There's no doubt about it – analogue is making a comeback. The generation raised on digital technologies need a break from being constantly 'on', and relish the slow pace and rhythms found in using film cameras, record players, and other analogue mediums. When it comes to vinyls, collectors love it for its warm, crackling sound and funky album artwork. That's not to mention the huge appeal of sniffing out and tracking down rare and limited edition records.
Nevertheless, investing in a vinyl set-up and starting a record collection is expensive business. Enter Slow Boat, Singapore's very first vinyl listening café. Started by brother-sister duo Kathy and Kevin, it's not just a cosy place to wind down with a cuppa, it is also a space to dip your toes into the world of vinyl before throwing yourself fully into the hobby.
Slow Boat is housed in a second-floor shophouse space on Craig Road. Walk up the narrow flight of stairs to find a small 'lobby' area that opens to Fotomat on the left and Slow Boat on the right. Slow Boat itself is furnished with plush two-seater couches, each with a single turntable and two pairs of headphones. There's a separate section with a wall of glass windows – it's a gorgeous light-filled space conducive to daydreaming as you immerse in some vinyl tunes.
$30 gets you a free drink and one hour of listening time. The store has more than 500 records from all over the world available. There's no particular curation here – Kevin and Kathy look for the classics they love as well as more modern records. There's also a small section featuring Cantonese and Chinese records, which Kevin says are harder to source. Unlike other record stores, the vinyls are not organised by genre. That means you'll have to do some crate-digging if you're looking for a particular artist or sound – but it encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and discover something new too.
Hear something you like? Soon, you can buy the vinyls home from Slow Boat. As an authorised reseller for Audio Technica (whose record players and headphones it's using in store), Slow Boat is also looking to offer bundle deals for customers who want to buy the equipment.
Currently, Slow Boat offers a small selection of coffees (from a popular local brand, soon to be announced) and non-alcoholic drinks. In time, Slow Boat will launch a day-to-night concept – in other words, coffee by day and tipples by night.
Slow Boat accepts walk-ins, but we recommend that you reserve a time slot here. Follow them on Instagram for more updates too.
