Alex Rodriguez was drawn to music from an early age, so it makes excellent 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 outlets. By way of these experiences, he discovered the best way to create the optimum document retailer expertise that is real, inexpensive and always bringing in new and thrilling merchandise.
Learn extra: On Hellfire, black midi discover the darkness of life via genre-bending comedy
This all culminated within the opening of Report 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 via music.
As a child, what sparked your curiosity and love of music?
After I moved to Bakersfield, California as a child, my dad and mom needed to reside on a farm, so we moved out to the center of nowhere. There have been actually no children or anybody to play with, however my dad needed cable TV to look at boxing fights, and my mother stated, “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 children 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 side of music accumulating?
It began with cassettes, and my dad and mom had already moved on from information, so these had been all within the storage by the point I used to be moving 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 moving into punk rock. I’d go to exhibits, and all of the bands had been promoting information, so I went residence and informed my mother that we wanted to purchase a document participant.
Being a document retailer proprietor at this time, did you will have prior expertise working in different document shops prior to now?
Earlier than I moved to LA, my pal 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 places in Hollywood, so I helped a whole lot of celebrities. [Laughs.]
As a rabid music client, what drove you to enterprise into DJing throughout this time?
I had simply turned 21, so I used to be going to a whole lot of golf equipment. The golf equipment had been taking part in 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 in the event you 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 believe is nice, I’m gonna DJ it and get their identify on the market as a lot as I can.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
What was opening Report 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, but it surely really skyrocketed. One of many solely issues that had been open for some time was retail, and you’ll solely go to Goal so many occasions and see the identical merchandise. The wonderful thing about a document retailer is that you just see one thing completely different each time so it provides you an incentive to maintain coming again. After 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 help from folks whenever 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 group.
I run the document retailer the way in which that I’d need when strolling into any document retailer. I don’t wish to overpay for a document, and once they get too costly, it’s not enjoyable. I attempt to maintain information in good situation, and priced truthful the place the enterprise can nonetheless maintain itself and the client can even really feel like they acquired an excellent deal.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
One other outstanding side of your profession is that you just journey across the nation amassing document collections from completely different sources. How does this course of work?
Normally it’s only a pal of a pal who lets me know to name individuals who have information they’re promoting, or a neighbor passes away and so they discover a assortment. Typically we simply get cellphone 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 at the present time, 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 may do it. This was 2014. I made the shop, and so they appreciated it, in order that they made me their in-house man.
Do you assume the subsequent 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 every part within the palm of their palms with their telephones, so a document is simply going to really feel completely different.
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
[Photo by Rachel Hacken]
