Vinyl Records – Latitude Post

CRATE DIGGING IN MOROCCO: On The Hunt For Vintage Moroccan Vinyl Records

Posted on February 8, 2024February 8, 2024 by Nicholas Peart

My time spent in Morocco during the months of November and December last year proved to be quite fruitful overall in my search for old vinyl records in this country. This was my sixth trip to Morocco. I have travelled extensively across the country in the past yet I knew very little about the country’s music and musical history.

In the months before I embarked on this trip I tried to look for old Moroccan music on the internet and even created a YouTube playlist of old Moroccan songs I discovered and found interesting. Via the online vinyl records database site Discogs, I also stumbled upon an interesting and esoteric compilation entitled Kassidat: Raw 45s From Morocco released in 2013 on a small label called Parlortone. I loved the songs on that compilation and began to find out more information on the old major Moroccan record labels such as Boussiphone, Casaphone, Koutoubiaphone, etc, and all the many releases on those kinds of labels. I also discovered some very helpful blog posts written a number of years before my trip by travellers who documented their digging adventures and stories across the country. These blog posts were very helpful and gave me in advance a taste of some of the music and artists to look out for, including some unique Moroccan singers and musicians.

My Moroccan crate digging (mis)adventures begin in the old walled medina of the imperial city of Fez. The medina is a veritable never ending labyrinth of narrow and winding passages. It is an awesome and fascinating place yet it’s equally at times an overwhelming, high pressure and high octane experience. Some of the souk sellers are hardcore in their persistence of persuading you to buy stuff from their shops even if you only project a mild glance.

Deep in the medina I find a small bric-a-brac type shop selling miscellaneous junk shop bits. In the corner of the shop, I spot a small pile of 7 inch records (or 7s as I like to refer to them). The records look exactly like the kind of discs I am looking for and superficially tick all the boxes. Alas, on closer inspection some of the records are in very poor condition. I discover cracks and heavy scratches on the surface of some of the records. Also, I notice that many of the records are not in their correct sleeves. I have no intention of buying any of these records even though the shop owner is insistent on giving me a ‘good price’. I reply with a calm but firm ‘La shukran’ and continue down the endless maze of the medina.

The medina of Fez

In a quiet and more sedate part of the medina, I find a nondescript hole-in-the-wall cafe where I pause for a strong pot of pick-me-up the a la menthe with enough sugar to give me some serious dental decay. If I were a careers advisor in Morocco, I would recommend a career in dentistry as you will always find work! But I digress. This is just what I need right now at this moment in time. This brew sustains me in this can’t-stand-the-heat kitchen of Fez’s medina.

On the way back to my riad accommodation, I stumbled upon a small and cosy antiques shop exuding a laid back old bohemian vibe. An old John Lee Hooker song hums from the back of the shop. Situated amongst the pillars and stacks of trinkets smoking on a pipe is the shop’s owner, Omar, who could be a throwback from 1950s Tangier when the city’s residents included the Beat writers William S Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Omar is a dude and refreshingly bereft of the characteristics of many of the grade A hustlers in the medina. In his humble little emporium he has a sizable pile of vintage Moroccan 7 inch records unstably resting upon each other like jagged mini Babel towers. Next to the 7s is a stack of dusty LPs, but it is the 7s that interest me. A lot of the records are in tired condition, but there are a number of records that are not too bad and with some thorough cleaning I could probably restore them to a much better condition. My fundamental rule here is to avoid the records that are severely trashed – regardless of how rare they may be. Any records that are cracked or heavily scratched are a no-no for me. Omar has the records I am looking for. On my initial visit to his shop I purchase two old Moroccan 7s that look interesting and are in good condition. The first record is on the Koutoubiaphone label by Rais Hmad Amentag, a traditional Berber singer and musician. And the other 7 is on the Atlassiphone label by Chaab Mohamad Hilali. I have no idea who either of them are but they look intriguing. Omar wants 40 Dirhams for each record, but we agree on 50 for the two.

For the remainder of my stay in Fez, I make a few more visits to Omar’s shop where I purchase more records. I would say that in total I purchased 10 records from him. I found some crackers in his shop including a couple of 7s on the Boussiphone label by Mohamed El Aroussi, who is a jbala style composer and singer from the Taounata Province, as well as a rare 7 by Albert Suissa, a Moroccan Jewish musician from Casablanca. The Suissa 7 was released on the label, Editions N. Sabbah, which was an old label from Casablanca dating back to the 1950s that released many records by Moroccan Jewish musicians. I know very little about the music of Jewish Morocco, but it was thanks to a blogger called Chris Silver and his excellent and revelatory post, Record Digging, Cassette Collecting and Musical Memory In Jewish Morocco, published in 2012, that I was able to learn a bit about it and it was through this post that I first became aware of Albert Suissa and other notable Moroccan Jewish musicians and singers.

