Taking place next Wednesday (7th April), Record Store Day's official launch event will see British post-punk band Squid live record their RSD EP release direct to vinyl from Metropolis Studios.
The Bristol band will record two new songs on to a two-track EP during Steve Lamacq's BBC 6 Music radio slot between 5pm and 6pm on Wednesday. The live nature of the recording means Squid will have to get it right first time – no pressure, then – as, once recorded, the live tracks will be fast-tracked on to the presses by Sound Performance.
The 12-inch vinyl will be exclusively available from independent record stores on Saturday 17th July, which is the second of the two Record Store Day 'drop dates' this year.
Considering recording ‘live to vinyl’ was the original process artists used to record music for public consumption, next week's event seems like a fitting way to kick-off the Record Store Day 2021 celebrations.
Arthur from Squid, said: “We’ve been busying ourselves away on some scores, arranging orchestral versions of two of our favourite tracks from Bright Green Field. The process is the same as ever, starting off with no clue of what we’re doing, stumbling along together, each inputting our ideas into the music until it starts to take shape. We're so excited and also quite terrified to release this little gem for Record Store Day 2021.”
While Record Store Day is typically a one-day affair held in April, the global pandemic caused last year’s event to take place over three dates in August, September and October – with a Black Friday special for good measure.
Acknowledging that the worldwide situation is still disrupting record store supply chains, the RSD organisers decided earlier this month that another multi-day celebration would be the best way to make it a success for as many indie record shops as possible. To that end, special RSD releases will be available exclusively on Saturday 12th June and Saturday 17th July, with more than 240 shops in the UK taking part.
Dates: check. Official launch event: check. Now all we're waiting patiently for is the list of RSD 2021 releases...
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