Cape Town shop The Other Records opens at new location

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    Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 12:00
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    Resident Advisor
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  • The space offers books, gear and merchandise alongside a wide vinyl selection.
  • Cape Town shop The Other Records opens at new location image
  • Cape Town collective The Other have moved their record store to a new location. Formerly based in Observatory, The Other Records now sits in the more central Gardens neighbourhood. It opened earlier this month as part of the new One Park development, which also features an eatery, listening bar and gallery space. From its earnest beginnings as a single table in a clothing store, The Other Records developed into a brick-and-mortar shop in Observatory in 2018. Often jokingly referred to as "the smallest record store in Africa," it hosted regular in-stores, livestreams and off-the-cuff all-day events on Sundays, with crowds often spilling out onto the pavement outside. "Our in-store sessions were a vibe, but the vibe was mainly outside," Philippus Johan, cofounder of The Other alongside Aaron Peters, told Resident Advisor. "Now our in-stores will finally be accurate!" At the Observatory space, logistical issues concerning storing records and gear were further compounded by the many challenges brought on by the arrival of Covid-19, not least the need to implement social-distancing practices in such a tight space. The larger spot in Gardens alleviates this issue, with extra space to sell books, gear and merchandise, alongside a wider selection of records. It also means the crew can move easily between the store and their radio station, The Other Radio, which operates from a rooftop nearby. The new store marks a positive step for Cape Town, which was hit hard by the pandemic and its multiple lockdowns. As the scene slowly begins to reemerge, the optimism is palpable. "Spaces like record shops are important for building community and friendship in the music scene—it's a big reason why we've pushed to make this a reality against extremely challenging times in the past two years," Johan said. "Now we're also seeing more independent queer parties, positive steps taken for inclusion in programming and just a strong DIY spirit for making shit happen." The Other is a multi-disciplinary collective helmed by Cape Town natives Johan and Peters, who DJ as a trio alongside Matt Hichens. In addition to the shop, they run The Other Radio (which has an active Discord community) and host a monthly showcase of South African artists on Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM station. They also run Search Festival, an outdoor event whose online iteration as an interactive video game was nominated for an A MAZE. Award. Check out photos of the new store.
RA