Ride On Super Sound

Remember the days of sampling and buying music and books from a brick-and-mortar establishment? Flicking through rows of album covers and popping on headphones to preview a selection of CDs, or becoming so engrossed in a book that you accidentally read the whole thing before leaving the shop?

If you’re more about the kind of library that can’t fit in your pocket, Ride on Super Sound is a treasure trove of records, comics, zines waiting for you. Winding your way up to its location on the top floor of Smash Palace, once inside you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled across a passionate individual’s carefully curated collection of music and obscure reads. Which, in a way, you have. 

A pyramidal display sits in the middle of the room, mirroring the inwards-slanting timber-panelled ceiling that encases the space. Merch and framed posters hang above the record sleeves that line the walls, while the robo-vacuum cleaner bumping around the floor is a reminder that despite the cassette tapes this back-to-the-future setting is more future than past.

Ride on Super Sound is co-owned and operated by a group of volunteers who took it upon themselves to create more than just an independent record store. It’s a celebration of the local and international musicians, authors, and illustrators that fill their shelves, and an opportunity to support a local business that exists not for profits but solely to share their love of eclectic wares. Between the co-owners, there is an impressive skill set on offer from fixing lamps to lathe-cutting records, as well as an encyclopaedic knowledge of the music collection – you’d gladly hear an artist recommendation from these humans.

Take a step back, or in this case, a few flights of stairs up, to see what you can discover for yourself in the niche wonderland that is Ride on Super Sound.