SINGAPORE — Who says analogue is dead? If anything, the reliance on everything digital has generated a greater interest in the analogue lifestyle, as more people embrace decidedly traditional hobbies, such as calligraphy and jam-making.

So enters The Analog Vault, a new retail concept that offers a curated selection of books, magazines and vinyl records under one roof, which officially opened its doors yesterday.

Spearheaded by Eugene Ow Yong, who is also the co-founder of Vinylicious Records at Park Lane Shopping Mall, The Analog Vault aims to be the home of “an eclectic blend of culture and entertainment”; hence, its location at Esplanade Mall. Ow Yong explained that the space became available just as Vinylicious was thinking of expanding.

“We wanted another outlet, but we did not want to just go into a normal shopping mall. Esplanade approached us in July and we thought it’s a perfect location since it’s the home of the arts, performances and music,” he added.

Ow Yong took over the 300sqf space that used to sell leather goods and apparel, and transformed it into a cosy den where you can find a range of used, new and rare records across multiple genres, including jazz, classical and soundtracks; as well as rare test and demo pressings. Local music is also featured, with offerings from bands such as Cheating Sons, Shelves, Hanging Up The Moon and The Observatory.

But, Ow Yong wanted more than to stock records. To complete the analogue experience, he roped in book-seller and curator Sharon Seet of The Arkhivist and local independent magazine retailer Magpie Magazines.

“We want a balance of print and record so one side of the store is entirely devoted to print,” said Ow Yong.

The book section sees titles covering travel, music, art, design and culture. There are even limited-edition books such as And Justice For Art, a tome on heavy metal album covers (only 500 copies worldwide). Magazines stocked are not run-of-the-mill titles, but cult publications such as food and culture journal Fool and edgy current affairs magazine Future Perfect.

“We hope that The Analog Vault will eventually become a salon of sorts, where fellow music and printed-page enthusiasts can meet to exchange ideas, learn and educate each other,” said fellow curator Seet.

To that end, The Analog Vault will be holding intimate get-togethers for its customers such as a Whisky And Jazz session, which, as its name suggests, is where you can get to sample whiskies while listening to a repertoire of jazz records.

Books, records, indie magazines, the slow life ... someone just put Zooey Deschanel in The Analog Vault already.

The Analog Vault is located at 8 Raffles Avenue, #02-13, Esplanade Mall. Open from noon to 9pm daily.