By Great things going on at The Flip Side record store in Dubai. The independent store has been given the stamp of approval by Record Store Day organisers. Which means The Flip Side is officially taking part in this year’s worldwide Record Store Day celebrations on Saturday 12 June.
“After almost four years of trying to make this happen, we are finally the UAE’s only officially participating store for Record Store Day,” said founder Shadi Megallaa. “This means we’ll have access to much more Record Store Day releases than we did in the past.
“It’s the recognition we think we deserve,” added Shadi. “A lot of work goes into keeping the shop stocked with some of the best records so it’s nice to be acknowledged on a global scale.”
Unique Culture
Record Store Day celebrates the unique culture of independent record shops and the art of vinyl. Conceived in the US, the first Record Store Day took place in 2018. Today there are Record Store Day participating stores on every continent except Antarctica.
“This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store – the staff, the customers and the artists – to come together and celebrate the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities,” said RSD organisers.
Special Releases
As part of Record Store Day, hundreds of artists and labels come together and release exclusive, special and one-off vinyl records available only from participating shops. Check out the records on this year’s special RSD list here. Email your vinyl wishlist to info@flipsidedxb and Shadi will do his best to bag the records for you.
On The Rise
Shadi claims that vinyl popularity is on the rise in Dubai. “There are definitely a lot more vinyl lovers now than when I opened The Flip Side four years ago. It’s never too late to get into collecting and playing records!”
But the vinyl ambassador and DJ claims there’s no right or wrong way to consume music. “Many will go on about the superior sound quality or ‘warmth’ of a vinyl recording. Playing records is second nature to me – it’s what I’m most comfortable with. But people should consume music any way they like. There is no right or wrong. In the end, it’s all about the music and not the medium. It’s the music pressed on a record that makes it special and worth collecting.”
Black Gold
Celebrating Record Store Day, a number of local DJs will drop sets of black gold at The Flip Side on 12 June. “We’re looking forward to celebrating vinyl culture and the community on that day,” said Shadi. “It’s a Flip Side tradition every year. This year we’ll probably have a capacity on numbers though just to keep everyone safe.”
Due to the pandemic, there’s also a second Record Store Day tunes drop worldwide on Saturday 17 July. Organisers claim this will allow some flexibility for struggling vinyl pressing plants and distribution companies.
“We’ll celebrate both dates as they come,” said Shadi. “Hopefully, the Covid restrictions will have eased by July. I’ve got too many new records that need to be played to a busy dancefloor!”
Birthday
There’s cause for celebration at The Flip Side this month too. The record store celebrates its fourth anniversary on Friday 21 May.
“We’ve had lots of special events and records come through the shop over the last four years,” reflected Shadi. “But without doubt the most amazing thing is the people we’ve met at the store. We’ve developed amazing friendships. The people that visit The Flip Side will always be what makes the shop special.”
Find The Flip Side in Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz.
Also read: dxb-kids: Documentary Captures the Birth of Dubai’s Underground Culture
