Bastian is a 37-year-old musician who plays in the German hardcore band, My Defense. The recently married media designer lives in Cologne, where he spends some of his spare time in the pursuit of vinyl. Welcome Bastian to the Record Collector series.
How long have you been collecting records?
I started buying music at the age of maybe 13 but it started with CDs. I bought my first turntable around the age of 20, I think. My parents never were really involved with music very much so my musical socialization was pretty much a way I had to go on my own or with a few friends. At that time vinyl was cheaper than CDs or some records were only available on vinyl what made it easier choosing to buy those. At some point in my late 20s, I wasn‘t very involved with the hardcore scene, so I also stopped buying records but since i started to play in bands again about 7-8 years ago, I also started buying records again.
Where/how do you usually find your records these days?
I try to buy as much as i can in local record stores or at record fairs but when it comes to special releases or older records i mostly have to depend on the internet. Here I go with the usual suspects like Discogs and Facebook groups. I recently rediscovered eBay and from time to time I preorder stuff directly from labels. As I also enjoy doing city trips with my wife, I try to catch at least one record store on these travels. Luckily, my wife also enjoys buying records so we don’t have to argue about that.
What is the most you paid for a single record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it?
I try not to spend crazy amounts of money on records so compared to other collectors this might not be a lot. I spent 30€ on a first press of Shelter Mantra and 45€ on a first press copy of Wolves In the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars and some other records that are also around that amount of money. Since shipping from the USA to Germany got crazy high, I also paid something around 40-50€ for some records that weren’t that expensive but shipping prices made them cost more.
If you had to pick one record label you feel had/has the best track record of quality releases, who would that be and what are some key titles you love?
That’s for sure the hardest question. Like everyone interested in classic hardcore music, I have to mention Revelation Records, who is still putting out high-quality records for all these years. Since the early 2000s, there’s also Bridge Nine Records, of which I could buy records blindly for the years they released bands like American Nightmare, Carry On, or Shark Attack. I also was very into Indecision Records in the early and mid-2000s. Over My Dead Body, Count Me Out, and the Suicide File released masterpieces over there. These days, I think Triple-B and React! Records are doing a really good job, oh, and Holy Roar Records have also a really good sense for great bands.
Of everything in your current collection, what is your most prized record and why?
When you play in bands, your own bands records of course mean a lot to you, and there’s no difference with me. For other bands‘ records I think I go with the testpress of Crime in Stereo Is Dead because it was given to me by Mike Musilli, their first bass player. When I was playing in my first band, we somehow ended up supporting Crime in Stereo for one week on their first European tour and became friends. We managed not to lose touch and when I started my Crime in Stereo collection he sent me a package with the testpress and another record without even asking for shipping costs. As Mike also writes for No Echo, I’m pretty sure he reads this. So again... thanks to you, Mike. It means a lot to me.
Is there anything that frustrates you about the current record collecting scene?
Not much really. Flippers are always a thing but as I like to think of me as a laid back guy I try not to let it bother me that much. I really enjoy posting my collection on Instagram and looking at other collections. It’s a lot of fun to be connected to other likeminded people from all over the world.
Which records are still on your want list that you've had a tough time tracking down through the years?
I still have a few records to complete my Crime in Stereo collection and i‘m still looking for a decent priced copy of AFI‘s Sing the Sorrow. My stupid me sold it some years ago when I was studying and in need of some money on eBay. If that’s not stupid enough... it went for a lot less than I paid for it when I bought it.
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Follow Bastian on Instagram.
Tagged: record collector
