Last week I caught up with the illustrious Bob Knob, known to some as ‘the Mogul’ of Melbourne Soul.
If you look carefully, you may see him at the merch desk at numerous gigs around Naarm. Or sometimes playing bass with
@immy_owusu .
Running an indie record label is very hard work and it took us four tries to find time for a decent chat.
When I got there last Thursday, Bob had nipped out on an errand; he returned 20 mins later with a heavy-looking box.
Heavy it was. Bob had no reason to know that
@programrecords , where he went to collect freshly pressed vinyl, was an idea I was discussing with Dave Roper in 2017 (though I played no part in getting it going).
Or that the record he collected, Dawn by
@emmadonovan_music and
@theputbacks , is actually one of my all-time records ever. I shared ‘My Goodness’ with loved ones in the US on Nov 6. 2024.
Dawn is the first record that
@hopestreetrecordings has re-pressed. It reflects a seminal moment in the evolution of Melbourne soul.
The day we talked also happened to be the one Bob signed a fresh five year lease on the building where Hope St Recordings began and is based (and where Henry Jenkins took karate lessons) The wave of urban construction surrounding Hope St and its challenges are seismic. Inequality sums up that challenge. But culture is the answer.
We talked about the realities of real estate, and the tensions it creates. The population of Brunswick East grew by two thirds in a decade. If we run by the rules of the market, the chance to create culture is set by $.
What actually happened is that Bob Knob, together with a host of characters including
@tristandl ,
@mickma , tom martin
@darvidthor and
@headhunterspbsfm (still very much present) endured in pursuing music worth listening to.
The result is that Hope Street’s roster grew more diverse, Bob spent the lockdowns intensifying its reach and now they are releasing
@izy.music ,
@ryotaro.ojiaji and supoorting
@oweludreamhouse , among many others.
Some of these are playing at
@waxmusiclounge tonight. Check the shadowy corners for Bob.
Anyway, thank you Robert Douglas-Sola aka Bob Knob. You chose to put music first. We all benefit.
