping #vinyllove

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