"Records are an encounter"

Hello.
This is Aoyagi.

The other day, I happened to stop by a record shop in Kashiwa and came across an unexpected record.




"Yuzo Kamon - VICTOR WHEELS LIVE!"


A back street a short walk from the station.
There is a sign at the entrance of an old apartment building, and the record shop is on the third floor of the building.

The moment I opened the door, I was enveloped in the air that smelled faintly of dust and paper.

The owner is a man in his 70s.
His back is slightly hunched, but his gentle personality exudes the warmth of years spent with others.

As I was browsing the record shelves, he began chatting with a smile, happily telling me about the music he listened to in his youth and the record scene at the time.


During this conversation, he suddenly took out a record.

"Do you know this?"

He said with a grin.


The "trivia time" begins with light-hearted conversation.

I was surprised to learn that this was a pseudonymous project for Kamon Yuzo = Kuwata Keisuke.
By the way, this is apparently the only work released under the name "Kamon Yuzo."

The album includes covers of music legends such as the Beatles, Clapton, Quincy Jones, and Bob Dylan.



"This has an exquisitely playful touch," the owner said, squinting his eyes as he spoke. His expression was striking, and it seemed as if he could even get a sense of the atmosphere of the time.

"It's an old live album, and the sound is rough, but that's what makes it so good."

He said those words and played the record for me.

I was also excited and said, "This is awesome!", and the owner grinned and turned up the volume a little when he dropped the needle.


My father was a fan of Keisuke Kuwata's music, so I naturally started listening to it from a young age.

The atmosphere of those days was instantly brought back to life, and I immediately decided to buy it.


By the way, the jacket design is very unique!
From the message on the obi to the design of the inner jacket, it's playful and great.






The best part about analog records is that you can enjoy looking at them, listening to them, and displaying them.


Records are an "encounter"

The shops we casually stopped by and the casual conversations we had.
But what comes from this is a "chance encounter" with a record.

It's because of encounters like these that I can't stop looking for records.

That's what makes records so interesting.


Have you had any recent "encounters with music"?