In the spin and swing of a vinyl revival

Instead the 100-square-meter shop prides itself on being an independent distributor of vinyl records and other musical recordings.

In the basement Yang greets his fans, who have already bought the new album, either as vinyls or cassettes.

"I am impressed by the cover design of the new album," says a round-faced young man with black-framed glasses. "It's usually the first reason for me to buy an album."

The experimental cover design of P.K 14's latest album is a departure from its previous use of paintings or photographs and was completed by the band's drummer, Jonathan Leijonhufvud, along with two other designers and YVMIN Studio, a Beijing outfit that handled the 3D visual aspects. Playing with the illusion and contrast of true and false, the cover is a 3D rendering layered on top of an image. The two overlap, adding dynamism to the experiment, reflecting the way the band's 11 new songs are structured.

On the importance of record covers, Yang sees eye to eye with his fan.

"I buy a lot of albums, and it is the design of the covers that catches my eye first," Yang tells the fan. "Apart from the quality of the sound on the record, these things are pieces of art."

In the two-hour meeting, they listen to the new vinyl and talk about their affection for physical records.