Jenardson Cabilao

In a nonchalant corner of Araneta Center is a small marketplace called Cubao Expo. Surrounding its horseshoe road are various stores different from the usual stores inside the Center's more mainstream malls and thrift shops. Although known for a 3D art museum and a nearby Italian restaurant where an iconic scene from One More Chance was taped, antiques and locally-made products are sold in the Expo's various stores, from trinkets to shoes and even an art gallery. But vinyl records are now the most popular product of the former Marikina Shoe Expo, with some stores selling them alongside other equally retro goods, but one store has made them their main product for around eight years. Vinyl Dump Thrift Store doesn't look like a record store at first blush, the store front has a couple of tables full of records alongside cassette tapes, CD's and 8-track tapes. Behind the colored record-decorated door are blue wooden shelves and plastic baskets filled to the brim with records of various genres and languages. There are more records in an upstairs room, along with other old books and memorabilia, placed neatly on shelves. Other than records, they also sell their own La Paz batchoy. In such a short time, I have become a patron of the store. My first record from there Michael Jackson's Thriller, and along with it was finding out such an exciting place, that I simply can't get a hold of myself, I was hooked. Why not? A quick scan through the shelves will take you through time, when these black disks were the only means of listening to your favorite song at any time. With the return of records in the music scene, for owner Joel Devicais, it's to be expected. ---- Devicais doesn't exactly look like a record store owner when you see him minding the store front, sitting on a chair by the window, in a simple shirt and shorts, but ask him if they have any, and he'll have it checked. He isn't alone in running the business though, also taking care of the store are four female employees, Marvin Padrones and Maria Tolentino are two of them, who tend to talk to each other and to costumers, especially if you're a regular in which things can get personal. Sometimes laughter fills the air when you talk to these employees, it's as if you're not in a record store in Cubao but in a nearby sari-sari store in your neighborhood. The store has been visited by various celebrities, as Padrones can attest, from Ruffa Guiterrez to Ely Buendia to Jericho Rosales, who is apparently a regular. Their doors open at 10 in the morning, but it can take until afternoon on a weekday for a first costumer or a first sale. One day, while I was looking into the store, a costumer entered and searches for some records. While I was preparing my questions, Padrones had hinted to me that the costumer was Igan D'Bayan, who wrote a piece about the store, even pointing at and pulling out clipping that was framed on the wall. I asked them about the kinds of people who buy in the store, and Tolentino tells of a regular. "Marunong kumanta ng Elvis yun!" A couple of notes of impersonating an electric guitar followed by laughter ensued. "Oo, totoo," Padrones adds. "Dere-deretso yun... Pakikilala ka namin mamaya." Soon, it erupts to laughter. "Papatayo tayo asosasyon, ikaw yung... presidente." "Katakot." I replied. That's what my usual visit to the stores ends up to, joyful banter and at the end of it all, I usually exit the store with a record in my hand. Devacais and the four had been working in the store since day one. "Matagal na kaming magkakasama... Konti lang naman yung nabago, pero mostly, yan pa rin ang kasama ko." A sentiment that the employees also agree on. ---- Just across the road is another record store, Gold Digger Records, which was opened one and a half years ago. It has a look and feel of a more modern kind record store, with some limited lighting and a cashier counter that also has a turntable that plays the background music. Black shelves are filled with records, separated by category, with new relases close to the door. Upstairs is a merchandise store, with racks and shelves of shirts, shoes and caps. The atmosphere inside is cooler than in Vinyl Dump, with its dark color scheme, it almost looks like a lounge, especially with the couch across the cashier. There were also few costumers in there during an average weekday. One time a costumer entered to have two turntables repaired, one is unable to be powered, while the other registered bad sound, which was discovered to be due to a broken needle. While this and Vinyl Dump are two competing record stores, the charm of Cubao Expo is that everyone's a friend. The people at Vinyl Dump didn't see it as some threat. "Baka sila nate-threaten samin!" Padrones quips. Later, she adds, "Wala kaming kakumpitensya, penitensya, meron." A storekeeper also said that there isn't much of a conflict beyond a competition. "Malakas kami... malakas rin sila... minsan nire-recommend namin sila sa kanila[Vinyl Dump]." --- Although more young people are becoming more informed and enthusiastic, Devicais admits that ther hasn't been a spike in sales. "Medyo umangat [ang sales], pero di sya ganoong kalakas, kasi di pa halos lahat nagbabalik sa plaka." After the record was the casette, then the CD, then the digtal download, but according to Devicais , the return of vinyl in the market will be a continuing trend. "May bumibili pa din ng mga CD, pero mas marami ang plaka, kaysa sa CD... may mga kabataan [na bumibili]." Record collecting can be an expensive hobby, and with turntables costing four figures, Vinyl Dump's records are relatively cheap. With some rock albums ranging from 500 above. More obscure records can go from 300 to even 150. 45 RPM singles are 100 a pop. "Lahat yan puro galing US,imported... pero mga used na yan." He explained. "Yung mga bagong labas talaga, 180-gram na sealed, dahil rine-reissue ngayon yung mga taga-ibang bansa." Universal Records PH released a handful of reissues of old local albums from the 80's-90's and Noel Cabangon's Biyahe. PolyEast records also released their own line of records. Amid this, Devacais doubts that there will be more reissues of Philippine vinyl records. "Sa German[y] sila nag...lalabas ng plaka... Dito kasi satin, wala na yung pinaka makina, kaya hindi na tayo makakapagproduce ng plaka." ---- Devacais opened Vinyl Dump in 2008. He started out as a door-to-door travelling record salesman, before settling in Makati and eventually moving to Cubao Expo. He doesn't have any other ventures outside the store, although he does like watching movies and having a drink. For a record salesman, it's expected that one gets a taste of the records they have, and for him, he prefers 70's rock, such as Deep Purple, and 80's new wave. He personally doesn't have a favorite album, "Kung sa marinig ko lang, gusto ko yung music, yun na." I asked him what his theme song might be, he answers that it's Rey Valera's "Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko," explaining, "Ibig sabihin hanggang sa magfade ka sa mundo. Kung sa ano e... dito ka na tatanda, diba? Wala naman akong balak na ibang... pupunta sa ibang trabaho, kasi medyo malapit na tayo sa edad na... medyo, kritikal na." He does end on a sad but joyful note. "So, at least na pag, sakaling di naman, magfade na rin to, kasama na rin kaming magpe-fade dito sa nagugustuhan natin." Does he expect that his legacy will continue? "Tingin ko meron... Kasi pag wala nang tumangkilik sa records, mawawala rin yan kasi walang buyer, pero pag meron pa ring buyer, at dumami pa sila nang dumami, mananatili yan, kasi may papalit pa ring mga henerasyon." At the end of the day, Joel Devicais is doing what he loves to do, share his love for records to everyone. People of various stripes have entered the store, from the enthusiast, to even people as young as 12 who are curious about these records. Vinyl Dump may seem like a time capsule, but the people around it make it stay to the present. Music trends may come and go, but for him, records are forever.