When most think of record stores a large portion will draw a line under stacks and stacks of finely curated vinyl bins, great customer service, and expert knowledge. LeGram in Renens, Switzerland goes much further than that.
For a start, LeGram’s core values are squarely rooted in the impact of the music industry on the environment. The store ensures that every facet of their operation is designed to limit the wasteful effects of vinyl production. Starting at the beginning the music that LeGram has on offer is 100% upcycled or second-hand. This means that owners Oscar Conway and Myles Greenwood have from the very start looked to run their business responsibly from the upcycled handmade design of the store itself, sourcing the best record collections in Europe to the parties that they throw.
The latter is an arm of the business that has seen many highlights this year and the LeGram lads have booked in artists such as DJ Masda, Nicolas Lutz, the Ghost, Binh and Dandy Jack.
Unfortunately, due to COVDI-19, there have been several parties that have had to be postponed, most notably Onur Ozer. While parties of this calibre are a serious added bonus to any record store the real beauty is the owner’s love of digging and giving others the opportunity to dig and discover musical gems.
The recent lockdown scenario in Switzerland has hit the music scene hard and recently this has meant that international vinyl orders have not been possible. This has not phased Oscar and Myles and they have been running covert operations over the mountains in order to send orders from France. Nothing stands in the way of a good groove.
As well as going above and beyond to get tunes into the hands of their adoring supporters LeGram has also been running a very cool treasure hunt and they have been hiding 100 record stacks of vinyl around the city for vinyl lovers to search for. With 1000 records in their clutch they are currently halfway through the hunt and each week a lucky digger can happen across a serious stack of wax. Just make sure you are quick off the mark as winter in Switzerland can mean heavy snowfall. But, what is a little bit of snow when you consider the lads climb mountains to get your orders out on time?
Being an independent record store is increasingly difficult during these times and several have fallen with many more being threatened, so if you can, do your bit to support LeGram.
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