How did Jarvis Cocker’s trip to a Hong Kong record shop boost a vinyl revival?
The Pulp frontman’s tumble helped boost desirability of the old-school music format, which many in the city now collect as a labour of love
Rob Deal, the owner of the Tsim Sha Tsui emporium where Cocker, then pushing 60, had been browsing before his 2023 accident, says he “felt like burying myself” and feared backlash. And sure, word got out, as it does, but instead of sending hate mail, fans flocked to take selfies at the errant staircase and check out where the singer had been shopping.
Opened in 2022 and spacious by Hong Kong standards, the Wake Concept Listening Room includes a DJ area, an equipment showroom, spaces for new and used records, and several headphone stations.
A stock of prestige pressings and audiophile-grade equipment appeals to wealthier, more established collectors, but it’s the new pop pressings, budget-friendly second-hand LPs and entry-level equipment that have attracted the most footfall.
Tim and Jessie are a twenty-something couple with a nascent collection who have come in to hit a listening station together. They pull off their cans and examine an Abba album, then a Broadway compilation, deciding what to test out next. While they are young enough to have met on a dating app, they prefer their parents’ era of technology when it comes to listening to music.
