I moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the end of 2015, I wanted to be closer to my friend, and audio engineer, Josh Hart. The pair of us had been working on creating music together, so it just made sense. I wanted to record a full album, which I would do later in the years that followed. I am a singer/songwriter by the way, originally born in the UK, called James Hardiment, who has lived in Canada since 2007.
During my stay in the nations capital city, I would explore on my weekends off. On the weekdays, I would work in various jobs, retail, car rental, warehouse, whilst I worked on the songwriting. Music is always what I’ve been most passionate about in my life, my ultimate escape from the craziness of living in the modern world. We carry in our pocket a device which tracks our every move, and rumours and gossip spread like wildfire in a split second. You can spread information, to somebody 1000s of miles away, by sending them a simple message on your smart device, so long as you have an internet connection.
I’ve always had a love for the old technology, some of it I grew up using as a child. I’m rather fond of the cassette decks of the ‘70s and ‘80s, especially the ones with wood panelling sides. I also love the way an old record spins on an old player. It’s satisfying to watch, the sound is so warm, if you have the right speakers, and player.
I would hit up all the used records stores across the city, digging out the old “45s singles, mostly from the ‘80s, my favourite decade. In my collection that I built, of LP albums, includes some rather great movie soundtracks, which I have since framed on the wall. I found it a cheaper method than buying official posters. I own Lethal Weapon, Jewel of the Nile, and some other great films too. I was able to pick up a pack of 3 frames, from Michaels, a craft store chain here in Canada.
Most of the records weren’t too expensive, even picked up a few cassettes too, as those have made a comeback too. I think I paid between $5-10 back then, it’s been a long time so that might not be accurate information. A lot less costly than buying brand new, which I do as well. My favourite dance music from the ‘80s Italo Disco I can buy from my favourite Spanish record label Blanco y Negro off their official website. I’ve collected many different rarities that way, but it’s a little more costly, plus you have to factor in the shipping from Europe. Collecting isn’t cheap, but what is these days? Even groceries are insane right now, rent is too high, I don’t even want to get into it, just focus on the positive.
I picked up some great old casette decks and players from Value Village, a Canadian thrift store chain. I even got my hands on some old Sony casette Walkmans too. There is also a great chain called Sunrise records, which pretty much opened up in the malls around Ottawa, replacing HMV. They even sell DVDs and CDs too!
Anyways I had a lot of fun collecting music, despite the hectic life I was leading, good times.
James
Pictured: An old Technics cassette deck, and a CD player, that I picked up from Value Village.