Well a point for team egg comes from the fact Northside Records that opened in 2002 in a time when Collingwood was pretty stinky and Smith St wasn’t the bustling bed of life that it is nowadays. It was opened by DJ Chris Gill as a specialist soul/funk/jazz/hip hop soundtrack depot where Gill could disseminate the music gold that had enriched his own life so much.
“Northside started because I saw a gap, a need in Melbourne for a store that stocked super soul music and the support it has received over the years from the record buying public has been great,” explains the deeply voiced Gill – one of those rich voices that belies a career in radio.
“In going from strength to strength we were able to start our own label, Northside Records, and consequently doing The Soul Of Melbourne compilation that really spoke for the volumes of quality music in Melbourne’s soul scene,” states Gill. The compilation that was released in November 2012 featured The Bamboos, Clairy Browne and The Bangin’ Rakettes, The Cactus Channel, Saskwatch and Hiatus Kaiyote with the latter two, nowadays, hugely sort after both locally and internationally.
For Record Store Day Gill is showcasing an upcoming artist in Melbourne’s soul scene with Oscar Key Sung performing at 2pm as well as Nfa Jones (formerly of 1200 Techniques) and Remi also performing live. DJs on the day will be Lance Ferguson and Miss Goldie.
Gill’s other big contribution to the Melbourne music scene is the Diggin’ Melbourne guide that offers a one stop shop on Record Store Day to what is happening in Melbourne. “The reason why we started it was because other cities had it and it is a great way to showcase the 50+ record stores for a population of five million. I mean, the key to a great record collection is the searching and while I’d love diggers to come to just my record store I know that its best to show what this great city has to offer. Support the entire culture and it will be stronger for it,” states Gill.
BY DAN WATT
Northside Records is located at 236 Gertrude St, Fitzroy.
