Kaushik Shekar

How long has it been since you are a record collector?
A friend of mine got her first couple of records from New York - Coldplay's "A Rush of Blood To The Head" and The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" and I had fallen in love with the charm of the physical format before I even heard them - a result of having consumed digital music all my life. I got my first record soon after in late 2016, The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Smash Hits.

How large is your vinyl collection?
Around 80-85 records. Mostly a ton of indie rock (The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Radiohead, Tame Impala, Foals, Phoenix, Glass Animals, The Libertines) mixed with some classics (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Police), a small bit of rap/hip hop (Kendrick Lamar, Anderson Paak, Childish Gambino) and some dabbling in Jazz (Miles Davis, Bill Evans Trio, Chet Baker)

Which is the most valuable record in your collection?
My favorites are - Tame Impala's "Currents" Collectors Edition Box Set and The Strokes - "Is This It" (UK album art version), The Killers - "Direct Hits", All my Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys records

Tell us about your turntable setup
I started with a modest AudioTechnica LP-60 but recently upgraded to a Rega Planar 1 turntable. I run it though a Marantz PM5005 amplifier and Polk Audio SP20. It's a low-fuss, great sounding setup for beginners.
Any advice for people that are about to start their collection?
Start slow, be patient and avoid impulse buys resulting from a beginner's enthusiasm.