A new home for legendary Hong Kong record store White Noise
The much-loved vinyl boutique relocates to the eclectic neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po
![A new home for legendary Hong Kong record store White Noise](https://mixmag.asia/assets/uploads/images/_columns2/89603321_10157151186772901_4549225636186554368_o-2.jpg)
Originally opened in April 2004 by three passionate music lovers, the store's name was borrowed from pioneering British experimental band White Noise – an act who's 'Electric Storm' album was hugely influential to heroes of electronica such as Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers.
The store is a local haven for the best in alternative music as well as live performance events and boasts a large indie following thanks to its bespoke selection of tunes – ranging from old soul to heavy metal and electro-pop. White Noise Records has cultivated a style of its own, thanks to a hand-picked inventory. “For me, a record shop is not a supermarket, we are a select boutique,” says White Noise manager Gary Leong. “We just sell what we like. A record shop should have its own style and personality.”
The relocation was born out of a need for a larger premises, and the multicultural buzz of Sham Sui Po – a mecca for shopaholics in Hong Kong – is the perfect new home for the shop. After dark, the stalls and alleys of the market are illuminated by the neon-clad stores selling their odds and ends, creating a scene of chaotic joy, with White Noise now a proud centrepiece, and a welcomed addition to the vibrant neighbourhood.
[Image via Yuen Chi Chung]