Why Do You Love 20th-Century Vinyl? — The Special Power of 20th-Century Records, Bang Record

Why do you love 20th-century Vinyl? — The Special Power of 20th-Century Records, Bang Record

In an alley in Sinsu-dong, Seoul, the faint sound of applause drifts out—captured live at a 1982 Simon & Garfunkel concert in New York's Central Park. The rhythmic flute of American jazz musician Herbie Mann also sweeps through the alley. The source of these sounds is Bang Record. What draws Bang Woohyun, the owner of this used record shop, so deeply into 20th-century music?

Interviewer Parc Jinmyoung
Interviewee Bang Woohyun (Owner of Bang Record)

* Relay Interview: A recurring feature in which each interviewee recommends the subject for the next interview. In Issue 44 of 'Pitch by Letter', interviewee Lee Gyubeom, owner of Domoekwagyubum, passed the baton to Bang Woohyun of Bang Record.

When did you open?
I originally ran a record shop starting in 2014 in my hometown of Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do. In 2018, after starting a family, I moved to Seoul and reopened the shop near Hongik University Station. I moved to my current location, this alley in Sinsu-dong, in 2020. It's been four years now, and I'm very satisfied. I've come to prefer a quiet neighborhood over a more accessible spot.

What's your curating criteria?
Most of the used LPs come from the U.S. and Japan. That's because LP production largely stopped in the early 1990s with the shift to digital music. Recently, demand for LPs and turntables has grown, so new LPs are being released again, but personally, I find records from before the 1990s more appealing than what's being released today. Since I sell LPs from that era, most of what I carry ends up being secondhand.

What genres do you mainly carry?
I have records spanning rock, jazz, blues, and more, from the 1960s through the 1990s. When I was young, I loved hard rock and progressive rock. While studying abroad in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, I was exposed to rock and pop from the 1960s to the 80s and started seriously collecting records. I began lending and selling records to others, and naturally ended up running a record shop. It's already been ten years.

The speakers and turntable in the shop look quite old too.
They're all models made in the 1960s and 70s. I bought them secondhand about ten years ago. The speakers are from Acoustic Research (AR), an American audio brand, released in the 1960s—they're discontinued now. Sound quality-wise, current models are probably far superior. But personally, I feel old records sound better on speakers from the same era rather than on the latest ones. That's purely a personal preference (laughs).

Can you listen to records here?
Of course. Many of the people who visit are regulars. If there's a record someone wants to hear, we listen together and talk about music. To be honest, this isn't the easiest space for just anyone to walk into. There's a sense that you need to already know something about music, and that once you listen to a record, you're obligated to buy it. But I hope beginners won't feel intimidated. This place is open to anyone who loves music.

What's the appeal of listening to music on records?
I think of music as a medium connecting the past and the present. Most records are the result of multiple musicians gathering in a studio to record together, so they carry a vivid sense of presence. It's not so different from hearing it live. To put it a bit dramatically, it feels like connecting with an artist playing in a studio decades ago. That's the biggest appeal for me.

You mentioned being strongly influenced by your father, who loved records.
To some extent, yes. I grew up watching my father listen to music on LPs. He also loved film scores and movies. Thanks to him, I ended up majoring in film in college, so his influence runs deep throughout my life.

I heard your main job is as a film cinematographer.
After graduating from the Film School of Tokyo, I worked with director Watanabe Hirobumi, making one film a year until the pandemic hit. A film we made together, 'Poolside Man' (2016), won the Best Film award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Watanabe graduated from the same school as me and is someone who exclusively directs independent films. He's gaining recognition beyond Japan too, submitting to overseas film festivals every year.

Is there a trip that stands out in your memory, related to music or film?
I had a surreal experience in Liverpool, England. If you're a Beatles fan, you can't pass up a Beatles tour in Liverpool. I joined a taxi tour to visit Beatles-related sites. The driver claimed (believe it or not) to be an old friend of Ringo Starr's. From the house where Ringo grew up to Woolton, the village where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met, I spent an unforgettable time as a devoted Beatles fan.

In an era when people watch condensed film summaries and listen to playlists curated by others, what meaning does a record shop hold?
It's a space for people who don't do that. To be precise, it's for people who know exactly what music they want to hear, who are curious, and who want to listen to a performance properly from start to finish. I think a record is a work of art in itself, from the cover to the recorded music. Think about how much effort goes into creating that final product. My love for records carries a sense of respect for that effort.