A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend as a guest, by  DJ mvns, at a popular independent radio station in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn. The LOT Radio. It was an exciting opportunity that I truly enjoyed, especially since mvns, whom I know, is one of the DJs in New York who plays a selection of non-mainstream songs, ranging from psychedelic and indie to experimental and alternative music. His collection of original vinyl albums and cassettes from various music genres and different parts of the world, in his music library, is extraordinary.

For an hour, DJ mvns played a rare and diverse selection of albums, from Dara Puspita's psychedelic pop (Sendiri), Yockie Suryoprayogo's art pop rock (Ayumu), La Sellrose Can Can's experimental music (Happy Morning), and Kyo-ki's (Budha). I was particularly impressed when I listened to  Ken Takagi's theme from artman, which blends metallophone sounds, gong-like tones, and repetitive patterns, a sound closely reminiscent of traditional Balinese gamelan instruments. 

Over lunch, I finally got the chance to have a friendly chat with mvns, and continued with an interview. 

Q: Why do you have interest in collecting vintage and unique vinyl records?

A:  During my college years, I realized a lot of the music I am into was never available digitally or if so, in poor quality, so I made an effort to do such digitizations myself from the original vinyl records or cassettes. It started with electronic music as well as older American funk and disco, then I went into the rabbit hole of older Japanese and Indonesian music of all kinds and it spiralled from there to other genres and countries. I try to keep an open ear to sounds.

Q: Where do you find so many great sources for old albums that were probably only released once in the past?

A: Laborious monitoring of online marketplaces but also making connections with record dealers over the years, some whom I now count as good friends, and fellow collectors who freely lent me their records and tapes to be digitized, who I am eternally grateful for.

Q: You've DJ’d twice now at The Lot Radio in Brooklyn, and your selection of songs and music is really captivating, epic, and different. There's a vibe of psychedelic pop and rock, but you also play some experimental tracks that I've never heard before. How do you curate and select these songs for your radio sets?

A: Thank you for the praise, although I have to preface that I am a mere amateur at this; I barely had time to practice, and can count with my hand how many times I DJ’d over my lifetime! Regardless, since I tend to like all sorts of music, I try to reflect that in my sets, bridging gaps between eras, genres, countries; finding connections between these songs that may or may not be related in a musical history sense but all come together in a set, and perhaps conveying a narrative or mood of sorts. My favorite sets from others feel like essays in audio form, that’s my (lofty) aim, eventually.

Q: Through my role as co-producer of the SAS Group Bad Shock vinyl relaunch, I became familiar with your work, including the restoration of this psychedelic rock album released by Brooklyn label, Psychic Reader Records. What inspired you to pursue this field?

A: While I am grateful that many are doing their part to preserve the musical history of Indonesia, most left me unsatisfied in terms of audio quality. I am doing my part to change that bit by bit, so when Cotter, the founder of Psychic Reader got referred to me some time back for the SAS Group project we immediately clicked on this shared passion. I am grateful for that partnership.

Q: As a professional with a public health background, how did you become an expert in two such different fields, one in medicine or science and the other in music or arts? How do you manage your time?

A: I always had passion in music and the arts I suppose, even as a kid. I was already (trying my best!) digging through genres of music and such outside of the usual pop hits of the time. It is how I keep myself grounded in my work, music became something I look forward to during the week.

Q: Do you have any tips on how to protect and maintain your vinyl or cassette collection always in good condition at home?

A:  For vinyl records, clean and resleeve upon purchasing; you need to properly set up your turntable and cartridge to ensure playback longevity. Don’t forget to service your equipment and upgrade when able. Keep temperature and humidity controlled where you store your collection, and put a room air filter to minimize airborne particulates.

Q: If label producers or vinyl collectors want to use your service for music digitization, how can they get in touch with you?

A: I only do this for close friends and those who got referred to me directly, as I have my own collection to deal with and I try to keep a low profile. But one can reach me at my instagram @mvnsvinyl.

An interesting and enlightening conversation, especially for vinyl or cassette collectors. I think next I'll bring my old cassette collection to be digitized by mvns.

The blog is written by Naratama. Photo by LOT Radio Video Streaming, Brooklyn, New York