Aquarius Records (store)
Encyclopedia
Aquarius Records is an independent record store and the oldest record store of any sort in San Francisco, California
, established in 1970. Aquarius is known for carrying an obscure selection of psychedelia, metal, and world music
, and has an extensive mail order catalog. The store's selection is relatively small but carefully chosen and annotated by the staff of music aficionados. They claim to have coined the modern alias dronology for the drone music
genre.
's camera store. Chris Knab bought the store in 1972 and in 1978, he co-founded the independent punk rock
and new wave music
record label, 415 Records
, with Harvey Milk's friend and his, Howie Klein
. Around 1983, the store moved to 3961 24th Street, in Noe Valley. In 1996, new owner Windy Chien moved the store to 1055 Valencia Street in the Mission District.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, established in 1970. Aquarius is known for carrying an obscure selection of psychedelia, metal, and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, and has an extensive mail order catalog. The store's selection is relatively small but carefully chosen and annotated by the staff of music aficionados. They claim to have coined the modern alias dronology for the drone music
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
genre.
History
The first Aquarius Records store was located in the Castro area of San Francisco. There were two early locations on Castro Street, including one next door to Harvey MilkHarvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
's camera store. Chris Knab bought the store in 1972 and in 1978, he co-founded the independent punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
record label, 415 Records
415 Records
415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, Romeo Void, and Wire Train...
, with Harvey Milk's friend and his, Howie Klein
Howie Klein
Howie Klein is an American DJ, music producer, record label founder, record label executive, and political blogger, who was president of Reprise Records from 1989 to 2001....
. Around 1983, the store moved to 3961 24th Street, in Noe Valley. In 1996, new owner Windy Chien moved the store to 1055 Valencia Street in the Mission District.
External links
- Official homepage of Aquarius Records
- History of Aquarius Records
- Aquarius Records' page on StylusCity