Local Collector Spotlight: Annelise Kopp
- July 19, 2022 -
We’re kicking off our vinyl collector series with a local music lover who’s spun records at Citizen Vinyl and across town. Annelise Kopp, who also goes by DJ Lil Meow Meow, manages and does marketing for Harvest Records in West Asheville. She started collecting at an early age — we applaud excellent parenting for that — and has dedicated much of her work to exploring music and sharing her finds with the community.
What got you started collecting records?
For my 13th birthday, my parents got me my first turntable and bookshelf speakers (for those considering vintage–I use this same set today in my room and it works great). My dad had been amassing records since he was a teen, and there were always loads of records around the house. As a teenager, my friends and I would go to Harvest Records. We attended lots of shows they put on in the shop and at The Grey Eagle. Having a home life and social life that orbited around music, it was only natural that my collection started to grow.
What’s one of the first records in your collection? Where did it come from?
Some of my very first records were early REM records, from the IRS years. I’m named after REM’s track, “Time After Time (Annelise),” off of their 1984 album “Reckoning,” and my parents gifted me this and their first album early on. Being from Georgia, I’ve always mysticized the 80s Athens scene. Having REM as a namesake only helps.
What genre is most represented in your collection?
I have more hip-hop and contemporary R&B records than any other genre, followed by electronic, then soul/disco/funk, then rock and the rest. I keep my 12” singles separate, but including those would only put hip-hop further in the lead.
What’s the weirdest record you own?
This is a tough question for someone with a lot of “weird” records. I’ll put it this way: I’ve had house guests thumb through my records looking for something to put on, and even with hundreds of records to choose from, they sometimes come up bewildered and empty-handed. I guess I wasn’t thinking of dinner parties when I bought multiple albums by Helena Hauff, Khia, Ulver and Playboi Carti.
Which record means the most to you, and what’s the significance?
I’m pretty sentimental when it comes to my records, and I especially treasure the ones that have been gifts. I tend to remember who gave me what and hold some memory in association. Growing up, “Writings on the Wall” by Destiny’s Child was a huge favorite. One day, around 2010, I came home to an original copy laying on my bed. I was ecstatic and wanted to know who to thank. I asked my boyfriend at the time, my brother who always gives me the most thoughtful albums, and both sets of my parents. Everyone seemed sincerely confused. It’s not my rarest record, and I still don’t know who it’s from, but I really love it.
What’s the most embarrassing record in your collection? *embarrassing, is up for interpretation
A major life philosophy for me is not believing in this type of embarrassment. If I did, it’d be a lot less fun to own a 12” single of “Butterfly,” by Crazy Town. Alternate answer: any record I bought and is still sealed.
How do you organize your records? Alphabetically, by color, date… or utter chaos?
My records are organized by genre (jazz, soul/disco, electronic, hip hop & contemporary R&B, compilations, etc.) and then by artist’s last name. This is definitely informed by frequenting record stores, working at Harvest Records for five years, and having enough LPs that I simply wouldn’t know where anything was without a method of organization. The one major caveat to all of this — because I DJ with my records, I’m constantly pulling them from their places. They often end up strewn about the house and leaned up against walls, chairs and tables in more rooms than I’d like to admit. Major props to my supportive and understanding partner, who still feigns enthusiasm when I show up at home with another.
What record do you put on when you’ve had a rough week and you just want to kick back and feel good?
Prefab Sprout “Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good” (need a little sparkle)
Bryson Tiller “Trapsoul” (need to just vibe and relax)
Brenton Wood “Oogum Boogum” (need a real pick me up)
Hiroshi Yoshimora “Green” (need an actual brain massage)
What record have you played the most?
The bootleg copy of “The Life of Pablo” that my brother gave me for my birthday in 2016 has probably received some of the heaviest play in the past decade. Of all time? I can never get enough of Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak”, Pink Floyd’s “Animals”, Wire’s “Pink Flag”, and Fugazi’s “Repeater.”
What record did you buy most recently?
Today, I left Harvest with Unité Africane by T.P Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo (funk/afrobeat gem from 1977 Benin, featuring two 15+ minute tracks that could honestly be longer and still amazing) and Fabric Presents: SHERELLE (an arresting, near-heart-attack mix by British electronic/jungle wizard Sherelle). They’re both so good!
Thanks for sharing your collection with us, Annelise!
To catch one of Annelise’s upcoming DJ sets, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @djlilmeowmeow.
