Archive for the ‘Lifestyle’ Category

Fin & Hitch’s Inspirablog – Week 2

2013-01-25 14.25.36

Niven on a Prayer

The first week went by and our first five runs seemed to go pretty well. Then the pain set in. Sitting down and standing up were all of a sudden problematic. My calves were sore. My thighs were sore. My knees were sore. It may actually be easier to express this in a diagram:

Inspirablog Diagram

 

So yeah I was sore.

We”ve started to stretch.

Track of the week this week is music to stretch to. Avoid our pain and stretch to the theme from The Lost Boys; Cry Little Sister because who doesn”t want to be reminded of one of the best things to come out of the 80s on a daily basis. Just try it. Stretch to an 80s power ballad and after the initial bouts of hysterical laughter you will know it”s exactly the right thing to do. Find it in the Spotify . The playlist will build up over time with songs for stretching and warm up at the start moving into running and warm down tunes.

A Hitch In Time Saves Nine

Limbero. Noun: That blank space of time between contemplating stretching a particular muscle but thinking better of it, and the point at which you work out whether you should have stretched it or not. It”s week two of our epic running slog, and we”ve been living in that gap of not knowing for far too long, and we have just reached the other end. And the correct answer was yes – we should have stretched.

I don”t know what it is about stretching. I can”t help but feel that stretching isn”t cool, as it seems a perfectly logical thing to do, we just don”t want to do it. No one loses but you, but still we skipped it. I mean, you wouldn”t see the Fonz stretching out before giving people the thumb (an odd sexual technique, but him being so cool I reckon he could get away with it) would you? You never see the preparation

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of anything. Even in the arts, Neil Buchanan”s never truly bothered with the fiddly first base layer of paint. We know now that not only did Art Attack have to do all the hard graft, but that even Neil Buchanan would have probably had to limber up before hand (probably for insurance reasons, as well as good performance technique). You can imagine him, can”t you, stretching his mouth and elongating his vowels. “Ba Ba Ba Bii Bii Bii Boo Boo Boo Bum Bum, Bumptaphillion. Bumptaphillion. The Butter is Bruised on the buttocks of the botty” I mean, I could go on.

“Ta Ta Ti Ti Ti (laughs) To To To Tum Tum Tum, Tumptaphillion, Tumptaphillion. The Tutter is Truised on the Tuttocks of the Tot-” Neil Slips on some acrylic paint, and his broken body finishes off a portrait as the mouth of a face. The head laughs.

Anyway, pain. All I can see is pain. The aches of my calves, the tightening of the knees, the dull thudding boredom of the flat of my foot – are nothing to the pain in my heart (not the breathing pain I got the first few days, more a metaphorical lament for a time when I didn”t run). I don”t think I even know what love is any more, as nothing can distract me from the aching and want to rest my legs. But still, we run. (but have to sort of hobble up stairs and down)

In an effort to counter this pain, we”ve learnt to stretch, though Finlay keeps on stretching his arms which I don”t think really helps anything – even though it looks spot on. We”ve settled on three stretches. The first, is the one where you try to kick your bum slowly with your heel and nearly fall over while trying to keep your balance and hold it. No one has told us professionally why we should do this, but I have assumed this is a good one as I remember it from school. Secondly, we do a step to the front and put pressure on one leg, stretching the back of it. The third one is what I call “opening the gate” but what other people may prefer to call “flash your genitals, and relax” in which you lift your knee, tilt it to the side (and if one was naked, presenting ones genitals to the judges) before placing the foot back onto the floor. This combination ensures that are legs are relatively unpainful.

We haven”t yet resigned ourselves to the embarrassment of public stretching, but soon we too will join the throng of runners up and down the land who stand by traffic lights, bouncing and grabbing, twisting and holding in various configurations of body while contending with the eyes of strangers. These eyes, often from car windows, point with jealousy at these brave exercisers and suspend accusatory against a lifestyle they wish they had the will to achieve, as if the limbering is a reminder of every burger, every chip and every collapsed evening in front of telly that has seen failure succeed in their lives, a taunt against their lust for lazyness. But we are thin people now, and when we look upon these souls, it is not out of fear, or anger, but simply to cheat and find out what stretches we should be doing without asking anyone.

