Put your records on

MANILA, Philippines - Let’s be real — collecting vinyl has developed a strange sort of reputation. As fun as it is to enjoy music at a much better quality than those MP3s many of us simply (and illegally) download, becoming a vinyl record lover instantly labels one as a snob, or worse, a hipster. As to why that is, we’re not quite sure; but it does turn a lot of people off from discovering these throwback contraptions.

Inadvertently or otherwise, Satchmi attempts to bust these stereotypes at their second annual Vinyl Day. Held at Bonifacio High Street, folks young and old were invited to try out Satchmi’s Motorino record players, and of course the records themselves. Genres varied from the touchy-feely Death Cab for Cutie to the even more touchy-feely Taylor Swift. Music aficionados were also treated to live music: local acts such as soulful singer June Marieezy and crowd favorite Up Dharma Down regaled the crowd as High Street became a makeshift music festival, with everyone sitting on the grass as the sun set in Manila.

Thankfully, lovers of the LP album need not wait for Vinyl Day to come creepin’ in every year: Satchmi plans on setting up shop at SM Megamall soon. Perhaps this’ll turn more vinyl skeptics into lovers? Who knows. — Margarita Buenaventura