Active in Santiago de Chile’s underground music scene of the late '00s, Francisco Martinez saw a void within the community that desperately needed filling. Not only was there little in the way of essential audio equipment readily available, but the city lacked a simple accessible meeting place for artists, musicians, indie label heads, producers and DJs to gather and exchange ideas. Thus in 2009, Needle Vinilos was born. Inspired by the model cast by NYC’s Turntable Lab, Needle splits its wares between gear and music. The latter still remains a prized cultural commodity some 17 years removed from the rule of Chile’s brutal military dictatorship, when a once thriving national recording industry was decimated by censorship. In more recent years, labels like BYM – which recorded Martinez’s acclaimed psyche rock band Watchout! – have helped buoy a healthy local scene.