Hitch signing out.

 

Hitch”s Mantra of the week: Pain is but the annoying sibling to success.

 

Nanu’s look ahead at February

Frightened Rabbit

Week Beginning 4th

 

Tuesday, 18:00-19:00
HMV, Princes Street
Free
Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit are celebrating the launch of their new album “Pedestrian Verse” with a gig at the HMV on Princes Street. Not only is this a good opportunity to see

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a good band play for free but possibly one of your last chances to see a gig in an HMV.

Wednesday, 15:30 or 18:15
Filmhouse
£5.60 (£3.60 Students)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Last chance to see this wonderful documentary which sold out when it was screened at the Cameo last month.

Thursday, 18:15
Cameo
£9.80 (£8.30 Students)
Song For Marion preview plus in person Q&A with Terence Stamp
Because he’s Zod. Kneel before Zod.

Thursday, 21:00-23:
The Stand
£10 (£7/£5 members)
The Thursday Show (Sean Percival and Richard Melvin)
A two hour comedy showcase in The Stand, headlined by Sean Percival and Richard Melvin. Apparently Thursday night is the new Friday, spend it watching this.

Saturday,14:30
Murrayfield Stadium
From £15
Scotland v Italy
Tickets are still available for this Six Nations match and students can get them for half price. It is always a fun atmosphere at Murrayfield and even if Scotland loose there is plenty of beer and hotdogs on sale to enjoy.

 

Week Beginning 11th

Coming Soon

Week Beginning 18th

Coming Soon

Week Beginning 25th

Coming Soon

Inspirablog – Week 1

Inspirablog

Resident Nanu contributors Hitch and Fin have started running and this is their inspirational blog to share their unique experiences. Hitch Hiking We have decided to be thin people. It was

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a tough decision and one which was influenced by selfish need than anything more virtuous – after all, being a fat person has its benefits, but it just isn”t viable in the long term . The reasons for being a thin person are plentiful – it’s cheaper for a start; one only need buy half as much food, although if you live twice as long this argument could wear thin. Health aside, it”s more fun too, both sexually (what with all the extra kissing you can do without breaking sweat) and most importantly of all when playing board games like Cluedo one isn”t obligated to play as the fat character. Also, playing video games and eating pizza is a far less seedy activity for a thin person, and so being

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able to do this without looking like a poorly cast extra in the next cyber-terrorist film will do our confidence the world of good.

Hitch 2

So this, our inspirablog (a conflation for “inspirational and educational running blog”) will act as a means to share our trials and tribulations, while also being a touchstone for keeping us fit, and making sure we are in the right direction. As such, it”s going to be an odd combination of advice, tips, experience, and other less traditional elements. For example, a regular feature will be “Hitch”s Mantra Of the Week”.

Hitch”s Mantra of the week: “Live with the body you want, not the body you have.

As well as this, we will have pictures, videos, and an ever growing playlist of music to run to which you are welcome to join in with. If you have enjoyed reading this make sure you follow us on twitter for various running based “banter” and if we get our act together we might think about setting up a charity page or something. This is Hitch, signing off! Niven Let Die The decision to start running was a pretty easy one to make. It was not a New Year’s resolution or based on the need to train for a half marathon or whatever. I just fancied giving being healthy a shot. Hitch and I had a conversation about it in early January and we have been running ever since. This blog will be here to give us a place to chat about our experiences and share our thoughts on running. First thought: sore legs. I will be introducing a song a week building up a running playlist on Spotify, .

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Not being particularly familiar with the usual dance music that accompanies work out music I have chosen Daft Punk Is Playing at My House by LCD Soundsystem as the first song on the playlist. In my opinion it works perfectly as a warm up song maybe even as a song to run to thanks to that base line. If you have any suggestions for future song sound off in the comments below. Total Distance Travelled: 5.4km (first run). Running this distance

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would probably take us to somewhere in Leith, so not particularly spectacular, but as the blog runs we will be letting you know where in the world we could have run to.