Most people who come to Fez will visit the famous medina, but very few venture to the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter of Fez. Morocco used to have a large Jewish community. Before the state of Israel was established in 1948, around 265,000 Jews lived in Morocco making it the country with the biggest Jewish population in the Muslim world. By 2017, that number had been significantly reduced to only a couple of thousand. When Morocco had a sizable Jewish population, the mellahs in the large cities were thriving. Sadly, as the Jewish population diminished over the years, the mellahs fell into a state of neglect. But the mellah of Fez is not a sleepy part of the city. There are some amazing old buildings, albeit in a crumbling and worn state.

The mellah of Fez

There is an energy here, but thankfully it isn’t of the intense and high stress variety that one finds in the medina. Here nobody bothers you or tries to sell you anything. My random mellah wonderings lead me to a small block of antique shops. The first of these shops that I visit has a small pile of vinyl LPs on the floor near the entrance. I have a hurried flick through them. Sadly none of the LPs are of much interest to me and are mostly European landfill records from the 1970s and 1980s. However, in the next shop I visit I spot a stack of vintage Moroccan 7s on a table at the back. They look promising and I dig out two 7s including a rare 7 by Fatima Zehafa, an old aita singer from the town of Settat, on the Ifriquiaphone label. The shop owner wanted 100 Dirhams for both 7s, but we eventually agreed on 60.

Fez crate digging fruits

From Fez, I take the train to the nearby city of Meknes, only an hour away. I stay at the faded French colonial style Hotel Majestic in the pleasant and rather modern nouvelle ville. In the morning of my second day in Meknes, I have breakfast and then take a petit-taxi to the old walled medina part of the city. The medina of Meknes is big with lots of souks, but it is free of the almost constant hassle of the medina of Fez. Walking deeper into the heart of the medina I soon enter a marche brocante area with lots of stalls selling antiques and other miscellaneous items. One stall displaying a dazzling kaleidoscope-like array of old trinkets and bits catches my eye. The elderly owner has a modest stash of old dusty 7s that I dig through. Unfortunately, many of the records are in a sorry state and when I do find a record in reasonable condition it is not in its correct sleeve.

The medina of Meknes

Meknes doesn’t yield much in my digging searches. Fortunately, I have more luck in Rabat, the capital of Morocco and the next city I visit. In the eastern part of the medina of Rabat towards the end of Rue Souika is the old market of Rabat. Here I discover a number of antique and bric-a-brac shops. The first one I visit is run by a bona fide curmudgeon. He brings over a pile of old 7s. It is not a bad stack at all. It’s a mix of vintage Moroccan records with a smattering of records from Egypt and Lebanon. I pick out a nice looking 7 by the Lebanese singer Fairuz. It is however not a Lebanese pressing but a French pressing. The owner wants 100 Dirhams for the record. When I offer 30 for it, the owner snatches the Fairuz record from my hand and slams it down on a nearby table. I never witnessed Omar behaving like this, but to be honest Omar was likely so stoned most of the time that losing his temper must have been too much effort. Omar is a cool dude. This guy, on the other hand, has some serious unchecked aggression. I think about duly getting the fuck out of his shop. But in no time the shop owner cools down, relaxes his composure and points me to a small tray of records on the ground. On first impressions the records don’t excite me, but the owner tells me that they are 25 Dirhams each. Most of the records in the tray are charity shop 70s Euro Pop fodder destined for the bonfire. I do however get lucky and unearth a vintage Moroccan 7 on the Casaphone label in great condition and an immaculate old Egyptian 7 on the Sono Cairo label in its original company sleeve. 25 Dirhams for each of those records is an excellent price and I don’t even haggle with the owner.

