Twenty-five years ago, Kevin Lewandowski founded Discogs, possibly he Online destination for obsessive vinyl collectors and music nerds of all kinds. It’s a marketplace for buying and selling records, obviously, but it’s also become so much more. It is a surprisingly comprehensive database that covers not only albums and singles, but also all versions and editions. It’s a really fun rabbit hole to disappear down when you’re trying to figure out what dark Ministry pressure The mind is a terrible thing to try either Psalm 69 that you had in high school, because you definitely ruined the cover of “Lay Lady Lay” all the time and never owned it 100 percent. Filthy pig.
In the years since its debut, Discogs has grown to become much more than just a place where audiophiles go to trade rare first pressings of Beach Boys records. There are forums, groups, user-created lists and more. It’s part eBay, part Reddit and IMDB, just specifically for music.
With more and more people turning their backs on the algorithm and rediscovering physical media, now seemed like the perfect time to speak to Lewandowski.
What is your most essential tool?
My AeroPress. I use it several times a day. In fact I just made coffee with it. [sips coffee].
How many tabs do you have open right now?
Probably around 30 on my work computer. My personal computer is worse, probably 40 or 50.
Which social media platform do you use the most?
I check out X and Instagram from time to time, but I don’t really post.
What’s your favorite device you’ve ever owned?
It’s not really a gadget, but I like to play. I’ve been playing around with the Home Assistant software lately and creating my own settings to control things like the garage door and outside lights. So I guess my favorite device is one I made myself.
What do you wish you had created?
Probably a game like rezwhich came out around the year 2000. It’s a rhythm game where you almost control the music while you play, the closest thing a video game can get to being a DJ. I actually had an idea for my own version with a similar concept. It’s still just an idea though.
What do you do when you need to concentrate?
I’ll either delete everything from my desktop or change locations completely. Go to a coffee shop or sit outside. Sometimes I just need a different environment.
What is the last physical media you purchased?
Files. I was at Mint Gallery in Portland last week and bought four. I still really like going to a record store and finding something to take home. And I also recently purchased three reissues of the Moodsville/Acoustic Sounds series.
What would be the motto of your biopic?
What’s the last GIF or meme you used?
I don’t use memes very often, but one I was proud of was putting a Discogs screen on a photo of a North Korean war room. I was informed that maybe I wasn’t one for the company chat.