Nanu Streets: Candlemaker Row

Candlemaker Row

Nanu Streets is a brand new feature on Nanu-Nanu.com, taking a closer look at interesting stretches of Edinburgh that you might have missed. This week we’re featuring the wee stretch of shops on Candlemaker Row, between Greyfriar’s Bobby and Grassmarket. Candlemaker Row is home to a few independent shops perfect for completely unique, slightly unusual purchases.

Analogue

At the top of the street we find Deadhead Comics. Don’t let the faded yellow paint and dusty windows put you off going in, despite a few of its aesthetic problems is the best comic book shop in Edinburgh for people who actually want to buy comics. Edinburgh’s other comic book retailer has given away huge amounts of floor space to action figures and manga seemingly at the cost of back issues. Deadhead is purely dedicated to comic books and alongside the wide range of current releases and collected editions sits a wide range of back issue comic books. If you are looking to buy books on a regular basis, Deadhead offers a pull list facility so you can guarantee you will never miss an issue. Plus if you miss a book or are looking for a particular graphic novel, it can more often than not be ordered to come in with the next week’s shipment. Opposite Deadhead Comics is another specialist bookshop which could make Candlemaker Row a one stop shop for genre fans. Transreal Fiction dedicates its considerable book shelf space to Science Fiction and Fantasy books alongside some merchandise and cuddly toys; a pleasant addition, if only a fleeting distraction, from the huge numbers of novels on display. Hours could easily be lost for any sci-fi or fantasy fans in this Edinburgh institution. Tucked slightly below ground and further along the street is Analogue Books; a tiny art bookshop crammed with design, art and lifestyle books, magazines and prints. Zines are displayed hanging from the shop’s ceiling and books are laid out in such a way that’s ideal for browsing. You’re guaranteed to find a good handful of interesting reads and not just a forgotten coffee table book. Prints from local artists are available to buy and once in a while a local artist exhibits their work in the shop too. Just next door is the lovely independent boutique Hannah Zakari. The wee shop only opened a couple of years ago, after six years of trading online and specialises in handmade, quirky pieces from independent designers. Delicate, subtle pieces of jewellery are found upon entrance to the boutique, further back a variety of prints and modern illustrations are on display and a Boiler Suited Lego Man necklace is waiting to be picked up by the perfect owner. Ideal for gifts and with a really relaxed

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shopping environment, it’s great to have an Edinburgh branch of Hannah Zakari open for business. Right at the bottom of Candlemaker Row is a very unique shop, a shop that sells dinosaurs. If you reckon owning a Spinosaurus tooth is the coolest thing in the world, and honestly who doesn’t, then Mr Wood’s Fossils is the place for you. Stocking a wide range of fossils, meteorites and minerals Mr Wood’s Fossils offers the chance to own prehistoric relics for surprisingly reasonable prices.   Just beyond Candlemaker Row is Armstrong’s Vintage Emporium. Take a look at our Vintage edition of Nanu:Maps to find out more about Armstrong’s, one of the best loved vintage shops in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh In Apps

best-iphone-applications

A smartphone is no longer simply for the tech-savvy and social network obsessed. An argument in the pub can be settled instantly with Google, there’s no excuse not to reply to your emails and if you’re bored, there’s always another round of Fruit Ninja to play – it’s a surprise when you meet someone who isn’t using one. These Edinburgh-specific smartphone apps make day-to-day life in Scotland’s capital much easier – and what’s more, they’re all free!

Travel

Edinbus
Gordon Christie

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The classic Edinburgh-based app, Edinbus is a free service which tells you which routes Lothian Buses take, where they stop, and when the next ones are arriving. It also allows you to save stops for quick future reference, and provides information about any disruptions. This is an essential app for any Edinburgh citizen.

