Alex Rodriguez was drawn to music from an early age, so it makes good sense that he is devoted his life in pursuit of it. All through his life, Rodriguez has skilled each wave of how folks eat and hearken to music, however one factor has all the time remained fixed: his love of vinyl information and curating spectacular collections. The vinyl fanatic has all the time been surrounded by document shops, whether or not that was working in retail or managing profitable retailers. By these experiences, he realized how one can create the optimum document retailer expertise that is real, reasonably priced and continuously bringing in new and thrilling merchandise.
Learn extra: On Hellfire, black midi discover the darkness of life by way of genre-bending comedy
This all culminated within the opening of File Safari, Rodriguez’s newest enterprise that has not solely been welcomed by the Los Angeles music scene however develop into a vacation spot for collectors nationwide. Moreover, Rodriguez has develop into the go-to authority in all issues information, which led to his partnership with Coachella to curate a one-of-a-kind document retailer expertise within the coronary heart of the competition’s grounds yearly. Past that, Rodriguez will be discovered DJing throughout LA, showcasing the artists he loves and spreading positivity by way of music.
As a child, what sparked your curiosity and love of music?
Once I moved to Bakersfield, California as a child, my mother and father wished to dwell on a farm, so we moved out to the center of nowhere. There have been actually no youngsters or anybody to play with, however my dad wished cable TV to observe boxing fights, and my mother mentioned, “No matter you do, don’t watch MTV.” So in fact the very first thing I did when she left for work was watch MTV. Since I had no youngsters to play with, all I did was watch MTV, and it sucked me into music, particularly heavy metallic on the time. The primary video that made me excited was “Welcome To The Jungle” by Weapons N’ Roses.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
When did you begin diving into the bodily facet of music accumulating?
It began with cassettes, and my mother and father had already moved on from information, so these had been all within the storage by the point I used to be entering into music. The primary cassette that I purchased with my very own cash was As Ugly As They Wanna Be by Ugly Child Joe. CDs got here subsequent, after which by 1994, I began entering into punk rock. I’d go to exhibits, and all of the bands had been promoting information, so I went residence and instructed my mother that we wanted to purchase a document participant.
Being a document retailer proprietor immediately, did you might have prior expertise working in different document shops prior to now?
Earlier than I moved to LA, my good friend and I opened a classic clothes and document retailer in Bakersfield referred to as Gigantic Classic. I additionally labored at Tower Data within the late ’90s and early 2000s. I labored on the New York, Orange County and Sundown Boulevard areas in Hollywood, so I helped a variety of celebrities. [Laughs.]
As a rabid music shopper, what drove you to enterprise into DJing throughout this time?
I had simply turned 21, so I used to be going to a variety of golf equipment. The golf equipment had been enjoying Britpop or ’60s music, and I noticed the DJs doing it and thought, “I can do this.” A part of music is making folks glad, and it brings out so many feelings, so for those who can share a tune that may brighten somebody’s day, then I’m all for it. Additionally for the artists, they didn’t make their music not wanting it to be heard, so if there may be an artist that I feel is nice, I’m gonna DJ it and get their title on the market as a lot as I can.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
What was opening File Safari within the midst of a pandemic like?
I spent over a 12 months shopping for collections of information for the shop. I believed the pandemic was going to kill the document trade, nevertheless it truly skyrocketed. One of many solely issues that had been open for some time was retail, and you may solely go to Goal so many instances and see the identical merchandise. The beauty of a document retailer is that you simply see one thing totally different each time so it offers you an incentive to maintain coming again. Once we opened on the primary day, we had 500 folks in a line that wrapped approach down the block into the neighborhood — it was fairly superior. We had been teasing the opening for six months, actually dangling the carrot, so folks had been fiending for us to open.
It looks like you had no scarcity of assist from folks while you opened the shop. I think about that is a testomony to how a lot you’ve got been a patron of the humanities and neighborhood.
I run the document retailer the best way that I’d need when strolling into any document retailer. I don’t need to overpay for a document, and once they get too costly, it’s not enjoyable. I attempt to preserve information in good situation, and priced truthful the place the enterprise can nonetheless maintain itself and the client may really feel like they acquired a great deal.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
One other outstanding facet of your profession is that you simply journey across the nation amassing document collections from totally different sources. How does this course of work?
Normally it’s only a good friend of a good friend who lets me know to name individuals who have information they’re promoting, or a neighbor passes away and so they discover a assortment. Generally we simply get telephone calls from folks to the shop, after which we exit and discover an enormous assortment.
How did you join with Coachella to curate their document retailer on the competition?
I used to handle The Glass Home Live performance Corridor in Pomona, California, and nonetheless handle their document retailer to this present day, and that’s within the [Coachella organizer] Goldenvoice household. One 12 months, Zia Data, who did the Coachella document retailer for years, couldn’t do it, in order that they got here to me and requested if I might do it. This was 2014. I made the shop, and so they preferred it, in order that they made me their in-house man.
Do you suppose the following era goes to maintain bodily information alive?
Who’s to say? I simply know that this era now grew up with MP3s, so one thing bodily is new to them. They grew up with the whole lot within the palm of their fingers with their telephones, so a document is simply going to really feel totally different.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
