“I thought it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard,” said the oil and gas engineer, 45.

Born and bred in Ipoh, Woo started out by collecting CDs during his teenage years, using most of his pocket money to buy one or two a week.

In the pre-internet days, he would rely on information from music fanzines put together by college students, particularly because he was drawn to underground rather than mainstream music.

It was not until he furthered his studies in the United Kingdom that he came across vinyl.

“I used to go to flea markets and car boot sales, and the records I saw there intrigued me. I bought them even though I didn’t have a turntable at the time; I just loved music so much,” he told FMT.

After returning to Malaysia, he continued buying more records, and it wasn’t until five years later in 2004 that he got a turntable, which he continues to use until today.

Woo has about 4,000 records which he sorts alphabetically by genre. “They’re probably the most organised section of my house,” he said, laughing.

He has a dedicated listening room that has been acoustically treated, as well as a turntable setup that is sonically breathtaking.

Explaining the uniqueness of vinyl, he pointed out: “With records, you can’t press ‘next’ to skip a song. There’s a flow or concept to an album. It was made to be listened to from start to finish.”

Woo also collects CDs so he can listen to them while he’s on the go, or when he is reading.

“CDs can sound very ‘clean’, which is not a bad thing, but some people prefer the crackles and pops you get from dirty records because of the nostalgia it evokes.”

Besides ordering vinyl online, Woo gets them from local record stores and fellow collectors.

And whenever he travels someplace new, the first thing he does is to go “crate digging”, a term used to describe the act of checking record stores, flea markets, or thrift stores for records.

“I miss that experience a lot,” he said, referring to the limits imposed by the pandemic. “It would allow me to make new, like-minded friends, and we would often end up talking about music.”

Occasionally, he’d find a record at a bargain price. “The joy you get from that is priceless! That said, there are also times when, even after digging for hours, you leave empty handed.”

History and injustice

Woo listens to a variety of genres, from classic rock, progressive rock and metal, to classical, jazz, ambient and electronic music.

He has also found that listening to compilations has allowed him to discover more artistes.

His record-collecting journey has made him conscious of injustices that take place around the world. And these days, he tends to buy albums from his preferred labels that “sign up artistes who share similar philosophies”.

One of his favourite records, for instance, is the jazz album “We Insist” by Max Roach.

“I’ve always liked the politics behind the music,” he said. “The album cover pays tribute to the Greensboro sit-ins, which was a series of non-violent protest against racial segregation in the United States in the 1960s.”

He also likes albums released by Blue Note and Black Jazz Records. The latter was founded by Gene Russell in the ’70s to promote young Black talents to empower that community.

“I’m particularly fond of their cover art,” Woo added, pointing out that the albums’ liner notes contain information about these historical events.

Asked about his favourite band, he said it is none other than Rage Against the Machine.

“They helped spark my interest in history and politics. They even have a list of recommended books in the liner notes of their sophomore album.”

And when it comes to punk rock, he prefers the Ramones over The Clash and the Sex Pistols.

“They’re fun, they don’t take themselves too seriously, and I love their hairstyles. I want to be a Ramone, too!” he joked.

As a bona-fide music lover, Woo loves artistes who push boundaries and aren’t afraid to experiment, as well as those who “don’t conform to what the mass market dictates”.

And although the internet has made it easier to listen to music, “it can also get overwhelming as there’s just too much information, and you only have so much time”, he said.

Ultimately, music is special to him because of the memories and emotions it evokes.

“Music is very powerful; it grips you and speaks to you. The feeling you get from listening to it is remarkable.”