Interview with Antony Daly - DJ, promoter and owner of 586 Records

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

by Tat

Not enough praise is given to those who venture out to set up their own record shop. It can be quite a gamble, even as record sales have continued to rise for the past two decades. In the age of online shopping, anyone who sticks their neck out to open that tries to serve people in a discerning way in the age of Amazon needs to be applauded. We thought it would be good to talk to one such soul who after 25 years as a DJ, promoter and lover of authentic dance music, did so in 2014. Antony Daly has been a stalwart and champion of good music and good times since falling in love with music as a young lad in the North East. His journey has not been without a few bumps in the road but he is a fantastic example of second chances. He also typifies what running a record shop is all about, huge knowledge and passion, hard work and a friendly smile behind the counter.

Let’s start at the beginning, where did your journey start as a music lover and record collector?

Now then. I'd say I started taking more of an interest in collecting records, around 1987. I had a paper round and within the paper round, I delivered some of the music magazines of the time. Melody Maker, NME, Record Mirror, Smash Hits, Sounds. I'd read those on my walk and I'd store information about bands and new records coming out. Then on Saturday, I'd go into Sunderland and visit all the record shops and pick some things up, get them home and play them. One shop in particular, ‘Spinning Disc’, had a great £1 / Promo box at the side of the counter. I remember getting a white label of The Blue Nile "Headlights On The Parade" from there for £1.

When you started your record shop a decade ago, interest in vinyl was climbing and has  continued in that trajectory. Yet it was and is a tricky time to be an independent business but you seem to have made it pay off. What do you put it down to?

It'll be 10 years in September. I'd put it down to a lot of hard work at first. By that, I mean I was working up to 15 hours a day. A minimum of 5 days a week and occasionally djing two nights a week. It was a very transitional time in my life and I really needed to stay focused. Add to that, I had a lot of people willing me on and also supporting me in so many ways - which I'll be eternally grateful for.

Was there a catalyst that made you decide to open up a record shop after 25 years as a DJ?

Yes. I'd recently been released, after serving a prison sentence. I'd been involved in dropping off and running cocaine for a couple of people and well, it ended up like a series of ‘The Wire’. My third sentence for being involved in drugs and I knew I needed to immerse myself in something positive and productive. I had no access to money and was starting from pretty much the very bottom again. Signing on, pretending to be interested in applying for jobs that I knew I would have hated. I had to rely on myself and have the belief that I could move away from my participation in certain matters and the opportunities to take advantage of friendships I already had, or that had been created when I was away.

I remember coming into your shop a few years back when it was located in Newcastle and was greeted with a big warm smile and an offer of cookies from a large jar. It’s very different from what a lot of us experienced going into indie record shops with staff peering down their noses as you go in. It can be daunting going into a record shop, how important is it for you to make it a welcoming experience? 

That's very kind of you!. Some might say that the welcome isn't as warm, after 10 years mind!. Similar to what you've described, I'd also been in record shops and in the words of Oz from "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet". 'You've made us about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!'. I wanted to change that experience and try to make it a friendly experience - with no expectation to buy. Come in, have a look around and have a chat.

You made the short leap over the River Tyne from Newcastle to Gateshead a few years back, how has that worked out so far?

Approaching three years. The move has been great in many ways. I like the space we're in now more. It's a lot brighter and lighter. As the sun moves West - it really does hit the shop. It feels like we've got a lot more records in there too. We have spaces for people to lock their bikes up and car parking spaces. It's a short walk from Newcastle's central station and also, a nice walk from Gateshead and also Newcastle's Quayside. The downside is there's definitely a drop in footfall. It's like there's a force field on the Tyne Bridge and any number of customers at the last place, still haven't been here yet. On the plus side, we've a lot of new customers and from all over the world - people seeking us out from America, Asia, Australia and Europe

In terms of 586 Records, what genres are people most looking for in the last couple of years?

A lot of the younger DJs and record collectors are asking for garage - the U.K version of that. Definitely one of the most requested genres. Similarly, dub and reggae. I seem to struggle to buy collections of those genres in - or even be offered them tbh.

How do you balance the business side of running a record shop with your pursuits as a DJ? Do you find that one influences the other?

I rarely DJ now. I honestly feel that I sickened myself with the experience, when I was first starting up with the shop and was working each day and Friday from 07.30 and finishing at 17.00 to go home to eat, rest and be back out to play 21.00-01.00 and be back at work for 10.30 on a Saturday morning until 17.00 and get home, sort music and eat and rest and be back out to start playing again from 21.00-01.00. I fell out of love with it. It became a job and one that I really needed to pay my rent and bills. DJing was never about that for me (or so I thought). I found myself looking to use substances again to get me through and I really did not want to go back down that road. I'll occasionally be dragged out of my comfort zone and agree to do something - and I generally enjoy those! haha.

How has owning a record shop impacted your own tastes as a music lover and DJ?

There's the opportunity to listen to so much more music. Things you might usually have overlooked, but play something in the shop to test the grading and you come across a certain track from an artist you might generally have dismissed. There isn't the pressure. You listen to music in a more relaxed way, rather than thinking "I need a load of new stuff for this forthcoming gig". 

Record shop owners are not short of comical stories from when customers have come in. What’s your favourite?

