Bandra cafe is a haven for Mumbai's vinyl record lovers

Arpana Gvalani owner of Gostana a Bandra based cafeacute has always loved records and all things vintage In fact her cafeacute is popular among patrons for not just its mouthwatering healthconscious menu but also good music served on the side So when her brother presented her with a turntable last year Gvalani saw it as a sign She installed it inside her cafeacute and played vintage records on itSuvajeet Duttagupta a 28yearold IITian from Mumbai and a cafeacute regular hit upon the idea of lsquoBring Your Vinyl Nightsrsquo Soon it became an alternate Thursday fixture at Gostana ldquoWith the turntable musiclovers could now add another layerrdquo explains Duttagupta ldquoWe spread the word among record owners to bring their favourites and bond over stories of how they sourced them Soon the stories were forgotten and a heady musical session with great food and Arpanarsquos dog Apple for company took formrdquoA stepupAlmost a year since the lsquoBring Your Vinyl Nightsrsquo began another cafeacute regular Riaan George decided to step up the game Last month he put out 100 vinyl records mdash special edition collectors albums mdash for sale in the cafeacute including golden oldies like Shirley Bassey Love Songs Tom Jones At the Talk of the Town Kenny Rogers Love Will Turn You Around and the AngloIndian sensation Englebert HumperdinckRhythm House remains one of the few music stores that continues to sell LP and vinyl records as well as turntables since it was set up in the 1940s PicSayed Sameer AbedildquoThey were my dadrsquos he loved collecting vintage musicrdquo reveals George a 32yearold consulting luxury editor and menrsquos fashion blogger ldquoI love music but my dad was more passionate about vinyl and collected them for yearsrdquo He continues ldquoSix months ago he passed away Despite being a music junkie I am more into digital music and not a vinyl enthusiast So after he passed away nearly 300 records of his were lying around I had to find a way to ensure that they got the pride of place they did when dad was aliverdquoArpana Gvalani and Suvajeet Duttagupta at the vinyl record sale that was organised in early December PicSatyajit DesaiThe sale brought in 30 patrons with nearly 15 records being sold as well George is over the moon with the response ldquoI thought it was best to sell it to those who were as passionate about these records as he was and I couldnrsquot find a better place than Gostanarsquos to make it happenrdquo he elaborates telling us that since his father had worked with Air India his regular travels ensured his collectibles including rare limitededition records were maintained to perfectionThe new oldiesGostanarsquos Thursdaynight event has started bringing to light many such vinyl lovers Take Chhavi Sachdev 37 radio journalist and owner of The Content Arc consultancy who picked up nine collectibles at the sale ldquoI paid Rs 3800 on these records Thatrsquos a lot more than what I paid for my record playerrdquo she exclaims Sachdev lets us into her obsession ldquoI bought my record player a Brookstone turntable that can convert analogue sounds into the digital format from LA California I took it with me when I moved to Boston from there to Amsterdam and from there right here to Mumbairdquo she says with a chuckle adding quickly ldquoOf course now it occupies a place of honour in my homerdquoAnother fan like Sachdev mdash although for him it is more about collecting older musical treasures than relishing the anologue music mdash is Duttagupta ldquoIrsquove always loved music But some years ago as I walked around Kala Ghoda I found a guy selling vinyl records on the pavement with The Beatlesrsquo Revolver Original Press from the 1960s in his stackrdquo he remembers ldquoI knew I had to have it There has been no looking back since anywhere I find a good deal I grab itrdquo he assertsOver the years he has gingerly collected about six records all for the lack of a player to play it on ldquoBut ever since Arpana got hers installed at the cafeacute I have been on a collecting spree picking up many vinyl classics even onlinerdquo he addsBring the rhythm backFans of vinyl neednrsquot look beyond Rhythm House in Kala Ghoda to add to their collections ldquoWersquove been selling imported vinyls since we began in the early 1940s and while back then they were all that we sold in the late 1980s we stocked them until they were phased out in the market We still sell LPs and vinylsrdquo informs Mehmood Curmally its owner adding that it was mostly English music that found popularity among the storersquos patrons as not many Hindi music companies lastedWith changing formats today only a little over one per cent of Rhythm House stocks comprise LPs and vinyl records which are new imported and made in 180 gm vinyl with better remastering and better processing reveals Curmally adding ldquobut those are old English Rock and Pop because much else isnrsquot happening on the vinyl scenerdquo Shekhar a sales personnel at the store says ldquoIf we sold 100 vinyls back then we sell only 25 today but even those 25 come dearerrdquoWhatrsquos interesting to observe is that Rhythm House sells even turntables by manufacturers like Denon and Lenco Curmally is hopeful that LPs will make a comeback ldquoIf there is any physical format of music that will return it has got to be the LPrdquo he claims ldquoIn the next few months I plan to stock more classical and classic rock LPs And may be just maybe if I find a few wellmaintained limitededition records I might consider even buying themrdquoThe killjoyUndoubtedly the biggest deterrent of records today apart from space is their upkeep especially in Mumbai ldquoMaintaining records and the player is a pain Mumbai is so dustyrdquo rues Sachdev ldquoBut I take extra care by dusting the player regularly and playing my records once in two days Also the pin on the turntable can drive you crazy trying to figure how to keep it running smooth Besides there is very little information about it anywhere even on the Internetrdquo she lamentsFast forwardThe crowds that walked into Gostana for the records during the sale night have emboldened Gvalani George and Duttagupta to consider many such events ldquoI realise I have unearthed about 4050 more recordsrdquo says George ldquoSelling them either here or through an auction house to people who value them seems satisfying as well as profitablerdquo Gvalani is happy with the response that the idea found among her patrons who can now look forward to another sale in the next few days