City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd
Cordic Ltd

City Cabs Edinburgh

For when the buses stop running (or you’re carrying something really heavy!). Choose the date and time, as well as a larger vehicle if necessary, and search for pick-up and drop-off points using GPS. The app also allows you to set up an account which you can use to pay for your taxi rather than having to take a quick stop by a cash machine, adding pennies to the meter. You can then track the taxi as it makes its way to you.

EDI Airport
Edinburgh Airport Ltd

Edi Airport

When you need to escape from the city, this app will be there for you. Allowing you to keep an eye on both arrivals and departures, you can also input your flight number and track its progress. The app gives information about transfers to and from the airport, car parking (including booking), as well as details of the amenities available at the airport – in handy map format.

EDUCATION

U@Ed
oMbiel Limited

U@Ed

If you’re a student at the University of Edinburgh, this app will be a great help to you. You can use it to view WebCT, and keep up to date with your courses when you’re out and about. There are campus maps available, useful if you are new to the uni (or have a tutorial somewhere you’ve never heard of). Possibly most importantly, the app links to the library and you can check PC availability as well as viewing your library account information. A good student companion.

Edinburgh Libraries
SOLUS UK Ltd

Edinburgh Libraries

With the Edinburgh Libraries app, you can find the location of your nearest local

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library as well as discover events being held in libraries around the city. A registered library member can log in, check what’s in stock, and renew books associated with their account. There’s even a library based blog to keep up with!

FUN

Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo

Everyone loves pictures of cute animals, right? This app has got them all, from the aardwolf to the white-faced saki monkey. You can learn about them, and then find out where they’re located in the zoo, ready to scout them out on your next visit. There’s also a visitor guide, the opportunity to support the zoo and a special ‘Panda News’ button. The perfect guide to a fun day out for families and groups of friends alike.

Ian Rankin’s Edinburgh
MMT Digital

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There are lots of different tour guide apps available, perfect for a visitor to the city – but for a resident, Ian Rankin’s Edinburgh provides something a little bit different. See the capital through the eyes of Rankin and his famous detective, Rebus. A map highlights the key locations featured in his crime novels, as well as offering tours of the Old Town, Royal Mile, New Town and the Water of Leith. If you feel like doing a little exploring, this is the way to do it.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Kotikan Limited

Fringe Festival

A little bit out of date for this year, admittedly, but good to get prepared for next August. This app allows you to plan ahead for your next show – sorted by venue, time or genre – and book tickets on the move. A calendar function keeps track of tickets booked through the app so you’re never in danger of missing a show. Half Price Hut tickets are also available through the app, meaning you don’t have to go all the way to Assembly to get your discounts.

Christmas Jumper Day 2012

featured jumper

The 14th December 2012 is National Christmas Jumper Day organised by Save the Children UK. What better excuse to go out an purchase a real cracker for the Christmas period. Up and down the country, folks will be wrapping up warm and donating to Save the Children and if you’d like to do your bit too, grab some knitwear and click here to donate.

A good woolly is a knitted armoury against the cold and an absolute essential to any stylish and practical winter wardrobe. For Christmas jumpers, it’s got to be boyfriend style. Big knits are best so that one can inconspicuously hide the evidence of a bumper Christmas lunch, a box of Quality Street and twenty mince pies as well as feel really, really cosy. A Christmas jumper should also preferably be verging on the ridiculous in terms of decoration; think Mark Darcy at the turkey curry buffet pokies online in Bridget Jones’ Diary.

In celebration of National Christmas Jumper Day, here at Nanu Nanu we are featuring the best Christmas jumpers available to buy on the high street.

If these don’t do it for you, why not pimp the jumper you already have by adding a handmade Christmas character? There’s no other time of year you’ll get away with it and you’re guaranteed to feel warm and fuzzy inside.

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Nanu How To: Buying for nerds, a gift guide Part 1

Knitted Star Wars - £8.64 each from Etsy Perhaps the cutest of all Star Wars toys. These handmade toys come in all sorts of variations and if there is a character you really want but isn't listed you can contact the artist to request one. Princess Leia as Boushh for me please.

