"Put The Needle On Record"

So here we are, my personal article Vol.2. In this one I wanted to share some of my personal goals for 2021 and background of how I came to have these goals.

I previously mentioned in my last post, "How I Have Exercised My Mind & Body Throughout The Last Lockdown" that my social life has been built around music. Ever since I can remember, music has been a big part of my life.

2003.. Is where it all started, the first clear memory that I have of music is when I was on the way to school in my dad's car. I can remember the tape case so clearly. It was "The Fat Of The Land" by The Prodigy tape, I still see the crab looking back at me now. My Dad may get in trouble for this, but the song that was playing was "Smack My B**ch up". After repeating it a few times, my dad convinced me that the lyrics were saying "Take A Picture", which I believed they were for many years after! Very, very smooth parenting.

This sparked an instant interest in music like nothing else, it lead me to start digging in the loft for vinyl's, tapes, CD's, or anything I could get my hands (ears) on. I've been through all sorts of music phases in my life, from pretending to be a conductor to Luciano Pavarotti's Ave Maria, right the way through to putting my hair into a mohawk and bouncing around to Holiday in the Sun by the Sex Pistols, you name it, I would have danced to it at some point.

2007... It's crazy to think that one CD can change the direction of your life, but it truly did. The CD below is where my love for Drum & Bass was born. This love grew and grew through my early teens, much to the annoyance of the neighbours.

2013.. Being a young non-conformist and a huge advocate of the "underground music sound", I found myself involved in the rebirth of the illegal rave scene in London. It was an amazing experience, short lived but raw and powerful. It gave me the outlet I needed because I wasn't old enough to go to the parties legally where the artists I loved played and the under 18 events, weren't playing the music I loved. So I decided to join the movement and to help organise safe parties across the capital. The attendance of these parties were around 500+ and we were creating multi-genre events, so that everyone could come and dance.

Looking back at it, a lot of skills that I use today would have stemmed from this. Organising the artists, security, sound systems, locations and set times... sounds a lot like the recruitment life cycle right...?

2019... I moved to Manchester with my two best friends of 20 years, to open up an office with the company I was with at the time, however 2020 hits and all the plans go out of the window. We were made redundant like many others but we decided to stay in Manchester. What happened throughout 2020 was nothing short of challenging, but great at the same time. I have met some amazing like-minded individuals that I'm now happy to call my family. It was weird because we grew up in different areas, nevertheless we shared the same experiences and possess the same shared vision for the future, mix that with a few friends from back home and we stumbled on a collective.

SubCity Collective

| Vintage | Creative| Vinyl |

The vision is to bring High End Vintage Clothing / Eyewear, Vinyl and a Creative Space to the heart of the Northern Quarter.

All website links will be put at the end of the article - please check them out

• Vintage Eyewear - Stocking Vintage frames, from Burberry, Hilton's, Valentino, Dior, Gucci and Dunhill. You are also able to pick the lenses; tinted, coloured and even prescriptions.
• Vintage Clothing - Vintage Stone Island specialist and also stocks everything from CP Company, Versace, YSL, Polo, Evisu, Moschino and Burberry.
• Vinyl - Manchester is at the forefront of the UK HipHop and Minimal Techno scene but not one of the record shops sell their stock. We want to be that outlet for local artists to have a space to see their records in a record shop.
• Creative - After speaking to our group, we found that we had an abundance of creative people in our circle, so of course we wanted to showcase all of these wonderful ideas whether it be Terrarium Plants, Bespoke Resin Products, Proxy Prints and Handmade Candle Sets! We have also partnered up with a videographer to help us set up a live streaming and podcasting function, fully set up with CDJ's and Vinyl turntables for local Artists to come and promote their new music, record sets and podcasts then push it through our network.

The Taster

October 2020... In the mist of a pandemic, we managed to get our first taste of what this collective could be. We set up a pop-up in the basement of Mr. Beardmore Barbers on Dale Street. Stocking some rare vintage pieces with a mix of the newest freshest vinyl's on the market. It was a show stopper, to have managed to do that with all the restrictions in place, baffled us all and the response was unreal. Supporting the event we had Manchester's finest uprising DJ's, Producers and Promoters come in to play us through the day.

Thank you - Animal Crossing Music & IQ Collective - Check these guys out if you live Manchester.

What's Next?

2021... We have a blue print in place, the socials and designs are coming along but now it's a waiting game.. Hopefully the UK will kick into shape soon, so that we can get our fixed location arranged and we can open our doors permanently. We have pop-ups coming to Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to sharing more on this throughout the year.

Instagram's & Websites

• Glasses - @2020_vintage - Go Check out 2020's Spotify playlists, you won't be disappointed.
• Clothing - @Jazzybadger
• Vinyl - @Waxxjunkies
• Terrarium Plants - @biophilia.mcr
• Resin Set's - @hann.made_design
• Proxy Print's - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PoxyPrints
• Candle's - @Nakedflames_