Hasta La Ideas

Secret 7″, the record fair that offers shoppers the chance to pick up a unique vinyl artwork by a world-famous artist at a bargain price – or just a nice looking sleeve by an as-yet-unknown designer – returns next month.

The event is similar to the RCA Secret Postcard Sale in its design, though for Secret 7″ artists are invited to contribute an artwork inspired by a song. Seven hundred one-of-a-kind record covers have been created for this year’s fair, by a mix of big names – Jake & Dinos Chapman, Antony Gormley, Sir Paul Smith, Jeremy Deller, Kate Moross, Fred Deakin and Dan Tobin Smith have all contributed works – and talented unknowns. Each of the records will go on sale for £45 on April 19, Record Store Day, though buyers won’t know who has designed the sleeve they’ve purchased, or even which song it is for, until they have coughed up the cash. All proceeds raised will go to the War Child charity.

The songs featured this year include: Black Sabbath, Age Of Reason; Elbow, Grounds For Divorce; Jake Bugg, Strange Creatures; Lorde, Team; Massive Attack, Karmacoma; Roxy Music, Virginia Plain; and T-Rex, Get It On. This is the third year that Secret 7″, which is organised by Universal Music, has taken place. All 700 covers this year will be displayed at Downstairs At Mother, Mother’s in-house gallery space, on April 12-13 for the public to peruse, before the sale on the 19th. The limited edition 7″ records have been pressed by The Vinyl Factory.

Shown below are a selection of the sleeves from this year’s Secret 7″, to view more visit secret-7.com.

To help promote this year’s event, artists Stanley Donwood, Pete Fowler, Alex Chinneck and Fred Butler discussed the project and the importance of visuals and design in music. See their opinions and ideas in the film below: