Stellage Records in Kypseli: A Curated Paradise for Vinyl Lovers

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Located in Kypseli, with its artists fairs and architectural gems, this is a record shop and performance space and much more that defies easy categorisation and is all the better for it. There is a carefully curated selection of vinyl from small and hard to access artists and labels in Greece, Europe and beyond that broadly comes under the aegis of the avante garde. In fact the shops resists the traditional categorisation by genre to avoid putting labels on the music they curate, support and sell.

While some of Athens’ vinyl shops can be a hunt for much loved and well known gems, Stellage is, for me at least, much more about the pleasure in discovering new artist, albums, and even genres. Run by music artist Dimitris Papadatos who performs under the name Jay Glass Dubs and a group of friends and collaborators from the community, the place is run very much by artists, for artists, even featuring a space in the basement in which they host gatherings and shows.

Unsurprisingly, given the ambiance of the shop, Dimitri is a thoughtful and articulate about the increasingly complex world of music creation and consumption. Rather than being a vinyl purist, as some shop owners seem to be, he sees a place for all forms of musical output in this modern age, from the frictionless but theoretically unlimited reach of the digital platforms that may not pay the bills but do give the artist the chance to build an audience, to the tactile reality of a vinyl record or even tape cassette. As he says, for most young consumers and lovers of music, digital was the first thing they knew and they are discovering the pleasures and pains of the physical forms now, rather than the other way round.

Dimitri’s pick. Demeter in Aexone by Sissi Rada

“Demeter in Aexone” is a 45’ pure solo improvisation by Greek harpist, Sissi Rada. Using no post-production techniques and no overdubs, the album was recorded one afternoon in her studio in Voula, Athens, overlooking the ancient demos of “Aexone”. It is a tribute to the ancient myth of Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, to whom the Eleusinian Mysteries were dedicated. The music evokes archaic atmospheres, as raw wooden sounds intertwine with modal harmonies and extended techniques, by this ancient instrument, hailing from 3.000 BC that is suddenly transformed into a current medium. The harp that Sissi Rada plays is a rare 100 years old Lyon and Healy Style 3 harp.