GIVE US THE BACKGROUND - WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A RECORD SHOP?

Neil Kinder started Astonishing Sounds in 1986, initially in Blackburn, Lancashire, then with a second shop in Burnley from 1989.Neil has been an avid record collector since the tender age of 7 years old and initially opened a record shop to sell the music he liked! Selling predominantly indie pop/rock in the early days, stock quickly expanded to embrace hip-hop, reggae and all good music, a purchasing policy that still lives on strongly today.He particularly likes dealing in quality items, but is more interested in obscurity and rarity rather that price and value. Neil loves to impart knowledge to others, running a record shop for him is about much more than just selling.Astonishing Sounds has been an active participant in the annual Record Store Day event since 2010, which Neil values, especially when previously unreleased material becomes available, stimulating interest in an artist.