Founder of the subscription service Vinyl Box, LA’s Fatima Jones is a self-confessed record hoarder. Below, she talks about how Vinyl Box began, her fascination with album art, and her love for The Purple One…
When did you fall in love with vinyl?
I don’t remember what age, but music was a big part of my household growing up. In the car, cleaning the house… it was always there. My family played lots of records all the time but specifically, my Mom would take my sister and I with her to the laundromat every weekend in San Francisco where I grew up. While our clothes were drying, we would walk over to a local record store and look around, I think it was called Rainbow Records? I used to love those trips. I was always fascinated by the album covers. That’s probably when it started!
What is Vinyl Box?
Vinyl Box is a record subscription service that I started out of my apartment in Richmond, California back in 2014. Every month, you get three records and based on a theme, like “The Seattle Sound” or “Legalize It.” This month, it’s “Iggy & Ziggy” (as in Pop and Stardust). You can also choose from different genres, like punk or hip-hop. I curate all of the records myself!
What inspired you to launch a vinyl subscription service?
I love music and I’m also a record hoarder! I thought it would be a cool way to both share and downsize my collection and there weren’t many vinyl subscriptions at the time.
You’re also a vinyl DJ; What does your typical set sound like?
I use both records and Serato. A typical set for me really just depends on the party and crowd. Lately, I’ve been incorporating a lot of modern soul in my sets, like The Internet, Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino and SZA. But ideally, I like to play an open format of all types of music. Anything from Kendrick to Bjork. Whatever makes people dance!
Which women in music do you look up to?
So many… Beyoncé, Feist, Courtney Love, Chaka, Lana Del Rey, Lil Kim, Blondie, Trina, GaGa, Patti Labelle… the list goes on!
If you were cast away on a desert island, which record would you take?
I would have to go with something by Prince, who really is one of my favourite artists of all time. An amazing talent who broke so many colour and gender lines. That said, my favourite album of his is Parade.
Follow Fatima on Instagram here.
