Culture

It's time for a new chapter: the Municipal Audio Room opened doors on 26th September

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The Municipal Vinyl Audio Room of Porto City Hall (Fonoteca Municipal de Vinil da Câmara do Porto- FMP) opened doors on 26th September, with a careful selection of 35 thousand vinyl records. 

It is true to say things have been polished and redefined and that as of last Saturday the public will have access to a large collection of phonograms in vinyl format, which was the result of two donations to the Municipal Sound Archive by Rádio Difusão Portuguesa and Rádio Renascença, back in 2008.

The opening day was celebrated with the visit by the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira and the Director for Cinema and Contemporary Art of Ágora, Guilherme Blanc, who were the first ones to meet and greet the team responsible for this sort of creative collaboration that is now established between the Fonoteca and all types of audiences - the aficionados, the curious, the nostalgic and the collectors.
All is in place at number 122 of Rua de Pinto Bessa (Armazém 12), near the Campanhã train station. 

Renato Cruz Santos, member of the Suave Geração, who has played in different settings and under diverse aliases - and Xico Ferrão - DJ with a thirty-old career and member of the collective "7 Magníficos", and also in-charge of the second-hand record store Muzak - presented a selection of records from the FMP's acquis, where a large part of Portuguese record production lies.

Take note: this facilities, which are part of the Plataforma Campanhã, in the Arda Complex, are a space devoted to appreciating music, audio-visual, sound and the music industry at large, featuring circa 35 thousand vinyl records, both national and international productions, which the public will have the possibility to explore.

There is an educational and promotion mission underlying the accomplishment of this project, as well, as it is open to all publics, through the production of podcasts, articles and visual displays on artists, themes and genres, among other, regarding the materials that are part of the acquis.

In the long-term, as soon as public health measures thus allow it, the FMP will offer activities programmes that intertwine the history of music with contemporary culture and will feature concerts with invited guests, weekly sessions to listen to records, school visits and artistic residencies.

During the pandemic and till further indications by the DGS, it is mandatory that visitors to the Fonoteca previously register for a visit or to query the archive; each session will last up to a maximum of one hour, one person per session. All visits will be accompanied by an archivist.

Schedule your visit via email fonoteca@cm-porto.pt or phone number 221 146 789.

Operating hours:

Fonoteca Municipal do Porto

Rua de Pinto Bessa, 122, Armazém 12, 4300-427 Porto

Tuesdays to Saturday, between 2pm and 7pm

Website - fonoteca.cm-porto.pt