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MAURICIO CADENA
@lado_b_melomanos
Like most collectors, Mauricio’s collection is varied across a number of genres but he told me it’s Post Punk where he finds himself most at home when it comes to his record collection.
Mauricio has an amazing, and ever growing, record collection that currently stands at just over 1,000 records. He was one of the collectors I was keen to interview when I set The Record Collectors Club going back in May 2020, and I was really happy he agreed to take part and be featured. Thanks Mauricio!
Do you have a favourite genre of music you listen to?
This is a very hard question to answer because I do like a lot of different genres from Alternative Rock to Pop, Jazz, Metal, Experimental Music, Synth Pop, Soul, Dream Pop, so called Classic Rock, and so on. But if I were hard-pressed to choose a single favourite music genre, I’d say it’s Post Punk.
How long have you been collecting records?
I started my music collection back when I was about thirteen or fourteen years old back in the late eighties and early nineties. But I started collecting CDs, which were the format to own back in the day. That changed when I moved from Mexico City to Chicago in 2011. I was bumped into a garage sale where they were selling a bunch of stuff, including records. I saw a small box with four records in it; Pearl Jam’s “Ten”, Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions”, R.E.M.’s “Automatic for the People”, and The Shins’s “Wincing the Night Away”. I didn’t have a turntable but had been thinking about getting one and start getting into the world of vinyl, so I thought “what the hell” and got them all (they all turned out to be original pressings and I got them all for $20 total!). So here I am, nine years on with a collection that keeps on growing and growing.
How many records do you have?
Almost 1,000 records (and about 2,100 CDs). I’d say that 99% of them are LPs. The rest are twelve - inch singles and very few seven - inch singles.
Do you have a certain space/room you listen to your collection in?
I do. It’s a combination of music room & home office. But I’m running out of space. I’m trying to come up with creative ways of storing my records. It hasn’t been easy!
Were there records in your family growing up?
Yes both my parents used to collect records, although their collection wasn’t that big. As soon as the CD revolution hit the world, they got rid of their records and started getting CDs. Such a shame because there were so many great albums in their original collections.
What’s your favourite ever record?
It has to be Depeche Mode’s “Songs of Faith and Devotion”.
Where do you shop for records usually?
Whenever I can, I either hit my local shops like Reckless Records (@recklessrecords) or buy from them online. I also like to shop online at Amoeba Music, Rough Trade, Discogs or even eBay.
How about the best bargain you have found when out digging for records?
It has to be Riverside’s “Second Life Syndrome”. Coincidentally I was in L.A, and I didn’t go to Amoeba Music because I was really far away from it and I didn’t have the time to go there. But there was a small record store called Soundsations (@soundstations_records) nearby. I only had like thirty minutes to browse around and I stumbled across that album, which was near the top of my wantlist. I hadn’t gotten it before because it was extremely expensive on sites like Discogs (it was always sold upwards of $150). I got it for $15 which I couldn’t believe!
What does partner think of your record obsession?
She has mixed feelings, honestly. On one hand, she appreciates that my main obsession or vice is something “harmless.” Because she also likes music, she enjoys listening to some records with me. On the other hand, she’s not that crazy about the amount of money I spend on it, and the amount of space it occupies!
Finally, what will happen to your collection when you pass away?
I still haven’t thought about it. I was hoping that inherit my daughter might inherit it but right now she couldn’t care less about it. Hopefully when she gets older she might though.
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