We’ve opened up a few more spots in the Record Club! Learn more about the club from a few of its members.

Last year, we launched a project that we’d been working towards since we first started selling records at the In Sheep’s Clothing hi-fi bar. The ISC Record Club, a highly curated, non-algorithmic approach to sharing records, was designed with a foremost emphasis on that human touch so often lost in the fast-paced, numbers-driven world in which we live today. The idea was simple: send personally handpicked records to members in our community according to their individual music preferences. The selection would be entirely analog, much like receiving a recommendation from your local record shop, an older sibling diving into their next musical phase, or that friend who is always sharing what they’re listening to.

Since its launch, the Record Club has become one of our most dedicated ways of connecting with our extended music community, and while the club is still modest in size, we’ve worked over the last few months to be able to expand it to more members. Today, we’re excited to open up a few more spots… Head to https://club.insheepsclothinghifi.com/ to join!

For those unfamiliar with how the club works: “With a subscription to the ISC Record Club, you’ll receive individually curated, hand selected records based on your preferences once a month. Bundles will include brand new releases, overlooked gems, and record collection essentials, all in the spirit of emulating one of the most important elements of ISC: discovery.”

Below, we asked a few members to share some of the records they’ve received and what they like about the Record Club.

Haley Betz

Favorite Record You Received:

Too many to choose… Eddie Chacon’s Pleasure, Joy and Happiness was an early pick and I’ve spun it countless times. I also recently received Nailah Hunter’s EP Spells and it’s pure magic.

Biggest Surprise Interest:

I would say either Neil Young’s On The Beach or David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name. I’m sorry to say I slept on these for a long time… Rock/AOR records weren’t something I usually gravitated towards but these two recordings have opened me up! I look forward to listening to more classic Laurel Canyon heavyweights.

What You Like About the Record Club:

Vinyl collecting for me has always been about the experience of discovery. A huge chunk of my collection is of music that I might not have been familiar with but purchased based on curiosity or from recommendations. So the record club for me is the perfect thing. I love the curated aspect of it: getting well-recommended picks from people whose opinions on music I trust. I also love that it’s personal – knowing there is someone on the other end who is selecting and packaging each record with me in mind. 

I await each month’s picks with excitement. Whether it’s a record I’ve never heard of, something I’ve been meaning to check out, or a pick that’s been on my want list for forever, it’s always a fun surprise. It’s cool to be able to experience what ISC has to offer even being on the other side of the country. 

Gabriel Abaud

Favorite Record You Received (tie):

Biggest Surprise Interest:

I stick to my comfort zone when it comes to jazz, so I never thought I could fall in love with a 1980’s vibraphone and marimba led jazz album. I’ve played it while I work, drive, cook, and even strongly encouraged a friend to buy a copy at a record fair when I found it.

What You Like About the Record Club:

The thing I like most is having a curator I trust.  It’s easy to just consume playlists that are made to keep you engaged on an app, so hand selected records specifically for me feels pretty special. Is every single one perfectly to my taste? No. But there’s so many that I love that I would have never found on my own.

As I get older I fear becoming the person who only listens to music from their “heyday.” Much of my love of music developed from taking a chance on a 7-inch from a label I liked, what friends were listening to, or what the guy behind the counter at the record store said was good. I think being part of this particular record club makes me feel like that: I get excited at the possibility of discovering something new, and know the people sending it are probably just as excited about it.

Nicole Iriana

Favorite Record You Received:

I loved Futoshi Moriyama’s Yutai-Ridatsu album. Aside from the album art being wonderful, the music itself is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced – so abstract and playful. Thrilled to have it in my collection.

Biggest Surprise Interest:

I am not typically into folk so Vashti Bunyan’s Just Another Diamond Day wasn’t something I’d ever pick up on my own accord but it was completely enchanting and filled my heart with delight. 

What You Like About the Record Club:

I discovered ISC last summer through the Neuehouse events and completely fell in love with everything about it. ISC introduced me to so much amazing music and I wanted to continue that journey through the record club. I have fairly broad tastes but I’m always looking to grow and sometimes don’t know where or what to explore. I trust the ISC staff to curate monthly drops that fill my home and soul with great music and I look forward to it with every delivery. 🙂

Paul Crary

Favorite Record You Received:

Biggest Surprise Interest:

I’ve gotten some really nice dub records from the ISC Club. I love reggae and dub music, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never really seeked it out on vinyl for whatever reason. When I first played the “Riddim Poetry” compilation Junjo – Wins The World Cup (The Final King Tubby’s Session) and even Fuga Ronto – Greatest Treasure from the ISC Club, I vividly remember not taking those off the decks for at least a few days and just listening to ’em on repeat again and again. I also remember receiving those in the summertime so it was a perfect vibe with the weather and energy outside. Now i’m starting to seek out dub records during my own personal digs. 

What You Like About the Record Club:

Everytime I see the ISC stamped box in my mailbox, I get so excited. I feel like a little kid on christmas morning or something. It’s funny— I have a somewhat sacred ritual with myself when I get a new shipment from ISC. I listen to each record from the shipment with my eyes closed (or sometimes I read the jacket and liner notes) while laying on the sofa. That’s my favorite part about wax, there is no algorithm, shuffle order, notification dings halfway through a song, etc. It’s my time to just intentionally listen and soak in the music.

I have a pretty demanding day-job and wish I could dedicate more of my time to digging for records, go on discogs, and the like. But the ISC club saves me a bunch of time and has introduced me to some amazing music that I would’ve otherwise never discovered before. The club pushed my musical boundaries in the best ways possible. And it feels good to support indie record shops and a local LA community that simply loves music and culture.  

I gotta give a shout to my dude Jonny Mons who has helped curate my records for me each month. I’m lucky enough to know Jonny and am able to text him my excitement and favorites in each shipment he delivers to me. It’s kinda corny, but I feel like the club has been a great way for Jonny and I to get to know each other even better than we did before I joined the ISC Club. Music brings us all together, and the ISC Club is a perfect manifestation of that for me. 

Calvin Chan

Favorite Record You Received:

Biggest Surprise Interest:

The first record I listened to after my son was born. Had no knowledge who the artist was or the musical sound. It is a very magical and full of spirit record.

What You Like About the Record Club:

Before ISC I never owned a record player or listened to vinyl, didn’t have the “space” or the “time” I guess, honestly it seemed a bit overwhelming. But then a friend enlightened me to ISC and invited me to listen to some records on his set up, and I was hooked. Best thing about ISC is the personalized curation of records that come every month. I have been able to update my preferences based on the records I like leading to a music discovery that as so far has been legendary. To have culture delivered once a month is a dream and very much appreciated.

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