Currently celebrating its 10th birthday, Phlexx Records has made its name as one of Notts’ most successful labels, since its founding in 2013 by local names Trekkah Benjamin and Bru-C. With the recent set-up of their new record store, adjoining coffee shop, and barber shop on Weekday Cross, we caught up with Trekkah to reminisce on the history of Phlexx and their ambitions to move ever up and onwards.
By the start of the 2010s the humble local record store, once a mainstay of any high street throughout the UK, had all but vanished. The rise of streaming and internet commerce saw the great stores of Nottingham's city centre slowly but surely consigned to history. Selectadisc on Market Street, Way Ahead on St James's Street, Arcade Records on Chapel Bar and Funky Monkey on Goose Gate, to name a few, are all gone.
However, this is not where the story ends. A renaissance is upon us; with the unforeseen resurgence of vinyl, and to a lesser extent audio tape, the record store is once again thriving in Nottingham and throughout the UK. This is where Phlexx Records make their entrance.
Phlexx was formed in 2013 by producer Trekkah Benjamin and rapper Bru-C as an outlet for their project, The Afterdark Movement. The company went on to organise events at The Maze, Nottingham Contemporary, and Bar 11, as well as DJ sets for Mimm Radio and poetry slams at Suede bar, while curating festival stages for Dot2Dot, Broadfest and Hockley Hustle. This is not even to mention the 60+ releases on the Phlexx label, from artists as diverse as Bru-C, Soft Girls and Boys Club, Nactus Kunan and Marco Woolf.
The past decade has been a heck of a busy one for Phlexx, and they show no sign of slowing down. I paid a visit to their shiny new record store/cafe/performance hub at 6 Weekday Cross, to chat with founder Trekkah Benjamin about the past, present and future of Phlexx Records.
“We started out as Phlexx Promotions, which was a way to put on our own shows. We put on our first event at the Maze, spread over three floors featuring well over ten acts including acoustic artists, DJs and bands. That first event was a sell out!”
These Maze events carried on for a good while, showcasing local acts and drawing in large crowds of eager music fans. From here the record label was born. “If you look at those early Phlexx Records releases, it was just our own music. Bru-C's Kame-Hame-Ha EP, then my first EP as a producer, then another one from Bru-C, and that's how it all started.”
Phlexx celebrated their 10th birthday in October 2023 at Hockley Hustle, which included an evening of electronic music at the Broadway, featuring music from Thomas the Dance Engine, Soul Buggin', Aicha Honeydips, T.O.N.E.S and Trekkah, to name but a few. Stages at Mimm Studios and Metronome featured DJs, poets, graffiti artists, the whole shebang!
“Phlexx has been quite flexible,” explains Trekkah. “We've run poetry events called Spraybox in collaboration with GOBS Collective. We've done acoustic stuff called Folk it Up, we've done stuff with Mimm, we’ve worked with the Angel to revive the Chapel, doing the whole new install there. We're ten years old now and we're looking around saying ‘right what's next?!’”
Any local artists that want to bring in CDs, vinyl or merch, we're encouraging the selling of their work. So for artists that want a Phlexxabition, we can put on an exhibition here, do a launch event, and keep your work up for a couple of weeks
Well, what's next is the brand new record store/cafe/barber shop situated on Weekday Cross, a cosy place to hang out, drink coffee and listen to tunes. The cafe has decks set up, giving anyone a chance to preview some of the vinyl which is on sale (as long as it's open of course). The store has a great variety of vinyl, from hip hop and R&B to electronic, jazz, and the best new music from local artists.
It is all quite the family affair, as Trekkah explains. “My nana used to work at Decca Records, doing the admin and my father was the manager of Virgin Megastore Nottingham for 25 years, and now he sells records on Discogs. So record selling has been in the family for a long time. My brother also owns the Cubed barber shop, which has the coffee shop (a 200 Degrees franchise). It made sense to move the record store into the space available. Vinyl sales have had their biggest spell in four decades, so I think the shop was a way to mature the label. We will still be doing some events, but I can't really carry on staying up till 4am every week! This gives the label another face, moves us forward and allows us to mature.”
Phlexx Records has always been a destination for music-lovers to visit, listen and discuss. “My dad used to work at Revolver Records, and I remember Selectadisc and Funky Monkey: that's where I would go when I was young. You would hang out and speak about music, discover new music, and I thought that was really cool. I want Phlexx to be a destination where people can come and do live sets. We're going to have events where people can bring their own vinyl and we'll stream it, all just for fun and to share music.”
The Phlexx Record Label, where an eclectic mix of local artists have found a home and an outlet for their creativity, is still going from strength to strength. Whether it be the jazzy bossa nova of The Jazz Bastrds, the afrobeat of Megs or the alt-folk of Benjamin Zięć & the Rarebreeds, Phlexx continues to champion the burgeoning Nottingham music scene. “We've got a Notts Property rack, which is all local music with a couple of Phlexx pressings in there. Any local artists that want to bring in CDs, vinyl or merch, we're encouraging the selling of their work. So for artists that want a Phlexxabition, we can put on an exhibition here, do a launch event, and keep your work up for a couple of weeks.”
One decade in, Phlexx Records continues to be a leading light on Nottingham music and culture. Trekkah and the team at Phlexx work tirelessly to champion local culture, and long may they do so.
A big thanks to Trekkah for taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule to sit down for a brew and chat.
You can head down for a brew, a tune or a new do at the Phlexx Records/Cubed Barber Shop, at 6 Weekday Cross.
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