I visited the KEF premises in Great Portland Street this evening for a panel event entitled ‘Why vinyl still matters’, arranged to celebrate the culture, community and enduring magic of vinyl in the company of Flashback Records. This brought together music lovers, record collectors and HiFi enthusiasts to explore why records still matter in a digital-first world.
A lively panel discussion explored why vinyl continues to thrive in a streaming-dominated world, from the culture of record collecting and crate digging, to the vital role record stores play as the heartbeat of local music communities. The panel was hosted by Mark Burgess of Flashback Records, who was joined by Kate Hutchinson (journalist, DJ & presenter), Josh Mason (Somewhere Soul) and John Maclean (Beta Band / ‘Slow West’ Film Director).
Afterwards, the ‘Living Room’ in the basement offered an intimate, vinyl listening experience, while in the main downstairs space featured the Vi4YL Documentary – “A Love Letter to Vinyl”, accompanied by a live vinyl soundtrack. Created by Chris Bailey, this one-hour film takes you deep into the world of vinyl through interviews with DJs, record shop owners, academics and lifelong record obsessives. The screening was paired with a live vinyl DJ set by Chris Bailey, creating a multi-sensory experience.
Finally, my thanks to the KEF staff who kindly both played Waterloo Sunrise through their superb ground floor set up, but also agreed to display my vinyl as ‘album of the day’ the following morning.
