If you find yourself near Kim Cheng Street from Wednesday to Sunday and catch melodies emanating from a corner, we strongly recommend following the music. That will lead you straight to Ronggeng Records, a charming vinyl store that is stocked to the brim with rare vinyl gems.
Vinyl collecting has been quite the rave in recent years – everyone wants in on the analogue experience. Digitalisation being the future is inevitable, but many people find themselves looking backwards instead. The charm and tactility of analogue craft is something digitalisation can never parallel, and Shahrem Selamat, owner of Ronggeng Records, embodies just that, proving that analogue music will live on.
I opened this shop out of passion because I love music.
“I opened this shop out of passion because I love music. In the late 80s and 90s, I was in a rock band. I still keep in contact with my bandmate. He is now repairing vintage music equipment,” Shahrem shares.
Shahrem’s main band, YingYang, and showband, Saviour, have since disbanded. “My bands in the past were a bit rebellious. Those days, people that went to clubs were veterans. We played cover songs mostly. The club doesn’t exist anymore. The music scene in the club last time and now is very different. Today, for band performances, they are more advanced and use electronic instruments,” he says.
It has only been eight months since Ronggeng Records found its home here. Before this, Shahrem ran his very own café. “I had a café at People’s Park Centre last time. I actually planned to open a vinyl café, but the problem is manpower and cost,” he says.
Ronggeng Records is stacked with vinyls, CDs and cassettes from floor to ceiling. “I opened the store also because I needed to display all my works and stocks that I have been keeping for quite a while. And then there came an opportunity, so I took it,” he says.
About 50 percent of the stuff here is from Southeast Asian bands that you will not be able to find elsewhere anymore. They are rare because they were not pressed in millions, and usually only have a very small market.
You’ll be able to find all sorts of genres at Ronggeng Records – with a huge bulk of them being Southeast Asian vinyls. “A lot of them are very rare and hard to find now, especially those from Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. That’s why they are usually priced higher than English vinyls too. About 50 percent of the stuff here is from Southeast Asian bands that you will not be able to find elsewhere anymore. They are rare because they were not pressed in millions, and usually only have a very small market. It’s a good investment if you buy the old pressings. It can go up to a few hundred dollars in the future. If you buy the newer ones, they are often digitised because they were not recorded using analogue equipment,” he says.
I hope customers can find rare stuff, even in my $10 bin.
Apart from the main sections, there are also $10 bins outside the store that Shahrem has personally curated. “I hope customers can find rare stuff, even in my $10 bin. There are gems inside you can find. I have tourists that are very happy because they found gems inside,” he says.
On the top left corner of the store, you’ll also be able to find a shelf displaying several old-time vinyls. Those are not for sale, and are actually Shahrem’s personal favourites. “I have a lot of favourite vinyls and I will not sell them unless I have a double copy. I find them from all over the world and some are actually gifts from good friends. There’s one special one, the Pink Floyd vinyl. I have tried to have all the copies of this album, because they have a lot of different pressings,” he says.
Despite being located in a quiet corner in Tiong Bahru, many tourists still manage to stumble upon the store. “My regulars are mostly youngsters. Nowadays, they are into analogue sound. Those really regular ones include my Japanese friends. They don’t buy English vinyls, instead they buy Asian ones, especially Malay albums. One of them is a DJ and the other is the boss at RPM Bar. There’s also a guy from San Francisco. Whenever he visits, he’ll definitely grab something rare to bring home,” he recalls.
Customers have also created lasting memories within the store’s walls. One of Shahrem's memorable experiences involves a gentleman from the UK who was able to identify a photograph from his personal collection displayed on the wall. “This father of a family from the UK lived here 50 years ago. He was looking at the wall when he saw this picture of Eric Clapton. He immediately recognised the photographer that took the photo. Turns out that the photographer was actually his buddy in the UK that passed away recently. This photo was given to me by Jimmy Appudurai-Chua, the lead guitarist from the 60s band called ‘The Straydogs’. When he was in the UK, he liked to photograph artists like Pink Floyd, etc,” he shares.
Anyone who steps into Ronggeng Records is also sure to learn a thing or two about vinyl pressing, or the Southeast Asian music scene in general. “You will be surprised that some of the records here were recorded in Singapore at Lion Studios. English albums, albums from Hong Kong, all of them were recorded here. And some in MacDonald House, where Yao Han used to be,” he says.
Analogue ones have a special sound to it that cannot be replicated.
Shahrem hopes that more people will be able to find the charm in analogue music. “When you listen to analogue and digital vinyls, you’ll be able to tell the difference. Analogue ones have a special sound to it that cannot be replicated,” he shares.
Visit Ronggeng Records at 34 Kim Cheng St, Singapore 161034.
Shahrem’s responses have been edited for conciseness and flow.
