Retro groove

YOU often hear audiophiles preaching the vinyl gospel and extolling the virtues of the format; the unconverted can now hear (and judge) things for themselves at LongPlay, a newly opened bar and lounge that will play music exclusively from its library of 3,000 (and counting) vintage records spanning all genres from jazz to Motown, blues to glam-rock, and everything else in between.

Located between Haji Lane and Arab Street, it's the latest addition to hotelier-restaurateur Loh Lik Peng's Unlisted Collection ventures. "There's a certain romantic allure to vinyl; not only does it evoke a sense of nostalgia, vinyl connects a listener to the music in a way that digital sound will never be able to," he says.

The bar's moniker LongPlay is another term for phonograph records and coincidentally, its unit number is 33 - the revolutions-per-minute speed which conventional vinyls are played at. The name is also a play on the space's long-ish layout which comes from two connecting units on Arab Street and Haji Lane.