Rendezvous Records
216-B, Kowloon, City Plaza, Hong Kong
In the corner of a strong-smelling food hall in a mall which adjoins the Star Ferry terminal, is a record shop that, according to its billboard, is ‘one of the best in Hong Kong’.
Unlike the hordes of knock-off CDs sold down side-streets and at night markets, Rendezvous Records prides itself on being the real deal – a second hand record store, with all the European trappings (and prices).
We enter the squat, ill-shaped shop to the strains of the Pet Shop Boy’s latest album blaring over the pa system, and make a beeline for the boxes of old vinyl piled up at the back of the store. Here, records are seemingly plopped down anywhere by the staff, and left for nonsensical browsing (no doubt a deep frustration for plenty a Chinese anorak – that is, if they exist).
I salivate in wanton desire as I stumble across Bob Dylan’s seminal A Rare Batch Of Little White Wonder, which offers a bunch of the artisté’s live performance captured on wax. Elsewhere we find a bootleg of The Velvet Underground’s Unreleased Tracks, a battered 8” copy of Lou Reed’s Satellite Of Love, and a box full of assorted Blondie and Morrissey 12”.
The CD selection is fine, but nothing to be overtly excited about (the prices outclass the majority of the goods), although we do find a interesting concept CD. It is a two disc compilation, with tracks from Fatboy Slim, Portishead and the likes, on one disc, and then on the other the artists whose tracks are sampled with the tracks on the first disc, such as The James Gang and Isaac Hayes. However, it sounds like a far more interesting concept in theory than in execution I fear (after-all what did Discovered teach us, other than what we already knew – that Daft Punk are inspired by funky music).
Somewhere beneath the hordes of new-wave 12”, we find an original US promo copy of Underworld’s Underneath The Radar, the band’s, critically hated, first album. And although it wasn’t cheap (HK$115 – £8.91), and I’m not even sure its going to sound very good, I wouldn’t be the Underworld fan I am if I didn’t pick it up. I pay my money to the friendly and chirpy staff, and, swinging the bag as I walk, whistle a happy little ditty all the way back to my tiny, tiny, tiny hotel room.
Purchase:
Underworld – Underneath The Radar 12″ – £8.91 [Tracklisting]
Total Purchases:
Armand Van Helden – Ghetto Blaster – £1 [Tracklisting]
Club Azuli 1 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.48 [Tracklisting]
Club Azuli Part 2 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.79 [Tracklisting]
Chemical Brothers, The: Brothers Gonna Work It Out – £2.77 [Tracklisting]
Defected In The House – Mixed By Copyright – £0.79 [Tracklisting]
DJ Hardy Heller – Mix In Motion – £1 [Tracklisting]
DJ Shadow – The New Collection – £2.38
Elektrik 02 – Mixed By King Unique & Nubreed – £0.59 [Tracklisting]
Fabric 25 – Mixed By Carl Craig – £0.59 [Tracklisting]
Fabric 26 – Mixed By Global Communication – £0.59 [Tracklisting]
Le Le – Breakfast 12″ – £8.24 [Tracklisting]
Moby – Last Night – £0.59 [Tracklisting]
Samim: Flow – £1.98 [Tracklisting]
Underworld – Underneath The Radar 12″ – £8.91 [Tracklisting]
Total Spend: £30.68
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