If you had a time machine, would you go to the future or to the past?
A million Dollar question indeed but if you ask me, the answer is a definite ‘past’.
And there are countless others who would love to get a flavour of the days left behind.
Although a time machine is still an instrument strictly confined to the pages of fiction, getting a flavour of a bygone era is not totally impossible.
Amidst the pandemonium of Dhanmondi, there’s such a place where materialism and the mundane take a backseat, allowing room for some nostalgic euphoria.
The place is called Vinyl Madness!
The person who conceived and then gave form to this mind-blowing time capsule is Saadi Manzoorul Huq, or ‘Vintage Wizard’ to those who seek out slices of Dhaka’s past to spend a few moments in undiluted bliss.
Giving full credit to his artistically inclined parents for the love of long play records, better known as vinyl, Saadi recounts his teenage days, “I inherited a large number of vinyl records from my parents; then one day, at the advice of my uncle, decided to listen to vinyl on a turntable to enhance the music listening experience.”
Initially, Saadi spent substantial amount of money buying a turntable, speakers and amplifiers but wasn’t too thrilled with the music quality.
The sound was shrill, not melodious, it was loud but hardly profound, recalls the aesthete.
I sold them and then got a 1977 amplifier, a 1990 turntable and a set of 1982 speakers, said Saadi.
“The result was sheer magic, the music which came out was soothing, allowing the listener to savour the subtle nuances of the sound.”
The hypnotic sound from the combination inspired Saadi to invite music lovers to sit, relax and savour vinyl sessions.
With a lot of people coming every day, my better half, seeing my passion plus the number of music lovers, told me to use a separate space to create a music zone; thus, the idea of the Vinyl Madness was born, recalls Saadi bhai.
Saadi decorated the common space of the apartment building where he lives to start the vinyl studio and, today, it’s a jamming pad for upcoming musicians cum a museum of sorts featuring an assortment of items, creating a delicious piece of Dhaka from the 70s and 80s.
For the long play record lovers, there’s a mouthwatering collection, if collecting vintage cameras is your bee in the bonnet then there’s a wide selection, especially Bellows cameras.
I always had a soft spot for cameras and collect vintage ones from people and through international platforms, observes Saadi.
The camera collection is indeed fascinating, ranging from 1960s Bellows to 70s Instamatic to field cameras from WW1.
Vinyl Madness has three purposes – allow people to book exclusive slots to come and listen to records of their choice, use the music area to practice with most equipment provided and allow collectors to browse through the wonderful array of items to buy anything they desire.
The price tag of the vinyl records on sale vary from Tk500 to Tk25000, says Saadi.
For music listening sessions, it’s Tk1000 per person with a minimum of 5 persons and a maximum of 15, Saadi bhai tells me.
For these sessions, we create a special ambience, dim the lights and, for that particular time slot, jamming is halted, creating an immersive musical experience.
Since the place is fully air-conditioned, no smoking is allowed.
In a vinyl music session, no other form of stimulant is needed because the atmosphere plus the music create an intoxicating aura, contends Saadi with a smile.
As a journalist who began writing in the early 90s using a manual typewriter, the three typing machines placed neatly side by side caught my eye.
Yes, they are also for sale although I did not ask the price.
As we were browsing through the stacks of records, Saadi bhai took out the first album by the British metal band Iron Maiden.
For the writer, this album was another link to the mid-80s with memories of early Maiden hits: Prowler, Running Free and Phantom of the Opera.
Amidst the very heady setting of Vinyl Madness, Saadi Manzoorul Huq appears more like an avant garde urban ascetic and it’s evident that he enjoys this retreat to the hilt.
His other identity will leave one a little perplexed – despite his post sunset suave Bohemian persona, during daytime, he is a full-time dedicated banker.
Well, nothing wrong in that since he gets the taste of both lives – the banal and the mystical.
To find Vinyl Madness, you need to make an effort and search the net with the whole process of going there adding to the excitement.
