Earlier this year, maPlatine.com co-founder Jérôme took an amazing round-the-world trip. He took the opportunity to shop in record stores across the world, discover the musical cultures of different countries, and even visit legendary musical landmarks. When he got back he was kind enough to tell us all about his musical travels in this exciting interview.
– Can you tell us a bit more about this incredible trip?
My wife and I had been planning this trip for a long time. We wanted to travel as a family for several months around many different countries. And then we got the chance to literally go on a round-the-world trip. We started in Australia and finished in New York, passing through New Zealand, French Polynesia and the American West.
– Did you get the chance to visit some iconic musical landmarks?
Of course – especially when we were in the United States. We visited cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, which all have a special place in music history. For example, in Los Angeles we went to Capitol Records Tower, home of the famous record company, and Venice Beach, as a nod to The Doors. We were also able to visit Amoeba Music, one of biggest record stores in the world, in both Los Angeles and San Francisco! And we went to San Francisco’s famous ‘Hippie Hill’, which is a park just next to the Amoeba Music store. These are all iconic landmarks for an entire generation of music fans! 
And the West Coast isn’t all the US has to offer – in New York we also visited plenty of little record stores and places that were completely dedicated to music.
– Approximately how many record stores did you visit in total? Are there any in particular you would recommend?
Overall, I must have gone to around fifteen record stores scattered across the world. But the one that made the biggest impression on me was in San Francisco. As I mentioned before, I loved visiting the iconic Amoeba Music store. The one in Los Angeles really is a temple to music. It’s pretty impressive! 
But we found interesting and eclectic little shops in every country we visited, both big and small, like New Zealand or New York’s SoHo neighbourhood.
– Did you manage to get your hands on any vinyl treasures?
No, I didn’t find any rare gems. But I did buy the live Johnny Cash album At Folsom Prison, as a nod to the great singer. I also managed to find a record I’d wanted for a very long time but hadn’t managed to track down in France: the 2012 album XXX by American rapper Danny Brown. In my opinion, he’s one of the most interesting hip-hop artists out there at the moment! 
I’m such a big fan that I even reviewed his last album Atrocity Exhibition for our April 2017 ‘Record of the Month’ column – I think it’s one of most essential albums in hip-hop.
– Did you notice any differences in the musical culture of the countries you visited?
Not particularly, no… Given that we visited mostly Anglo-Saxon countries, the styles of music we came across were pretty similar. Of course, in Australia there were more Australian bands, and the same in the US, but there weren’t really any significant differences. In fact, it really hammered home that although we were in different countries, sometimes on opposite ends of the earth, there are strong similarities between them, a strong musical thread that ties all of these countries together. When we were in Tahiti, I wanted to bring back a musical souvenir to mark the occasion, so I tried to look for a record with traditional Tahitian music, but I couldn’t find any! 😉
– How many new records did you bring home with you at the end of the trip?
I must have come back to France with around 15 new records, which did take up quite a lot of room in our suitcases… Much to my wife’s annoyance! =) These new records are mainly rock, but there’s a bit of hip-hop and classical in there, too. And one particular metal record I was looking for everywhere: the original pressing of an album by the American band Wolves in the Throne Room. I took it for a spin on my turntable as soon as I got home 😉
– Thanks Jérôme =)
If you want to find out more, read our interview with Jérôme about how he built up his Hi-Fi system and record collection.