“It totally skipped a generation,” Timothy Wilson says. “There was about a 10-year gap, maybe 15, where everything [vinyl] just kind of stopped. Now, it’s spun back around again.”

Wilson would know. He’s the owner and operator of City Lights Music, a record store on University Avenue in St. Paul that has been a mainstay in the community for 30 years. “We’ve seen the rise and fall of vinyl and the rise and fall of CDs and cassettes,” Wilson says. “And now we’re back to vinyl again, so that’s an awesome experience, and we’re excited.” 

There’s a large customer base who are excited, too. Wilson has noticed that it’s a lot of younger people who are the collectors now, and he’s thrilled that they’re getting to experience the sound quality of vinyl, to view the artwork, and to read the liner notes while listening, giving them “a chance to know the artists — who played bass, who played drums, who played guitar.”

Every Saturday, Urban Lights hosts Faders Up, an event that brings in area DJs to talk equipment, to discuss new music and goings-on in the industry — and of course, to spin a live DJ set. Every fourth Saturday, Faders Up is strictly vinyl, where DJs can bring in their crates and spin 45s, 12-inch singles and album cuts.

Wilson says he often gets people visiting the store who want to learn how to DJ, and he and his team will spend time teaching them the basics. “Believe it or not, there are people that we’ve had come in that we’ve actually taught to DJ, and over the course of six months now, they’re booked for the next year as far as weddings and corporate events and all kinds of stuff,” he says.

It's the young people who seem to energize Wilson. “They come in and they’re like, ‘Hey, talk to me about Al Green. Talk to me about Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston’ — whoever they want to know about, and they want to know about it on vinyl,” he says. “So that’s a cool thing. 

“Vinyl’s final,” Wilson enthuses. “Get with it!”

External Link

Urban Lights Music – official site