Toronto's Sonic Boom Records has been known to put together dazzling window displays, host discerning crate diggers like Elton John and Jagmeet Singh, and — on extremely rare occasions — sell secret Burial singles. Now, Canada's largest independent record store is putting a new spin on the LP experience with a vinyl vending machine.
Today, Sonic Boom have officially launched the Phono-Mat, a randomized record vendor billed as the first-ever machine of its kind.
Finished in light blue, the retro-styled Phono-Mat was designed and built in Toronto by Craig Small, who previously applied the idea of randomized vending to a coin-operated book dispenser dubbed the Biblio-Mat which can be found in the city at the Monkey's Paw, blocks away from Exclaim! HQ.
As opposed to that machine's coins, the Phono-Mat is operated using custom tokens found at Sonic Boom's front desk. Below the store-branded LP on the machine's face, users press a button for their choice of either a 7- or 12-inch record. Upon making their choice, a surprise record will come out of the machine.
To make these random records stand out in collections, a press release also points to the inclusion of custom Sonic Boom and Phono-Mat-branded obi sashes — paper strips prized by collectors of Japanese-issued vinyl — marking the discs as "selected exclusively for your pleasure" by the machine. Here's hoping they aren't limited to that 7-inch of Bon Jovi's "Lay Your Hands on Me."
Music-minded gamers may recognize Small's name from his work on CanCon-powered videogame LOUD on Planet X.
Today, Sonic Boom have officially launched the Phono-Mat, a randomized record vendor billed as the first-ever machine of its kind.
Finished in light blue, the retro-styled Phono-Mat was designed and built in Toronto by Craig Small, who previously applied the idea of randomized vending to a coin-operated book dispenser dubbed the Biblio-Mat which can be found in the city at the Monkey's Paw, blocks away from Exclaim! HQ.
As opposed to that machine's coins, the Phono-Mat is operated using custom tokens found at Sonic Boom's front desk. Below the store-branded LP on the machine's face, users press a button for their choice of either a 7- or 12-inch record. Upon making their choice, a surprise record will come out of the machine.
To make these random records stand out in collections, a press release also points to the inclusion of custom Sonic Boom and Phono-Mat-branded obi sashes — paper strips prized by collectors of Japanese-issued vinyl — marking the discs as "selected exclusively for your pleasure" by the machine. Here's hoping they aren't limited to that 7-inch of Bon Jovi's "Lay Your Hands on Me."
Music-minded gamers may recognize Small's name from his work on CanCon-powered videogame LOUD on Planet X.