Buying gifts for a nerd can be a difficult process. A friend who likes Star Wars or video games would really appreciate a gift that shows you know them and are interested in their interests. The problem is you aren’t. Well don’t fret because Nanu is here to help. Over two parts I will be exploring some of the more unique gift options out there for the pop culture obsessive in your life. Thanks to Georgina who helped me compile this list.

For the Star

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Wars Nerd

For the Animation Geek

Regular Show and Adventure Time are the biggest shows in the animation world right now. These rather brilliant shows are served by a huge array of merchandise. Unfortunately said merch isn’t widely available in the UK, the American imports on Amazon are overly expensive and not everyone lives near a Forbidden Planet.

For the Video Gamer

Next time Star Trek, Doctor Who and Comic Books. Oh and some weird alternatives, nerdy nipple tassels anyone?

Nanu Maps: Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate this one

In this week’s Nanu Maps, sweet-toothed duo Fin and Ellie go in search of the best hot chocolates in town. It’s a little bit luxurious, totally delicious and the ultimate way to warm your cockles. Here are the best places to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate, definitely not out of a packet, in Edinburgh.


View Nanu Maps: Hot Chocolate in a larger map

Artisan Roast

57 Broughton Street and 138 Bruntsfield Place

Not that it needed it but Artisan Roast has recently been voted the best café in the UK by Qype. Edinburgh residents already know that it’s one of the best places around for great coffee, but Artisan Roast is less well known for its mean hot chocolates. A more bitter chocolaty taste is complemented by chili, lavender and lemongrass. Not together. The chili hot chocolate, a particular highlight, kicks at the last moment and adds real depth of flavour and heat to the traditional taste. Artisan Roast is also just a great place to be. Low-hanging lights

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and colourful comfy cushions let you slump around the place and sink into the relaxed ambiance.

 

Centotre Italian Restaurant

103 George Street

There’s good hot chocolate and there’s good hot chocolate. Approach Centotre with caution because once you’ve gone Italian, you won’t go back. Unfortunately, the delicious hot chocolate that you think you know will seem a bit…rubbish in comparison to this. Italian hot chocolate is more like a pudding than a drink, cioccolata calda is rich, thick and silky and Centotre’s comes with a tiny disk of chocolate balancing on its dense surface. Far too decadent for everyday luxury but utter, utter pleasure once in a while. Centotre ruined hot chocolate for me. But I can’t stay mad at it.

 

The Chocolate Tree

123 Bruntsfield Place

The chocolatiers behind The Chocolate Tree in Bruntsfield started out touring British festivals with their handcrafted luxury delights. Now settled in Edinburgh these handcrafted luxury delights are complemented by a vast menu of hot chocolates. The Basic with cream and marshmallows is indulgent enough but the addition of several single origin options turns the hot chocolate drinking experience into something a-kin to a wine bar. What’s more, the counter stacked with a vast array of cakes, chocolates and ice cream is verging on food porn. Come for the hot chocolate but the cosy atmosphere and the friendly staff make visiting this café a treat on a cold winter evening.

 

Vin Café

11 Multrees Walk

Another example of that most intense of hot chocolate of experiences, Valvona and Crolla’s Vin Café serves some of the best hot chocolate to be found in Edinburgh. Enjoy your Italian hot chocolate in this wonderful café or after a meal in the upstairs restaurant, though the hot chocolate being a meal in itself this may be a rather decadent option. Those familiar with Valvona and Crolla, either through their food store on Elm Row or at the Castle Street farmers market, will be aware that is more to Vin Café than just hot chocolate. I would highly recommend the pastries on offer in the ground floor café and if Christmas shopping is stressing you out why not have a look at the wine list. Tis the season.

Nanu Maps: Record Shops

records-500x300

Nanu Maps: Record Shops

In this edition of Nanu: Maps, Ellie and Elyse map the best places to pick up a milk crate of vinyl in Edinburgh.

