Published
Thu, Nov 8, 2018, 17:03
- The Bethnal Green storefront will open its doors Saturday, November 10th.
A new record shop is opening up in East London this weekend.
World Of Echo, which gets its name from Arthur Russell's 1986 album, will open on Columbia Road in Bethnal Green at midday on Saturday, November 10th. Run by Stephen Pietrzykowski and Natalie Judge, World Of Echo will stock "new, used and rare" vinyl, "gravitating towards the genres we identify with the most," Pietrzykowski told Resident Advisor, including early electronic music, krautrock, noise, EBM, punk, post-punk, industrial, jazz, art rock and DIY. "Curation is important to us, from a logistical perspective as much as anything else," he said. "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't stock all new releases, because there simply isn't space."
Judge and Pietrzykowski have both worked in music and "spent innumerable hours in record shops all over the world," so "by virtue of somewhat romanticising the experience," Pietrzykowski said, the pair decided earlier this year to give it a shot themselves after being inspired on a trip to the US, "where they always seem to have the best record shops."
Though not all tips for the shop will be taken from outside the UK. "It's vital to us that local labels and artists are supported within the shop," Pietrzykowski said, "and we'll be trying our best to make sure we fit within the local surroundings and that the local residents feel connected to the shop."
It's that welcoming and comfortable vibe that they're hoping helps them stand out in a city where many record shops seem to be faring well ("Which is a good thing!" Pietrzykowski assured). "We hope we can then make those records accessible and appealing to people, whether that be someone who is a voracious consumer of music or just someone looking to discover something new," he said. "No pretense here. Everyone is welcome."
While live performances and DJ sets aren't in the books yet, in-store events won't be ruled out. "At this stage... we're mainly just concentrating in making sure World Of Echo works as a record shop first and foremost," Pietrzykowski said. "A humble aim to start, but we think the basics are important to get right."
Logo credit: Matthew Walkerdine