The medina of Rabat

I visit a couple more shops in the old market. Both shops have records, but I don’t find any that interest me. The next day, I return to the old market of Rabat and randomly check out a small bookshop. I ask the owner whether he has any records? ‘Arabic?’ he replies. I nod my head and he brings over a modest stack of 7s in varying degrees of condition. I select six of the better records from the pile. The ones I pick are all in playable condition with their original picture sleeves. Initially, the owner asks for 300 Dirhams for the records. I put my hustle muscle to work and we eventually agree on 130 Dirhams. These finds include a record by the Egyptian musician Abdel Halim Hafez on the Lebanese Voix Du Liban label as well as a record by the Moroccan singer Fathallah Lamghari on the Ifriquiaphone label and another record by an old Moroccan singer and songwriter called Brahim El Alami on the Koutoubiaphone label.

From Rabat I continue on the train along the Atlantic coast to nearby Casablanca. Casablanca is huge and a grittier city than Rabat. In contrast to Casablanca, I found Rabat a more relaxed and accessible city. Fortunately, Casablanca has a modern tram system and I am able to reach my hotel without too much bother from Casa Voyageurs train station. From reading the aforementioned Record Digging, Cassette Collecting and Musical Memory In Jewish Morocco blog post by Chris Silver, I learn about two record shops located in Casablanca, which I am excited to visit. The first record shop, Le Comptoir Marocain de Distribution de Disques, looks encouraging. It is located only a few streets away from the Hotel Astrid where I am staying. When I finally reach the shop it looks permanently defunct. I later learn the sad news from the owner of a nearby shop that the shop closed down during the COVID pandemic. And much to my dismay again, the second record shop, Disques Gam, also appears to have ceased trading.

Downtown Casablanca

Casablanca is a spicy city. It is the commerce capital of Morocco and for that reason it is not so reliant on tourism like Marrakech is, for example. I love exploring the streets of Casablanca. There are some amazing old faded French colonial era buildings in the centre of the city. When I walk along the streets close to my hotel I feel as if I could be in Marsaille or the Riquier district of Nice. Yet on the fringes of the city’s enormous old medina I know very well that I am in Africa. The old medina surprisingly disappoints in my search for old records. Casablanca hasn’t delivered the goods. However, one day when I am walking along one of the Parisian style arcade streets close to the Place Mohammed V, I spot a stall selling old records. There is a large pile of LPs on the round along with a few 7s. Most of the LPs are no great shakes, but I do find an original UK edition of the second album by Terry Reid – an English musician from the 1960s-70s, also known for turning down an offer by Jimmy Page to be the singer for his new band Led Zeppelin. The vinyl is in respectable condition, but the sleeve is completely destroyed. The 7s are a different story. I find three 7s that interest me. One of the 7s is a rare Algerian pressing. Sadly, on closer inspection of the vinyl I detect a crack on the surface of the vinyl and end up passing on it. The second record is by an old Moroccan Jewish musician called Haim Botbol released on the Boussiphone label. I later discover that the Botbol record is also quite rare. The third record is by an old Berber musician on the La Voix Du Maghreb label. The record seller is very pleasant and is happy to accept 60 Dirhams for both the Botbol record and the record released on the La Voix Du Maghreb label.

Place Mohammed V in Casablanca

On my penultimate day in Casablanca I visit the Derb Ghallef market en route to the Museum Of Moroccan Judaism. Derb Ghallef is raw. Located south of the centre of the city, it isn’t for the faint of heart but I recommend a visit for those who want to experience a taste of rough and tumble Casablanca. The markets sells lots of electronic goods as well as furniture and building parts. When I visit I find a couple of antique shops, but alas no luck in finding any old Moroccan records.

From Casablanca, I take the train further south down to Marrakech. Marrakech, one would think, with its abundance of souks in the old medina would be a mecca for crate diggers. Unfortunately, during my stay here this has not proven to be the case at all. That is not to say that there is an absence of places to find records. There are, but I encounter hurdles. The first shop I visit, close to the large Jemaa El Fna square in the medina of Marrakech, sells an assortment of traditional musical instruments. When I discover a small stash of 7s, I have a brisk plough through them and select a few that interest me. The young owner of the shop is a stubborn and temperamental sod and refuses to accept less than 100 Dirhams a record. This is madness as the records are not uber rare and I personally wouldn’t pay more than 30 Dirhams for each one.

