Collxn User Profiles Are Here
Hey fellow record dreamer,
The TL;DR: Collxn users now have profiles. Plus: a new Luggage Record, and some recent record adventures across Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.
Read on for the details. Or share Collxn with someone who loves flipping through bins as much as you do.
Collxn users now have profiles
This week marks a small but meaningful moment for Collxn. Users now have profile pages: a place where your collection can introduce itself.
I initially prototyped user profiles while I was at NYU ITP Camp back in June. There's even a screenshot from that early version on this very blog.
Profiles surface basic stats and your most recent Daily Drops.
Here’s mine as an example (or you can view the live version here):
💡 Did you know? Profiles are private by default. You can choose to make yours public in Settings.
Profiles will grow over time, but this first version sets the foundation for... fun!
💼 Luggage Record #4: Madvillainy
- Artist: Madvillain (MF DOOM + Madlib)
- Album: Madvillainy
- Format: Multiple variations on vinyl
- Acquired at: Various shops over the years
Why it traveled with me: I first came across Madvillainy hanging out with some friends in the Takadanobaba area of Tokyo back in 2005. From that moment on, it played non-stop on my iPod and then my iPhone. Years later, when I started collecting vinyl, it was an early purchase. Since then, I've picked up each variation of the album I find.
In the photo, you can see what I brought with me to Japan: the original album, Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix, the instrumental version, the Four Tet remixes, and the recent Demos, released on the 20th anniversary.
It's so dense lyrically and rich with samples that it's always worth revisiting, whether in the original or one of its many forms. And you'll hear the sample origins everywhere: just last week at the Mr Bongo DJ party in Osaka (see below), I heard a DJ spin "Airport Love Theme," which serves as the base sample for "Curls".
If you're ever really wanting to dive deep into some of the tracks on Madvillainy, check out season 12 of the Dissect podcast. Episode 2 of that season breaks down "Accordian" in incredible detail. I don't usually love detailed breakdowns, but with MF DOOM and Madlib, there's so much going on that even after 20 years, I found a lot of new stuff to hear.
For previous Luggage Records, see these Collxn Connxn posts:
Record fun across Kansai
It’s early winter in Kyoto. The blaze of autumn leaves is nearly gone and the air cuts a little sharper each morning. But the places I love most right now are warm: tucked into a tiny tachinomi standing bar, or feet under the kotatsu.
The colder days haven’t slowed down the record adventures. Here are a few highlights from the past week in Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe.
Kyoto
Here’s one of my finds from this week: Was (Not Was) Out Come the Freaks. I pick up their debut (and a nice cappuccino) at Davada Records, a shop not far from Kyoto Station.
And from Face Records Kyoto, I grabbed a small Japanese Groove trio pack:
The pack included:
- Hiromic World — Hiromi Go
- Tokyo Atari — The Number One Band
- Garland — Mariko Takahashi
Face Records always has these record packs curated around a theme. I eye them each time I visit, but this was the first time I pulled the trigger. Looking forward to diving in!
Osaka
I took a quick train to Osaka on Wednesday for a Mr Bongo DJ party, featuring Yoshihiro Okino from Kyoto Jazz Massive. Recife Wine Importers, owned by my very good friend Richard in Kagoshima, was there pouring Portuguese wine.
It was a super fun night and easily worth the trip down to my old neighborhood near Osaka Castle.
Kobe
And on Thursday in Kobe, I spent an afternoon crate digging with my friend Ian Masters. We hit a few records, but most memorable was Freak Out Records, which was an excise in archeology and flexibility. We spent a couple of hours literally digging through piles of records on top of bins and boxes on the floor. Ian's a seasoned digger, and I'm going to be honest: he found about half of the records I took home that day.
By the way, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Ian for helping me track down issues in the Collxn beta. This week in particular, he patiently spent some time with me tracking down some quality-of-life things that are now fixed in the app. Ian has been an incredible help as I work to make Collxn the best it can be. Thank you, Ian!
A question for you
As the year winds down and the cold sets in: What are the records you only pull out in December?
Reply and let me know. I didn't brings any of our holiday records with me to Japan, so I'd love some tips on what to put on this month.
Thanks for being here. More soon.
- Ash