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Without gigs and festivals, itâs been a deathly quiet year â all the more reason to splurge on the music lovers close to you. Weâve rounded up 30 gift ideas, from turntables to biographies to electric guitars, to make the holidays really sing.
- READ MORE: The NME Christmas gift guide for gamers
Record players and accessories
Rega Planar 1
The British turntable brandâs entry-level model is the ideal way to get stuck into the wired world of audiophiles. The belt-drive record player ships with a factory-fitted Rega Carbon cartridge and a new RB110 tonearm all set up, so you can begin listening practically out of the box.
And in no small part due to Regaâs renown in the industry, we think the Planar 1 is a much more sensible and future-proof purchase than the all-in-one record players you see flooding the market these days.
Pioneer DJ PLX-1000 Turntable
Turntables for DJs are completely different beasts. They need to be more robust, have a high-torque direct-drive mechanism and finer speed controls for all that scratching and beat-matching. And this Pioneer DJ deck fits the bill for just under $700 â take note, however, that the set doesnât include a cartridge and stylus.
Way Basics Eco Stackable Storage Cube
As much as we love the IKEA EXPEDIT (RIP) and KALLAX to store our records, they arenât very flexible: your collection can easily outgrow those Swedish shelves. These eco-friendly organisers from Way Basics, however, are stackable, so you can just buy more cubes after a big crate-digging spree. They wonât even burn a hole in your pocket â each cubby is only about $30.
Karavella Vinyl Record Shelf Display
Or maybe youâre more of an exhibitionist. In which case, these handsome wall-mounted âfloatingâ shelves, made of solid pine, let you display your favourite records as artworks in your home. Six pieces are included in this package.
More turntables:
- Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC Turntable ($449)
- Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT-WH ($149)
- Music Hall MMF-1.3 ($274.96)
Speakers, headphones and home audio
Sonos One SL
Hereâs a compact, room-filling Bluetooth speaker thatâs more affordable than the wildly popular Sonos One (the SL doesnât come with voice assistant tech). And as a nice little feature, the Sonos One SL is humidity-resistant, so you can even use the wireless speaker in the bathroom.
Shure AONIC 50
These comfy, over-ear wireless headphones from one of the most prolific brands in the business pack adjustable noise-cancellation, 20 hours of battery life and, thanks to the in-built amplifier, some of the best sound quality for Bluetooth headphones around. The downside? Itâs not cheap.
Audioengine B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver
No, this isnât a wireless router but an audiophile-grade Bluetooth receiver. If youâve got a stereo system set up for vinyl records, cassettes and CDs but want to add a digital source, the Audioengine B1 is arguably the best in class. We wonât bore you with the technical details, but this little device comes with a 24-bit DAC and all the necessary codecs to stream high-definition audio. It even has an optical-out jack if your amplifier supports it.
More speakers and headphones:
- Bose QuietComfort 35II ($299)
- Beats Solo Pro ($229.95)
- Amazon Echo 4th Generation ($69.99)
Musical instruments
Fender Vintera â50s Telecaster
Introduced back in 2019, Fenderâs made-in-Mexico range of electric guitars have earned a reputation for being serious yet modestly priced professional-grade instruments. The â50s Telecaster retains vintage specs like a chunkier neck and rounder fretboard â which make the guitar more suitable for chord players â as well as bright, classic-voiced pickups.
Our sister site Guitar.com reviewed the â50s Vintera Telecaster, calling it a âno-nonsense vintage-style Telecaster with classy tones and a sumptuous neckâ.
Squier Affinity Stratocaster Bundle
For those only starting out on the instrument, though, this Squier bundle has almost everything you need: the iconic Stratocaster model, a tuner, a guitar strap, a bunch of picks and a free trial subscription to Fender Play, which is the brandâs online lessons platform. Donât expect stellar tones out of this, though â this is squarely a beginnerâs guitar, Squier being Fenderâs more affordable sibling brand.
Novation Launchpad X
Rather trigger samples than strum a six-string? Novationâs Launchpad X, launched earlier this year, is a slim 64-pad controller designed for Ableton Live. The pads are all RGB-lit, and velocity- and pressure-sensitive, and the Launchpad itself has a MIDI out, so you can hook it up to other hardware you might have.
Our sister site MusicTech reviewed the unit in February, saying, âIf youâre using Ableton Live, with its grid-based Session View, youâll definitely benefit from a controller that reflects the layout youâre seeing on your computer screen.â
More musical instruments:
- Yamaha Revstar RS320 Electric Guitar ($399.99)
- Taylor GS Mini Rosewood Acoustic Guitar ($549)
- Moog Subsequent 25 Analogue Synthesiser ($849)
Books
Future Sounds: The Story of Electronic Music from Stockhausen to Skrillex
This exhaustive thesis on electronic music, written by NME contributor David Stubbs, is a swerving, blindingly brilliant apology for the âgenreâ as a sign of the postmodern condition. The book charts the history of electronic music from the late-19th centuryâs mechanical experiments to the cut-and-sew musique concrĂšte of the mid-century all the way to todayâs party-starting DJs.
Listen to This
Alex Ross has been one of the music worldâs leading critics for well over two decades, applying his knowledge of classical music to talk passionately about the leading men and women of pop.
Listen to This collects Rossâ pieces for the New Yorker since his start at the magazine in 1996 â including an interview with Björk, a road trip to Beijingâs indie-rock underground and a visceral, personal portrait of Mozart that even pop junkies will find fascinating.
More music books:
- Skin: It Takes Blood and Guts ($23.93)
- Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary ($17.91)
- The Meaning of Mariah Carey ($13.07)
- K-punk: The Collected and Unpublished Writings of Mark Fisher (RIP) ($20.49)
Fashion and beauty
Fenty Beauty By Rihanna: A Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter
With festivals and gigs set to return in 2021, itâs never too early to start looking the part. Part of Rihannaâs celebrated Fenty Beauty brand, this dual highlighter uses a cream-to-powder formula that lets it stay on throughout the day.
It comes in two neutral shades: Mean Money, a soft champagne colour, and Hu$tla Baby, a pigmented peachy blush with a pearlescent shimmer. Housed in a sleek octagonal white casing, the highlighter doesnât just look great on any dresser â its compact size also makes it the ultimate stocking stuffer.
Dr. Martens Womens 1460W Originals Eight-Eye Lace-Up Boot
These boots were made for walking â and trudging through muddy festivals when they eventually return. Like the Docs that cemented itself in the Mod, grunge and punk sub-cultures, these leather boots in womenâs sizes bear all the trademarks of the originals: grooved sides, heel loop, yellow stitching and those famous air-cushioned soles.
BUY NOW: From $149.95 (Amazon US)
More fashion and beauty:
- Puma Defy Mid x Selena Gomez (From $79.67)
- Haus Laboratories By Lady Gaga: Le Riot Lip Gloss Set ($86)
- Ariana Grande R.E.M. Perfume Christmas Gift Set ($119.44)
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