A few people say I should write a book or take interactions down. I'm always a fan of when you answer the door to a customer and they ask if you're open. The same goes with someone ringing the shop and you answer with "Hello. 586 records, how can I help?" and you're then asked if you're the record shop and if you're open today. I've slipped into the Basil Fawlty / Larry David role, quite unknowingly. A couple of solid interactions with a lad who complimented me on the quality of my records and said he had no money, but would I like to ‘swap some records for some e's’. There was someone else who when I asked them where they were from, replied ‘Surrey’. But with his accent and mine, I thought he hadn't heard me, so I repeated the question and was met with ‘Surrey’. After about the fifth time of asking, I realised he wasn't hard of hearing and was in fact, from ‘Surrey’.

Ultimately you have access to a lot of records, so how hard is it to draw the line as to what you take home?

I've so much stuff at home that's still sealed. I'll have friends around and they'll ask, ‘What's this like then?’ and I’ll have no idea what it is, or sounds like. I'm in the process of listening to a lot of this and taking it back to the shop!. Some of my wants will come straight home with me. That wasn't the case when I first opened, but as time has gone on, I feel like I deserve the occasional treat. If it's something I've been after for a while.

DJs and music collectors know the buzz from going into a record shop and not knowing what they are going to find when they dig. Are you getting that buzz when you pick up collections because there have been so many great records released in the last few decades?

Absolutely!. The first big collection that came my way was via Andy Barker, from "808 State" (R.I.P.) and I remember the sheer excitement of him opening the van doors and seeing there being bags of records, packed from floor to ceiling. As we started unloading the van, I'd catch a glimpse of certain sleeves or labels and couldn't wait to start going through them, to see what we'd been graced with. Certainly from that collection, I filled in gaps from my own wants from Detroit Techno, U.K. Bleep and a host of others. Stand outs being the test pressing of "L.F.O.", Unfinished Business "Out Of My Hands" and Jago "I'm Going To Go", Gallifre "Don't Walk Out On Love". This was definitely a period of working 15 hours days. I'm still excited when I find a great collection, a deal is struck and the records get the shop and I can get to work on them. Whether that's for filling gaps for me, or finding things that I know certain customers will love, or rarer bits that'll fly out and get the money back in quickly and I then look for the next collection. There's a sense of satisfaction gained from providing someone with a record they've been searching for and they're overwhelmed and emotional, when they finally have it.

How important have Discogs been for you and what are the downsides of that marketplace?

Discogs is where I started doing this buying and selling about 20 years ago and where I do most of my business, so it's very important to us. It opens the shop up to the whole world. Downsides? The amount of money in fees paid and more recently, their taking a percentage from you for postal charges - even though they appear to do absolutely nothing to warrant it.

All vinyl DJs have their reasons for championing the format, what is it about physical records that remain alluring to you?

I know I'm wired up differently and wrong! I work off sleeves and labels. Endlessly scrolling through a few thousand tracks on a USB just sets my anxiety and feelings of dread off.

If you were booked to play a four hour set somewhere an hour before the sun went down, what would we expect? 

I had the pleasure of doing a sunset session at Potato Head in Bali (Hi to the crew who were out there at the time) and I think it was recorded but it never surfaced (Pete Herbert????) in January 2019. As the colours of the sunset started, I was playing New Order's "Elegia" and magically, it all seemed to come together as one. Quite the moment!. The music was really atmospheric, low bpm's hahaha.

Outside of London the North East is often overlooked as being an important part of UK dance music history, compared to the likes of the North West and South Yorkshire, why is that?

We have never really had a breakthrough DJ, or electronic live act 'back in the day'. Ones who were playing all the clubs around the country. Although recently, we appear to have some who are playing mediocre 'house' music and feel the need to wear NUFC tops - so people know they're from Newcastle (or close by). Add to that, licensing and the fact that the North East has always been known for its heavy drinking style of socialising. Plus, a lot of other cities seem to have a real lineage of dance music, going back decades - whereas it might appear that the North East hasn't. Yes, we've had some amazing clubs that attracted some of the world's finest DJs (I'm talking from the early 90's onwards here). We had the Arena in Middlesbrough, Shindig in Newcastle, Sugar Shack in Middlesbrough. The North East just feels like a weird anomaly. Further North than the likes of Leeds and Manchester, but not quite in Scotland. For those not aware of where we are, we're only an hour on the train from York and it takes about 90 minutes from London to York. Manchester is about two and a half hours by train. People go on like Newcastle is in the Outer Hebrides!.

You have been a big part of that history, what is so special about the dance scene in the North East that makes it unique?

Thanks. That's kind of you to say so. For me, I started going out clubbing in 1990-1991 to escape from what was happening for my family, around that time. My Mother had been battling breast cancer since about 1988 and she finally passed away in the Summer of 1991. I made a lot of friends back then, and in some ways, they became my family. Some I'm still very close to now. From one particular friendship, I got the DJing bug and here I am, 33 years later. What I've always loved about the North East dance scene, is how friendly, genuine and warm the people generally are. 

What is the one record that never leaves your box and is there a record that still eludes you?

Depending on what and where. A house set? The Chicken Lips mix of Playgroup ‘Number One’. Balearic set? Durutti Column ‘Requiem Again’. As for a record that still eludes me? I cannot think of one!. I've been very fortunate to have chanced across a few tracks that I did not know the names of and found them in collections that have been in the shop and I thought ‘That looks interesting. I wonder what it is?’ Then WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!.

If someone buys a stack of records from you, do you double bag them?  

Haha. Only if I'm asked nicely.