The Jemaa El Fna in Marrakech

At another shop I visit in the medina, I ask the owner whether he has any magic Moroccan 7s? He tells me that there is a record shop only a few shops away and that he will take me there. We end up walking for close to ten minutes and, being rather asleep at the wheel here, it dawns on me that I will have to give this guy some form of baksheesh. When we arrive at the record shop he becomes grumpy and predictably demands payment. I hand him a few coins and thankfully he leaves. I have to admit I am underwhelmed by this record shop. Many of the records are in an irrevocably fucked state. He has an original LP by the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. Both sides of the vinyl look like the surface of the moon. The owner wants 300 Dirhams for the record, which is a preposterous price. When I put the vinyl on the shop’s record player, it skips all over the place and fails to play properly. The owner remarks that the reason for this is nothing to do with the fact that the record is totally mutilated, but rather because ‘the record player is no good’. After this incident, I come to the conclusion that the main Marrakech medina around the Jemaa El Fna square is not the place for crate digging. And this suits me fine as I find the whole experience of being in this place for too long like being in a medieval free-for-all open prison. I can’t breathe.

But I don’t give up entirely on Marrakech. At a small shop by a rank of grand taxis outside of the medina, the kind owner recommended that I visit a market on the northern outskirts of the medina called Souk El Khemis. A small local bus departing from close to the Jemaa El Fna takes me to this part of the old town in around 20 minutes. The market here is different to the souks around the Jemaa El Fna. Here, there are no other tourists and nobody bothers me. The souks here sell mostly household goods. There is a souk selling large ornate old wooden doors. Another souk sells bed frames and mattresses and others sell mechanical parts and a variety of secondhand home products. The bit of the market that interests me is the souk full of bric-a-brac shops. The first of these shops I enter sells lots of old books and miscellaneous antiques. In the back corner of the shop I find a cardboard box containing a stack of LPs. Most of the LPs are not what I am looking for and I sadly don’t find any old Moroccan LPs. However, I do unearth an original LP from the 70s on the EMI Egypt label by the Egyptian singer and composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab. The sleeve is slightly worn around the edges, but the vinyl is in stunningly pristine condition. I can’t detect a single blemish on either side of the record. What’s more, the owner lets me have the record for only 50 Dirhams. In an adjacent shop I found a 7 in respectable condition with its original picture sleeve by the Syrian-Egyptian singer Farid Al-Atrash released on the Moroccan Casaphone label. The pleasant and easy going owner is happy to accept 30 Dirhams for it.

From El Khemis, I walk a few kilometres on the road leading to Bab Doukkala at the edge of the medina. There are lots of informal sellers selling all kinds of random items and bits of junk. At one point I see a landslide of miscellaneous crap strewn across the side of the road – like a kind of odd homage to Kurt Schwitters.

Outskirts of the medina of Marrakech

After Marrakech, my Moroccan travels take me to Essaouira, Agadir, Tiznit, Sidi Ifni and Taroudant. I find a few more vinyl bits in these places, but all in all I would say that the cities of Fez and Rabat have been the most rewarding for digging. In the attractive coastal town of Essaouira, I visited a shop close to the main square that appeared to be owned by an elderly French chap. The shop sold many old books and a few racks of old records. He had a fantastic collection of old Moroccan records – one of the best I’ve seen on this trip. Unfortunately, as wonderful as the records were, I found the prices a bit too high for my liking.

I find a smattering of old Moroccan records in the souks of the medinas of Taroudant and Tiznit. In the coastal city of Agadir, I visited the Souk El Had – one of the largest souks in Morocco. Sadly, records are quite thin on the ground here, but I do find a small shop with a modest collection of 7s. From this pile I dug out two interesting old Moroccan records on the Casaphone label. I managed to get them both for 50 Dirhams. The record digging highlight of Agadir for me though is a cool little record shop located not too far away from the market called Records Zaman run by a pleasant young man called Amine. It was founded back in 1967. The shop may be small, but there are quite a number of records to dig through. There are a few rare original Moroccan LPs on the display racks on the walls, but alas they are out of my price range. I dig through a crate of LPs that are mainly western Rock and Pop albums. The crate that does interest me contains a couple of rows of old Moroccan 7s. Whilst digging through them I pull out an old record on the Editions N. Sabbah label by the Jewish Moroccan singer Feliz El Maghrebi. Save for a slight edge warp, the record and picture sleeve are in near perfect condition and Amine lets me have it for a good price. I must have spent a good hour chatting with Amine. He is great company. His English is very good and he shows me his own personal collection of LPs containing some very rare and obscure records across the Arabic world. Amine has a deep love of music and I feel that with him at the helm, Records Zaman will become an increasingly popular record shop to visit. I wish him all the best.

Text and photos by Nicholas Peart

8th February 2024

LINKS/FURTHER READING:

https://jewishmorocco.blogspot.com/2012/11/record-digging-cassette-collecting-and.html

https://terminal313.net/2016/04/feature-dusty-vinyl-from-rabat.html

CRATE DIGGING IN LONDON: The Best Places In The City To Look For Vinyl Records

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Nicholas Peart

In this article I am listing some of the best places I have visited in London to crate dig for vinyl records. Here I will be focusing on old original records. In this case, that would be records mostly from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s spanning all music genres across the globe. I am not so much interested in new releases or Record Store Day releases, etc. The places I am listing below tick the following boxes. Firstly, they offer ample opportunities for digging. Secondly, they sell many old original records. And thirdly, their prices are reasonable and the records are graded conservatively.

Flashback Records

Right now, I would argue that the Flashback Records chain of record shops is the best place to dig for records in London. Flashback originally began its life as a single record shop on Essex Road in Islington back in 1997 before expanding and opening two more record shops under the Flashback name in Shoreditch and Crouch End. It has all the ingredients of what a good record shop should be. The shops have a huge selection of old original secondhand records (as well as many new records) across the main music genres. Their prices are very competitive and with the great number of records in their shops and the very reasonable prices, bargains can be found. The shops are all well run and orderly. It is an accessible place and the staff are friendly and helpful. There are no snobby or rude staff at the till a la Barry Judd in The High Fidelity. Although to be honest much of this kind of behaviour is largely now a thing of the past. Flashback is a welcoming place for everyone.

A lot of the records for sale at Flashback are listed on their website. Yet, there are also many records in their shops, which are not. Both the Islington and Shoreditch shops are each set over two floors and are excellent shops for crate digging. The two shops have lots of LPs and 7s across a wide mix of music genres such as punk, rare prog/experimental music from the late 60s-early 70s, collectable 60s-70s rock and pop, indie records from the 80s to present, jazz, reggae, world, soul, folk, dance, etc. In my own experience, I have found Flashback to be a really good place to find original collectable first edition LPs for a decent price as well as some very nice rare 60s psychedelia, beat, reggae and world 7s.

The Crouch End shop is smaller than the other two shops and it is a bit harder to reach, but it is worth the effort to visit this shop as their stock is also very good. If you do visit the Crouch End shop I recommend first taking the train to Hornsey station and then walking there. Close by the station is KONK recording studios. You will see the neon KONK sign above the entrance. KONK was founded by The Kinks (the brothers Ray and Dave Davies are both from nearby Muswell Hill) in the 1970s. They made many albums here and lots of other bands and artists have also recorded at KONK. Nearby is a small record shop called The Little Record Shop. It is an under the radar gem with limited opening times and no online presence, but is very popular with those in the know. Although it may be a small space, it has a large selection of rare and collectable vintage LPs in decent condition. The prices are not cheap, but the stock is very good. However, it is not all high priced rarities here. There are a few bargain areas, which contain some collectable and great records for an affordable price. Even in the bargain sections there are good records to be found. There is no charity shop fodder here. From The Little Record Shop it is only a ten minute walk along Tottenham Lane to the Crouch End branch of Flashback. One last thing I should mention is that all three Flashback shops are equipped with turntables for customers to listen to and test out any records they want to buy.

https://flashback.co.uk/

Music & Video Exchange

Music & Video Exchange is one of the oldest and longest running independent record stores in the city first established in 1967. It is also one of the first independent record shops I used to visit on my trips to central London during my early record collecting days more than 20 years ago. I remember my first visit to the flagship Notting Hill store at the turn of the millennium. Back then, I think I remember there being at least 3 Music & Video Exchange record shops in Notting Hill; the main rock and pop shop, a shop that sold soul and dance records and even a shop just for classical music records. There also used to be a separate video/DVD shop as well as a second hand clothes shop on two floors and a couple of books and comics shops. This place used to be huge; a veritable emporium selling all kinds of second hand old records, books, comics, clothes, you name it.

There also used to be Music & Video Exchange shops in Soho and Camden, but they are sadly no longer around. However, the Music & Video Exchange shop in Greenwich is still in operation. Today the Whole Music & Video Exchange business is a smaller affair. The original rock and pop store in Notting Hill set over three floors is still going and is today the sole Music & Video Exchange music shop in Notting Hill. The shop now sells second hand vinyl records of all genres and prices as well as lots of CDs and DVDs. Also, the Music & Video Exchange book shop in Notting Hill is still there and is worth a visit.

