Music shop and agency

Press, 30 June 1982, Page 17

Music shop and agency

A record and tape shop with a difference is now well established in Hornby, in the block of shops next to the Central Canterbury Power Board's building on the Main

South Road, just before the Mall. ■ Ganda's Record and Musical Centre, incorporating the Ishwar "G" disco and entertainment agency, was set up in October in shop three of the Branston Building. It carries a wide range of recorded music to cater for the musical preferences of young people, and also has stocks of musical accessories, some of the smaller instruments, first-stage learner books for various instruments. “T" shirts and badges. The shop is also able to supply electronic organs and electric guitars, drums and stereos, although these larger items are not carried in stock.

The partnership of brothers. Ishwar and Bharat Ganda. is told by recording company salesmen that the shop is “among the biggest in town” in terms of having.the top 50 singles and albums. Both tapes and records are classified as new wave, disco, rock n’ roll, country and western, jazz, easy -listening and classical.

Accessories include five different sorts of cassette holder and three different sorts of record holders, audio leads, head-phones, cassettes, anti-static disc pads and. tape and record cleaning gear.

For musical instruments themselves, there are such things as clarinet reeds, drum sticks and practice drum pads and — for guitar — tuners, picks, strings, bags and straps.

Small instruments include flutes, recorders, melodicas, harmonicas, shakers and small drums such as bongos and "tom boys." ■ There are learner books for the Hammond organ, for drums and for the cornet, recorder, flute, guitar and ukelele. There is a small selection of sheet music for piano, recorder and organ, and a larger selection of “pop” magazines, such as “Trouser Press." “Down Beat,” “Rolling Stones’- and the "New Musical j. Express" from Britain, and "Cream” from the United States.

One popular sideline is Casio calculator games, such as Boxing. Space Invaders, and “8" Attack, and the selection of small pocket and table radios also sells well. Another sideline is the showing of “pop'’ video films on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. ishwar’s shop is also an agency' for a group of people working in disco music. The range of entertainment is wide and the total “package” of music, rig and technician-

compere is hired for club social functions, charity "do s" and occasions such as Christmas, wedding, anniversary and 21st parties. z The shop is an agent for bands as well, and works in with a central city agency, when necessary, to' meet requests. Ishwar had his own band in the 19605, but moved into the disco field in 1969 when the Hornby rugby, league team won the championship and the league club wanted a band for social occasions. The Hornby venture led Ishwar to two’important contracts — with the Valley Inn and Checkers Night Club, which established the disco scene in Christchurch. Ishwar “G" is now running a disco as family entertainment in the dining room at the Hornby Trust Hotel on Thursday to Sunday nights inclusive, using both records and taped music. He says discos are in big demand, particularly for private parties, because they are cheaper to hire than bands and can provide much more variety.

Ishwar’s, group of disco comperes have their own “rigs,” each like a mobile, live radio station, with turntables. speakers, microphones. controls and a trailer — each rig being worth about $lO,OOO.

In spite of the size and value of the delicate equipment. it has been taken as far as Mount Somers. Ashburton and Timaru to the south and Cheviot, Culverden. Hanmer and Wellington to the north.