Counter Culture: Sound Station, An Institution Still Standing Strong

Article by Tia Korpe

Sound Station is one of the longest standing brick-and-mortar shops in Denmark. Its owners and employees are friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and of course passionate about music – whether your drug is vinyl, CD, cassette, or memorabilia – you’ll find it here.

With over 200.000 items in stock and 50.000 on Discogs, it’s no wonder that everyone from backpackers from Colombia to famous musicians visiting Copenhagen come to dig here.

In an uncertain time for sellers across the globe, I spoke to founder and owner Jesper, about the history, present, and future of Sound Station.

When did Sound Station open its doors, and why did you decide to start a record shop?

We started Sound Station late 1991. We had been a part of the underbelly of the Copenhagen based seconhand music business for quite some time then, J and I were in a process which pointed towards opening our own shop. This was a time long before globalization – a time when exotic had a broader meaning than today as fairly common, as well as rare releases from the US, Australia, Japan or just from other European countries, could be exciting and desirable as they were hard to find locally in most places, Copenhagen not the least. We were very focused on the 90% below the top 100 game and intensive importing and traveling propelled the shop scale.

Seen in retrospect a lot of our work had to do with keen interest and how to communicate it. For a long time, we were trying hard to make ends meet and at the same time to build something that we could be proud of – something that signaled a consistent love for music and beyond. It always starts with the immediate product level.

The vinyl, the CD’s, the demo tapes. Depth, variation, and originality meant and still means a lot to us. Everything deepens and broadens though. When you have a strong and all-absorbing love for something, you get this wish to push further – to expand the scope of what you deal in; posters, artwork, paper goods, awards, completely silly promotion stuff, and memorabilia. The fascination of the rhythm or the lack of it as well as the lyrics or poetry and the artist(s) behind it – the artwork… and behind it all the completely impossible industry. That mythological evil entity…once you take a dip, and whoops! It is easy to disappear.

And yes. The square meters to hold and display this is of course of dreamlike proportions… and 30 years after, the reality ends up somewhere in between. With massive amounts of records and the genres and subgenres to hold them – and an ever-growing way of organizing stuff so we can actually find that LP, 12”, 7”, MC…or test pressing we are looking for – or that U2 promo Disco Ball or Umbrella or that Björk promo lamp, that De La Soul or Queen record award, the original artwork for that Green on Red or Flesheaters album, The autographed Bowie poster or Madonna press photo, etc.

The vinyl, the CD’s… the demo tapes… depth, variation and originality meant and still means a lot on to us. Everything deepens and broadens though. When you have a strong and all absorbing love for something, you get this wish to push further – to expand the scope of what you deal in – posters, artwork, paper goods, awards, completely silly promotion stuff and memorabilia.

Today we are basically in the same state of mind… the world has become much more complex and we have way less hair and more platforms to deal with. Like our own website, soundstation.dk, and web darlings Discogs not to forget. The feeling still remains – older Budweiser… true love never withers.

What kind of records can you find at Sound Station which are unique and a bit different from other shops?

We basically think that we have a deep selection in a lot of genres – both new and used. We do have vast selections within the über genres – a large rock section, a very big black music area – a substantial electronic section – and enough subgenres for any music lover to get lost. Then there’s the rare used stuff… we do NOT have a lot of LPs just imported from Medellin or Addis Ababa though… and we do get emptied out as demands occur in new collectible areas.

Can you tell us some anecdotes about musicians/DJs/artists that have visited Sound Station?

The photo shows records autographed by artists who stopped by the store to shop or talk or even play.

We think this video with Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson digging records in our basement and playing upstairs tells a lot about the passion for music, vinyl and the spirit of Sound Station.

Name 3 records that have inspired you on a personal level.

Argh. 3. I grew up with early punk and post-punk… The Stranglers’ No More Heroes and Sex Pistols’ Never Mind Bollocks had a major impact on my early teenage years. Songs The Lord Taught Us by The Cramps has stayed with me since I turned 17… B-52’s debut album has that evergreen compelling playful rhythmic organ-weirdness and Tuxedomoon‘s Desire pointed towards a more less energetic and definitely more complex, dark, and experimental. Pharoah Sanders’ Karma started something introverted, spiritual, and jazzy… which made early fave recording by Wooden Wand and No-Neck Blues Band and The Tower Recordings accessible 15 years later. I love New Order‘s first couple of albums and Art Blakey‘s album with The Afro-Drum Ensemble The African Beat as well as 50’s recordings by Beny Moré and Maleem Mahmoud Ghania and Sanders’ The Trance Of Seven Colours… I would not go on without Artur Lyman‘s first Taboo album and the first Ondatrópica album cannot be left out… and then again Miss Kittin work with The Hacker is truly mechanically something from another world and… and… and…

What are your top 5 selling records at the moment?

… this must be a question for Nix who runs the new records sections: probably The new ones by Pearl Jam, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Jonathan Wilson, Dead Lips, Tame Impala and Baxter Dury… whoops, that was six.

How important is it for a shop to also have an online presence?

One more leg to get in touch with other music lovers… to let the world know that you are out there and who you also are. And yes – there’s also that economic angle.

How do you balance the shop and Discogs Marketplace with old and new music (roughly how many % of each category)?

In amount 20: 80… which is a very loose estimate.

What’s your best crate-digging tip?

Always be present wherever you are – on the streets, at swap meets, with friends and colleagues, and when you travel. Find those shops without a PC… travel a lot and never switch off the music.

You can support Sound Station by browsing through and picking out items from their vast collection of more than 55.000 titles right here.