Liverpool’s Indies: Dig Vinyl
Lovingly ran by musicians, and specialising in super-rare pressings from the USA and Japan, Dig Vinyl have for ten years served the people of Merseyside. Ahead of this weekend’s Record Store Day, Manager Yvonne Page shows us round her city centre and West Kirby shops…
The Double Negative: What’s the Dig story, why and when did you start up?
Yvonne Page: Dig Vinyl opened back in March 2014 with a few wooden crates of records in the back corner of a basement shop on Bold Street. Our founders, Anthony and Carl, had both been in the industry for decades at that point, dealing records, running shops and record labels, making music, DJing, and managing bands, so opening up a record shop together in Liverpool was a natural meeting point. Their goal was to cultivate a knowledgeable and friendly shop atmosphere centred around their love for Liverpool and the music that it was built on.
Over a decade on, Dig Vinyl has seen three expansions, one big move down Bold Street, a pop-up on the Albert Dock and a second location on the Wirral, and although we’ve come a long way from those original few crates, we continue to create a bustling and welcoming atmosphere for music lovers and celebrate Merseyside’s music scene.
Where can we find you?
Our Liverpool shop is located at 27 Bold Street, on the 1st floor of Resurrection. Our new West Kirby shop is located just off of the bustling Banks Road and a short walk from the waterfront at 156B Banks Road, with the entrance via Alexandra Road. [map links below]
You’re into finding ultra-rare stock. Tell us a bit more about your approach and what you specialise in?
We love vinyl! We’re all collectors, DJs and musicians ourselves, so we really put our dedication and joy into digging out the best and most interesting records for our customers. We have specialist buyers for each genre that travel all across the UK and Europe to source stock for our ever expanding racks. We also source specialist stock from the USA and Japan, so you never know what you might find on a visit to Dig!
Recent stock highlights include: super-rare USA original pressings of Jazz, Funk and Soul including original Blue Notes and Motown rarities; lovely condition Japanese pressings of Beatles classics with OBI strips; Death Metal, Hardcore, Grind, Black Metal rarities; unmissable selections of USA punk, 60s, psych and garage rarities; some of the best 90s hip hop we’ve ever seen, UK and USA originals of all the classics, in addition to huge drops in our house, techno, rave and trance sections; and additions to our global sections including deep selections of Bossanova, Latin, Bollywood, and Afrobeat.
What’s on your playlist today?
The Pale Fountains, Pacific Street
Rail Band, Rail Band
Dommengang, Love Jail
Daniel Avery, Wonderland / Running
Strange Collective, Super Touchy
Kool & The Gang, Wild And Peaceful
ESG, Come Away With ESG
Azymuth, Light As A Feather
Yellow Magic Orchestra, テクノポリス = Technopolis
The Fall, This Nation’s Saving Grace
Batu, For Spirits
Les McCann, Talk To The People
Aaliyah, I Care 4 U
Tell us something we don’t know about Dig…
On our opening day back in 2014, there was a power cut on Bold Street and we sold records by candlelight… we’re that dedicated to what we do! Our industry is always adapting and changing, and so are we. But we’ll still always go above and beyond to seek out the best records for our customers and make sure they get the tunes they need, even if it means doing so in the dark!
As told to Laura Robertson
Find Dig Vinyl at 1st Floor, 27 Bold St, Resurrection L1 4DN, Google Map here and what3words ///even.soft.shares. Open Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5
156B Banks Rd, Alexandra Rd, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 0QB, Google Maps here, and what3words ///guesswork.shell.torch. Open Tues-Sun 11-5
Buy online at digvinyl.co.uk
RECORD STORE DAY, Saturday 20 April 2024: only Dig’s West Kirby store is participating in Record Store Day this weekend (their Bold Street store will not be stocking any RSD releases, but there will be 10% off all secondhand stock). Open from 8am; neighbours Hectors are doing a £5 Queue Deal with a breakfast bap and hot drink, so get down early to get your fill and be first in the door!
#RSD #RSD24