Tune in to Nanu: Live on www.freshair.org.uk on Wednesday at 7pm to hear us chat a bit more about our favourite record shops and the vinyl revival.


View Nanu Maps: Record Shops in a larger map

VoxBox
21 St Stephen Street
voxboxmusic.co.uk
Wed-Fri: 12.00-17.00, Sat: 10.30-17.00, Sun: 12.00-16.00

VoxBox is a wonderful shop. It looks great, both outside and in: tidy rows of vinyl divided into all sorts of categories (“Bowie/T-Rex/Glam” a favourite). Some of the best records are to be found among the “Just In” selection: there are many reasonably priced classics to be snapped up here before they’ve even been categorised. Delve a little deeper into the back room and flick through a huge assortment of LPs and singles for £1.50 (or seven for £10!). This may, understandably, fill you with dread and expectations of old country B-sides. Thankfully, this is not the case and there are gems to be found in every box. A special mention must be given to VoxBox’s owners, George and Darren (who we interview here). Clearly serious music enthusiasts, both are incredibly helpful and friendly – even approving Ellie’s purchase of “The Best Disco Album in the World”. Now that’s what I call service.

Vinyl Villains
5 Elm Row
vinylvillainsrecords.co.uk
Mon-Sat: 10.00- 18.00, Sun: 12.00-16.00

Not too far down Elm Row, Vinyl Villains has an enormous selection of music – particularly CDs, but the vinyl rows are nonetheless tightly packed. This has to be one of the best value record shops in Edinburgh. Although there didn’t seem to be any bulk buy deals, their average record price is far below £10, and often below £5. This is especially relevant here in that Vinyl Villains’ selection of classic records, albums which should be considered essential by any collector, is second to none – and these are often pricey. For new releases, Vinyl Villains probably won’t hit the spot. However, new music enthusiasts need to give themselves a little history lesson now and again, and this shop provides a great resource for that very purpose.

Oxfam Music Shop
64 Raeburn Place
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat: 10.00- 17.30, Thur: 10.00- 20.00, Sun: 13.00- 17.00

Giving money to charity by buying great music? Everyone’s a winner. Having a branch of Oxfam dedicated solely to music is unusual, and something that Stockbridge should be proud of. It does feel like any other second-hand record shop, with approachable and knowledgeable volunteers staffing its floors. The actual quality of vinyl in here is possibly slightly lower than other shops in the Edinburgh market, but their grading system is sufficient to ensure there are no surprises when you get your purchase home. Cheap and cheerful, the musical selection itself is fairly pop-based, and there will be plenty of things you’ve never heard of (and nor would you want to). However, it’s worth a rake through, all for a good cause, and at prices mainly ranging from £1.99-

£4.99 some of the unfamiliar material could be worth a gamble.

Record Shak
69 Clerk Street
Mon & Thur-Sat: 11.30-18.00, Tues: 14.00-18.00

Record Shak is a great place to go for a browse, with a wide range of music in across many genres. There’s a small selection of CDs available, but it’s the sheer quantity of vinyl that makes Record Shak stand out. Focusing mainly on more specialist material, this isn’t the place to go for new releases or big pop numbers, but it excels in managing to find rarities that the real collectors go for. For this reason, Record Shak’s prices are a little higher than you might find in some of Edinburgh’s other record shops – but once you find that impossible-to-track-down-limited-edition-one-off press, it’s going to be very much worth it.

Elvis Shakespeare
347 Leith Walk
elvisshakespeare.com
Mon-Sat: 10.00-18.00

It’s all in the name really. Elvis Shakespeare is the place to be if you’re after really great sounds and really great words. Deep drawers line the Leith shop and are chock-a-block full of all kinds of vinyl from punk and indie, to hip hop and dance. It’s a good place to go if you’re looking for inexpensive classics or after something rare and particular. Glance upwards and you’ll find an organised jumble of literature lining the walls. Books mostly range from cheap to very cheap. There’s even a selection of cassettes for the car, comic books, and a box of “reasonably good videos”.

