Go vinyl: London's best record shops
We give you London's top list for where X possibly marks your musical spot.
There's something romantic about vinyl.
Of course, there are the arguments about the lively needle picking up every imperfection of each record pressing giving the plastic, analogue medium a soul and a 'warmth' which you just don't get on digital... but it extends to more than the product itself. The search for good vinyl is just as intoxicating.
Whenever you step into a record shop you always feel like you're on the verge of finding a hidden treasure. Racks are crammed with anything and everything. Dusty, unsorted cardboard boxes spill out onto the floor. You are Indie- or bluegrass or rockabilly-ana Jones and you've got sweet-sounding treasure to find.
We give you London's top list for where X possibly marks your musical spot.
Phonica
51 Poland Street W1F 7LZ
Records, Discs & Vinyl
Opening Times
Phonica in Soho makes being one of the best record stores in London for electronic music its business. That means house, electro, drum n bass, dubstep and all sorts of bootlegs. Mostly new vinyl, it also stocks a selection of CDs.
Kristina Records
194 Well Street E9 6QT
Records, Discs & Vinyl
Opening Times
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Dalston has its fair share of hip shops and bars and Kristina can now count itself among them. The stylish interior is a match for the carefully selected edit of vinyl. Don’t expect the record shop classics, instead you’re more likely to find obscure artists in genres from hardcore to rockabilly.
Honest John’s on Portobello Road has been a fixture for well over a decade making it an intrinsic part of the area’s rich musical history. Big for electronic music, reggae and world music, it is a classic cultural landmark.
Sounds of the Universe can be found on Broadwick Street dishing out new reissues of classics and compilations. The shop is an affiliate of the label Soul Jazz Records so if its obscure Krautrock, grime or Brazilian Tropicalia you want then you’ll find the compilations here.
Rough Trade
Dray Walk E1 6QL
Records, Discs & Vinyl
Opening Times
With one store in the West on Talbot Road and another in the east just off Brick Lane, both sides of London can sink their teeth into the excellent array of new vinyl at Rough Trade. The famous label’s stores are big and welcoming, stocking a range of genres to suit any taste.
At Flashback Records on Essex Road you’ll find a top deck that incorporates new and secondhand CDs and DVDs along with bargain bins where the store’s unwanted vinyl goes to die. In the basement the baton is handed to vinyl and you’ll find anything from secondhand reggae to brand new electronica. An excellent record shop.
Sister Ray
34-35 Berwick Street W1F 8RP
Records, Discs & Vinyl
Opening Times
With one store in the West on Golborne Road and another in the east on Brick Lane, both sides of London can sink their teeth into the excellent array of new vinyl at Rough Trade. The famous label’s stores are big and welcoming, stocking a range of genres to suit any taste.
On The Beat
22 Hanway Street W1T 1UQ
Records, Discs & Vinyl
Opening Times
If you have never been down Hanway Street, you must go. Stop for a drink in Bradley’s Spanish Bar then move onto On the Beat where all your secondhand vinyl desires will be met. Modest prices and well stocked with gems of all genres – shops like this should have protected status.
