Vinyl Revival: How Detroit Became a Hub for the Industry’s Comeback

Whether making them, selling them, or simply spinning them, Detroit is teeming with people who are passionate about records
Archer Records - Vinyl detroit

Side 1: A Tale of Two Presses

础谤肠丑别谤,听罢丑颈谤诲听惭补苍,听补苍诲听补听飞补苍颈苍驳听颈苍诲耻蝉迟谤测听迟丑补迟听谤辞补谤别诲听产补肠办听迟辞听濒颈蹿别

By Steve Friess

Photographs by Chuk Nowak

Side 2: The Record Keepers

It was 1989, and I was searching for the sound of a funky drummer in the techno room at the original Record Time in Eastpointe. The much-beloved store, which closed in 2011, not only curated the best in indie rock, rap, and metal; it was also on the cutting edge of Detroit鈥檚 electronic music scene, which was in the process of taking over dance floors worldwide.

As I flipped through one white-label promo after another, each housed in a generic white sleeve, I came across a 12-inch that featured the words 鈥淩un 2鈥 written in orange 鈥 and my knees buckled. It was the third and final single of New Order鈥檚 1989 album Technique, but a lawsuit by Mr. Rocky Mountain High, John Denver, claimed the guitar break was lifted from his 鈥淟eaving on a Jet Plane,鈥 so only 2,000 copies of 鈥淩un 2鈥 were pressed before it was deleted.I didn鈥檛 have the internet 31 years ago to confirm any of these details, of course, but I had heard 鈥淩un 2鈥 12-inches were going for more than $100 each. And I鈥檇 just found two of them.Every record collector knows the electric charge that went through my body that day. Sweat beaded on my brow, my hands shook like maracas, and

滨迟听飞补蝉听1989,听补苍诲听滨听飞补蝉听蝉别补谤肠丑颈苍驳听蹿辞谤听迟丑别听蝉辞耻苍诲听辞蹿听补听蹿耻苍办测听诲谤耻尘尘别谤听颈苍听迟丑别听迟别肠丑苍辞听谤辞辞尘听补迟听迟丑别听辞谤颈驳颈苍补濒听搁别肠辞谤诲听罢颈尘别听颈苍听贰补蝉迟辫辞颈苍迟别.听罢丑别听尘耻肠丑-产别濒辞惫别诲听蝉迟辞谤别,听飞丑颈肠丑听肠濒辞蝉别诲听颈苍听2011,听苍辞迟听辞苍濒测听肠耻谤补迟别诲听迟丑别听产别蝉迟听颈苍听颈苍诲颈别听谤辞肠办,听谤补辫,听补苍诲听尘别迟补濒;听颈迟听飞补蝉听补濒蝉辞听辞苍听迟丑别听肠耻迟迟颈苍驳听别诲驳别听辞蹿听顿别迟谤辞颈迟鈥檚听别濒别肠迟谤辞苍颈肠听尘耻蝉颈肠听蝉肠别苍别,听飞丑颈肠丑听飞补蝉听颈苍听迟丑别听辫谤辞肠别蝉蝉听辞蹿听迟补办颈苍驳听辞惫别谤听诲补苍肠别听蹿濒辞辞谤蝉听飞辞谤濒诲飞颈诲别.

As I flipped through one white-label promo after another, each housed in a generic white sleeve, I came across a 12-inch that featured the words 鈥淩un 2鈥 written in orange 鈥 and my knees buckled. It was the third and final single of New Order鈥檚 1989 album Technique, but a lawsuit by Mr. Rocky Mountain High, John Denver, claimed the guitar break was lifted from his 鈥淟eaving on a Jet Plane,鈥 so only 2,000 copies of 鈥淩un 2鈥 were pressed before it was deleted.I didn鈥檛 have the internet 31 years ago to confirm any of these details, of course, but I had heard 鈥淩un 2鈥 12-inches were going for more than $100 each. And I鈥檇 just found two of them. Every record collector knows the electric charge that went through my body that day. Sweat beaded on my brow, my hands shook like maracas, and听 I scanned the room looking to body slam anyone who might try to steal My Precious records. Fast-forward 31 years and the 鈥淩un 2鈥 12-inch, which had a print run of 20,000 (not 2,000), sells for a measly median price of $8.44 on Discogs.com. While the value of 鈥淩un 2鈥 didn鈥檛 live up to my overinflated expectations, I鈥檒l never forget the joy of finding those singles. The chase is a big part of what makes collecting records so compelling. But the ultimate reason why any of us take the time to browse through mildew-laden LP crates as we shove aside the 50th Lawrence Welk record is because we love music.

Streaming is here to stay, but there鈥檚 no thrill in an algorithm, no detective work in an auto-generated playlist, and no guarantee the obscure record you love will ever make its way into the digital realm. Thus, the search is always on.

The Detroit-area collectors we鈥檝e featured here include three DJs and a music writer, so discovering recorded sounds is essential to their professions. But they鈥檙e also people who love music so deeply that, no matter their jobs, it wouldn鈥檛 be a surprise to find them rummaging through dusty vinyl bins for that next life-affirming song, the alternate-cover-art version of their favorite LP, or that ultra-rare 12-inch single that鈥檚 now worth nothing more than a cherished memory.

By Christopher Porter


The Record Keepers

Ann Delisi | Mark Stryker | Dan Austin | Carl Craig
Juan Atkins | Mike Dutkewych | Andrey Douthard & Anna Atanassova


Side 3: Take These for a Spin

Stepping into a record store can be a bit intimidating for the casual consumer or the vinyl virgin. So much music 鈥 where to begin? In the spirit of National Record Store Day 鈥 an annual celebration of vinyl and its independent purveyors around the world, happening this year on June 20 鈥 we asked owners and staff at nine local shops to share their recommendations for records worth adding to your collection. Happy hunting!

鈥 Compiled by Kailey Howell


Side 4: How to Get into the Grooves

Third Man - turntable
Photographs by CJ Benninger

Whether you鈥檙e new to vinyl or you鈥檙e regretting your decision to yard-sale away the crates of LPs you lugged around for so many years, if you want to get (back) into tunes in grooves, you鈥檙e going to need a turntable. Here are three possible paths to a properly spinning platter.

鈥 By Dan Caccavaro