Underground Solu’shn
9 Cockburn Street
undergroundsolushn.com
Mon-Wed: 10.00-18.00, Thurs: 10.00-19.00, Fri-Sat: 10.00-18.00, Sun: 12.00-18.00

Underground Solu’shn began literally as an underground shop in 1995 and has survived since then as the sole independent record shop in Edinburgh specialising in dance and electronica. As a bit of a serious DJ shop, the predominantly vinyl stock is in top quality condition and a load of top quality stuff to play it on is available in store too. Mixed in with its underground specialities is a healthy collection of disco, classic rock, pop and new indie releases. Prices are top end but perhaps that’s because there isn’t a floppy, scratched vinyl in sight.

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can watch out interview with the store for Record Store Day 2013 over on youtube.

Fopp

3-15 Rose Street
Mon-Sat: 9.00-21.00, Sun: 11.00-18.00

Owned by HMV, Fopp straddles the gap between high street music retailer and independent music store. Most shop space is taken up by DVDs, CDs and books but there is a steadily increasing vinyl selection upstairs as interest in newly released 180g vinyl grows. Records are shelved rather than boxed with album art on display making a really inviting section to browse in. As well as new releases, re-released classic albums from little known artists The Beatles and The Smiths are available, as are bargain secondhand records for a mere £2.

Avalanche Records
5 Grassmarket
avalancherecords.co.uk
Mon-Sat: 11.00-18.00, Sun: 12.00-18.00

Last week Avalanche Records announced that they will be closing their doors on 6th January next year. In a statement on the website’s blog, the store’s owner explained the reasons behind the closure;

“The biggest loss has been in selling local and Scottish bands. While our reputation has grown, our sales have plummeted.”

Avalanche has been seen as a platform for new Scottish music and unsigned talent but has been the subject of criticism. Perhaps a revised and revitalised shop would work for Avalanche in the future. In the meantime, there are hopes that Avalanche will return as an online presence and keep promoting Scottish talent.

Update: the shop remains open, you can check out an interview we did with store owner Kevin Buckle here.

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Nanu Maps: American Goodies

American Candy

This week, Nanu Nanu searches through Edinburgh to find the perfect Yankee-Doodle-Candy. Peanut butter M&Ms are elusive no more, Vanilla Coke is within our reach and delicious American goodies are no longer something of pure imagination. But the question remains…what does one do with marshmallow fluff? View Nanu Maps: American Goodies in a larger map For quality… Jenners Food Hall 48 Princes Street Along with other pricey luxuries, Jenners dedicates a whole freestanding shelf to real American goods. It’s a veritable feast for the eyes with everything from Ranch Sauce and Reese’s Puffs Cereal to Vanilla Coke and Sweet Corn ‘Cream Style’. Products are clearly handpicked for quality and being on the pricey side, would not find their way into many weekly shops. But for treats and gifts, Jenners is the place.   For quantity… Americandy Rose Street Jake and Elwood Blues greet you on arrival to Americandy where pretty much every sweet American thing you could imagine is inside. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing store, a couple of life-size Hollywood figures have been plonked in the middle and there’s a few lost looking claw cranes at the back, but it’s the candy we’re interested in. I wasn’t convinced when I first saw the shop, but this place does have everything. Even Twinkies. And if you decide you really like Vanilla Coke, there’s crates of the stuff ready to go! If you’re nearer Cameron Toll there’s also AmeriKandy. It’s the same as Americandy. But with a K.   For quite close to campus… Festival Stores 72 Grassmarket Festival Stores is just a humble grocery shop on the Grassmarket but unbeknownst to most it’s actually a supplier of Peanut Butter M&Ms and a whole load of other unheard of

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sweets. Tucked next to your Twirls and Twixs are Hershey Bars, Butterfingers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Baby Ruth bars. It’s close enough to campus so if you’re in needs of an extra special candy hit, head over to Festival Stores.