Top Best Music Stores in the World (Part 4)

There are plenty of music shops in the world, but not all of them are unique, let alone the best... But the shops we are going to talk about today are truly beautiful and unique! They are scattered in different parts of the world, but they all have one thing in common: a rich and attractive assortment and a fascinating story that deserves to be told... So: these are the top of the most interesting and best music shops in the world!

"Tracks."

This cosy little shop is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at Pça Santos Dumont 140 Baixo Gavea, 22470060. The so-called "spiritual samba house" offers a huge variety of records! Upstairs is a vinyl corner that will make your heart flutter: with a carefully selected selection of classic Brazilian MPBs along with cheaper crates and a fair amount of 7 inches... Although the selection is modest, there is more than enough for those still discovering the scene! It's also a great place to get cheap original recordings of American funk, soul, jazz and everything in between. While the demand for Brazilian records in Rio has caused prices to skyrocket, Tracks is the most favourable place to buy records that you would have paid a lot of money for when you got home.

"Oye."

Within the walls of Oye Records, a shop based in Berlin, they stock a full range of dance music, from jazz and afro to house and techno (+ a fine selection of hip-hop and beats). Those new to the shop should also explore their excellent selection of reissues. Run by Delfonic, Berlin's hardest working DJ and head of Tinko Disco, Oye epitomises what any real music shop should be. At first it was a small basement space. Today, the shop takes centre stage in the city's new analogue house scene: a sort of community centre for aspiring producers!

"The Electric Fetus"

What it's all about. Electric Fetus, simultaneously voted "worst name for business" and "best place to shop in America" in its 48-year history, has seen it all. Electric Fetus has tapped into the spirit of the 60's and has amassed a huge cult following from that decade! The Electric Fetus, located at its current location (2000 4th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55404/12 E Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802) has been an old school record shop in the best sense of the word since the 70's: nearly 50,000 records to choose from!

"Discos Paradiso"

Co-owner Gerad Condemines worked at local shop La Ruta Natural while his fellow Catalan-born compatriot Arnau Farres sold flea market finds on Discogs. Their joint obsession with rarities led them to hunt for vinyl across Europe. Eventually they decided to put their efforts into a joint venture, opening Discos Paradiso in the Raval neighbourhood. Since its opening in the Raval district in April 2010, the shop has become the centre of Barcelona's dance and experimental scene: here you won't find randomly stacked or cheap records, only the best and latest in electronic music... The shop is bright, minimalist and easy to navigate, and its amazing sound system regularly provides visitors with concerts. If there is an electronic scene in Barcelona, its epicentre is undoubtedly the Discos Paradiso vinyl record shop...

"Flur Discos."

Here, in the picturesque neighbourhood of Lisbon, you are sure to find everything: "Flur Discos" includes records from genres such as pop, rock, noyz, electronica, jazz, drone, experimental, krautrock, house, techno, disco, boogie-woogie, italo, hip-hop, dub, reggae, funk, soul, dubstep, British funk, country, film music, African and Latin styles and much, much more! The shop was founded in 2001 by Pedro Santos and José Moura. According to the latter, Lisbon's scene is thriving and the shop plays an important role in presenting the huge number of releases from local labels. The city's electronic scene is particularly interesting, with a generation of musicians playing, sampling and interpreting old recordings from Portugal's former colonies...

"Euclid Records."

This shop, located in New Orleans, provides its customers with all genres: soul, jazz, easy listening, new age, world, rock, rap/hip-hop, reggae, gospel, country, bluegrass, folk, classical, etc... The selection is truly impressive! The policy of the shop managers is simple: "Euclid Records should resemble an old but comfortable shoe, but it shouldn't smell like an old shoe..." By the way: it is located at 3301 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70117.

"Honest Jon's Records"

Who would have thought it, but Honest Jon's Records used to be... a butcher shop! However, Honest Jon's Records had not lost its identity as a butcher shop for a long time, even when Jon Clare started selling jazz records here: meat hooks adorned the back room, the walls were bloody... For two years, a young customer who drove a meat truck came twice a week and paid for his entire record collection with raw meat: mostly beef.

In the 80's the shop moved to its current home in Portobello (278 Portobello Rd, London W10 5TE) where Clare also launched the Boplicity label with a mission to reissue jazz greats. As Honest Jon's Records expanded, it became an increasingly informal university for music lovers! In 1992, Clare handed the shop over to his employees Mark Ainley and Alan Scholefield, who expanded the range to include music from around the world. In creative partnership with local resident Damon Albarn, they also launched Honest Jon's label, which has released incredibly diverse and adventurous music over the last fifteen years.

"Casarão do Vinil"

Have you heard the story about Brazilian bus tycoon Zero Freitas, who bought millions of records in São Paulo? So, the owner of Casarão do Vinil, Jorge, sold the said character about 750,000 records and about 50,000 seven-inch records! Jorge has been buying large record collections since the early 2000s and selling them in various places around the Muca neighbourhood (São Paulo)... Officially opened to the public in 2014, Casarão do Vinil has become a place where you can get lost in records all day or even for a week! There's a mix of Brazilian music and jazz/rock/soul from all over the world... Each part of the building is divided by price: so, downstairs there's a batch of about 20 seven-inch boxes that often have great records below market value. There are also frequent sales here where, if you buy a certain number of records, you can also take home another record for free! In short - a sea of positive emotions is guaranteed!

"Afrosynth Records.

This cosy record shop will be a godsend for lovers of South African electronic music from the 1980s. Located in South Africa, as you can easily guess: 25 Albrecht Street, Maboneng / Jeppe, Johannesburg. For several years now, Afrosynth has been an important part of the country's musical image... Founded by DJ Okapi, a DJ, journalist and collector, Afrosynth started life as a blog, shining a light on the forgotten gems of South Africa's 80s pop, funk and soul. Okapi then decided to set up a real shop in the Maboneng area of downtown Johannesburg, next door to the Museum of African Design (MOAD). According to him, Afrosynth is now basically the only shop in the entire country specialising in African music! Along with a carefully selected selection of originals that you'd be hard pressed to find outside the country, Afrosynth also offers a good selection of reissues!

"Rush Hour."

And this Amsterdam music landmark was founded in the 90s. The impeccable and now expanded range covers the whole spectrum, in particular electronic 12" discs and records, but also funk, soul and jazz, old and new recordings from all over the world... Well: every city needs its own rush hour! And it seems that Amsterdam already has one....