Specialties:
Specialising in hip hop and future beat with a dash of house, techno and drum n bass. We also stock a healthy range of ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s jazz, funk, soul, rock and pop, disco and boogie, reggae and dancehall, afro beat, indie and alternative.
What are the defining features of your store?
Our motto is “It’s all about the beats.” We run events throughout Melbourne as well as an in house record label. We are also located in the heart of the CBD and are underground in more ways than one. We’ve just renovated our store after nine years so we’ve got a fresh new look. Also, we also house the Stones Throw Records fan club store in Australia.
What’s your store’s history?
We opened in the Campbell Arcade aka the subway underneath Flinders St Station in February 2006. We’ve been reigning supreme ever since providing the locals with that vinyl fix. We’ve been responsible for parties and residencies over the journey as well as an in-house record store.
If your store could be personified as one musical identity, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
How will you be celebrating Record Store Day?
We’ll have live entertainment from 11am through to 8pm. We’ll be launching the new debut EP Idol Hands by Dyl Thomas (Milwaukee Banks) and Flu on the Pang Productions label. As well we have a quality lineup of other local guns with live sets by Cocoa Noire, Winters, M5K and So-Crates (Cazeaux O.S.L.O & Skomes) plus DJ sets from Discourse, Sleep D, Must Volkoff, Heata. We have over 50 RSD titles dropping, plus a ton of other new stock.
What makes records so special?
The memories behind each one. It’s kind of romantic. They’re like the artifacts of your life.
What’s the best thing about Diggin’ Melbourne?
It’s a great tool for local Melburnian’s as well as visitors to identify where to get there vinyl fix and go for a dig.
If you weren’t operating this record store, what would you be doing?
Sipping cocktails on a tropical island somewhere with my pick of DJ’s playing tunes all day and lovely ladies in abundance.
Have you had any good conversations with famous people who’ve been in your store? Who was it with and can you remember what they bought?
We’ve had any many artists and “celebrities” through over the years. John Wood came in once and bought record cleaner. I never watched Blue Heelers though.
