Young Vinyl Collector: Anne van den Hooven
Young Vinyl Collector
We got in touch with a lot of you record enthusiasts through Instagram and it’s great to see how the record community is growing. A few months ago we got in touch with Anne, a student from Porsgrunn Norway, who shares her still growing record collection via her account ‘Needle Dust’. We at Crosley were curious, what drives a young student to collect records?
What do you like about playing records?
When I play a record I take more time to listen to the music, I make myself a cup of tea and sit in my favorite spot. I also like the physical aspect of vinyl, you’re holding a large cover and you need to carefully take the record out of the cover. The stories and photography are interesting to read and look at.
How did you start collecting vinyl?
I come from a very musical family, I play the guitar and sing. music is in our genes, as they say. My parents both have a record collection and when I saw my parents putting on a record and playing on the record player. I thought to myself ”that's really cool. Why don’t I start my own collection?”. Now I can’t stop collecting and am truly hooked.
Do you listen to guitar music differently on vinyl?
Yes, when I listen to vinyl I listen more to the instrumental parts, for example which chords the artist is playing and how their guitar is tuned.
Which record in your collection has the best guitar sound?
That must be Nirvana - MTV Unplugged, I love the cool acoustic sound.
What was the first record you bought?
I was 16 and bought VHS from X Ambassadors. We emigrated from the Netherlands to Norway in 2008. There were no record stores in the area of Norway I grew up. Luckily, we visit the Netherlands many times. When I was set on starting my collection with the X Ambassadors album I wanted to buy it when we were in the Netherlands, but it wasn't in stock. We ordered it and I had to wait a few months before I received it in Norway. But it was worth it!
How would you describe your record collection?
The first thing that comes to mind is small. I have approximately 20 records, it consists of rock, pop and soundtracks. I started with collecting pop albums, but right now I’m really into 70’s music.
What are your top 3 records?
- The Beatles - The White Album: I got this one for my birthday
- John Mayer: I’m a big John Mayer fan and his guitar solos have a way better sound on vinyl.
- Mac Miller - Circles: This is the last record he made. He was inspired by The Beatles and I like the melodies and lyrics.
What is your favorite cover?
Tame Impala - Currents
The cover looks like the grooves of a record, I also love the colors. Kevin Parker, who is Tame Impala, has a specific sound that fits really well with this cover. 
If you had to choose, new or second hand vinyl?
Then I would go for second hand vinyl. When I was in London I went to a record store that had boxes stacked to the ceiling, all filled with second hand vinyl. I browsed around for hours. A second hand record always has a story, someone else got the record before you. Sometimes they write something on the recordcover, I write for example the date when I bought the record. I like to find those stories.
Do you have any tips for people who want to start their own record collection?
Just go for it! Find out what kind of music you like and see if someone in your family or friends have a record player you can take over. I would really like it if more people of my age would start collecting records, because I don’t know anyone in my area who does that.
Thank you Anne for the nice chat and follow her @Neeld Dust!