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www.voxmagazine.com/stories/2005/06/16/apop-records/
By: Brandon Kruse
According to co-owner Tiffany Minx, “We just couldn’t come
up with anything better.” But there is more to the story behind APOP Records’
ambiguous name than she suggests. Although Minx and co-owner Dustin
Newman have only had their store for a year, the name was turning heads
long before APOP Records ever opened.
Prior to APOP’s 2003 birth, Newman was spinning vinyl and shredding up the airwaves on his show at KCOU
as a featured DJ. When the time came to name his show, Newman referred
back to his biology days as an employee at the Cancer Research Center
and a microbiology student. After sifting through loads of terms and
definitions, Apoptosis surfaced.
For
the bio-illiterate, apoptosis is a term used for the intentional
suicide of an unwanted cell in a multicellular organism. Kind of
depressing, isn’t it?
The
goal was to come up with a unique name that would mirror the blend of
hormone-driven teenage angst and indie rock obscurity. Under the name
Apoptosis, Newman began filling airwaves with blissful sounds including
new wave and French ye-ye.
After
graduating and fresh off his stint with KCOU, Newman and
partner-in-crime Minx decided to open up a record shop. When they
bought their Locust Street location, previously owned by a palm reader,
the signs pointed to one name.
But,
according to Minx, the name needed a quick tune-up. “If we cut
the name short, it’s simple and catchy,” Minx says. Acting
on Minx’s instinct, the name was shortened to APOP and the pair
opened up shop.
For
more than a year the duo has been providing Columbians with obscure and
often whimsical pop culture accouterment. Although the shop might be
tiny, what it lacks in size it makes up for in style. With its
chartreuse and magenta walls layered thick with paint and the nostalgic
perfume of vinyl hanging in the air, APOP has the flavor of a trendy
New York apartment.
The
most interesting thing APOP offers isn’t its rare vinyl pressings
or local zines. It’s not even its quirky collection of
hard-to-find cult movies. The most obscure thing this surreal outpost
has in stock is its name.
APOP's name might sound like it comes from pop music, but it's actually inspired by cellular suicide.
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