Some people say that Music & Video Exchange is not what it used to be, however I don’t agree and I am very happy that this place is still going and that both the Notting Hill and Greenwich shops are still doing business. The Notting Hill shop still holds a special place in my heart and is a unique and surviving example of the old Notting Hill – a part of London that has changed so much over the years.

I recommend visiting both the Notting Hill and Greenwich record shops. Both shops are excellent for digging. There are lots of old collectable LPs to dig through across all genres and prices. One could easily spend an hour or two in either shop. My advice is to go through all the main racks if you can as you don’t know what you might find. Some records can be quite expensive, but then you may also find that record you’ve been searching for ages for a really good price. Thus it pays to dig here.

https://mfeshops.com/pages/music-video-exchange

Reckless Records

I have been going to Reckless Records in Soho for almost as long as I’ve been going to the Notting Hill Music & Video Exchange shop. Today I would say that Reckless is one of the best record shops in central London to dig for old and collectable records. The shop has lots of LPs and 7s across most genres and a lot of stock is of high quality and conservatively graded. There is little fodder here except for in the bargain crates, which are worth going through as you may find a classic record for next to nothing. Every time I search through records in the New Arrivals section, I usually find a record I have had on my wantlist for a reasonable price. I have found a good number of collectable and rare LPs in this shop for a good price. Those who extensively dig here are often rewarded. Some of the best LPs I’ve found here have been rare original prog and experimental rock albums from the late 60s – early 70s on labels such as the early green Harvest and pink Island and Charisma labels. I have also found some really rare and hard to find original LPs from countries in West Africa like Nigeria. Reckless is also a great shop to dig for old 7 inch singles (or 7s as I refer to them here). They usually have lots of rare reggae, old jazz and 60s beat and psychedelia singles and sometimes some quite rare and hard to find world music singles as well as original rock and pop 7s pressed in countries like India and Hong Kong.

If you visit Reckless it is also worth visiting nearby Sister Ray records shop. Sister Ray used to have a larger shop on the same street, which I used to frequent regularly many years ago now. The new Sister Ray shop is good and it does have a sizeable number of records to go through, but a lot of the LPs are new editions. If you like high quality new reissues of old classic albums then this is a good shop to visit. Sister Ray also has a large collection of CDs and boxsets with a selection at bargain prices.

https://reckless.co.uk/

Jelly Records

Jelly Records, with the exception of the Flashback Records Shoreditch branch, is probably my favourite record shop in East London right now. It is a small place located on the basement floor below a furniture shop not too far from Homerton Overground station. But please don’t be dissuaded by the size as this place is a crate diggers paradise. I would recommend visiting in the middle of the week when it is less busy as it can be too hectic when the shop is full of people. What makes this record shop unique is that it has a very good selection of original world music LPs and 7s – probably one of the best in the city. Furthermore, the prices of these records are very reasonable considering their scarcity and the grading of the records and sleeves is conservative.

Whenever I visit this shop, I often find a number of rare LPs from countries in West Africa like Ghana and Nigeria. I discovered some lovely collectable highlife LPs from Ghana as well as some rare afrobeat and juju records from Nigeria. And sometimes in surprisingly good condition. One has to understand that the covers of many original old African LPs can be quite fragile. I am also impressed by the crates of 7s at the front of the shop. Last time I visited I spotted a handful of rare original 7s from pre-Revolution Iran as well as many 7s from Pakistan and India. There were also some nice 7s from West Africa in addition to a good selection of original rare reggae 7s.

This is an excellent little record shop and the owner is very friendly. There are also some other record shops in this area of East London not too far away and have a good selection of old LPs and 7s. Not far from Jelly Records, there is a small record shop called Kristina Records. And in central Hackney I recommend visiting Tome Records and Atlantis Records. The latter place has lots of records to dig through.

https://jellyrecords.co.uk/

Upside Down Records

Upside Down Records is a new record shop that opened its doors last year in November that is located in Deptford, South East London. The reason I am listing it here is because the people behind this record shop are the same people who used to run Rat Records in Camberwell, which sadly closed in 2022. Rat Records was a legendary place and one of the best record shops in the city to crate dig for old original records. The best time to visit was on a Saturday when the shop would fill the crates with large stacks of newly arrived records at really good prices. For this reason it was a hugely popular place and those Saturdays could get madly busy, but it was always worth it as I picked up some fabulous records. So I was delighted by the news that the same folk behind Rat have opened this wonderful new record shop. When I recently visited Upside Down I was impressed by the records they had in the racks. The prices are just like there were at Rat and I think this record shop over time will do well and become increasingly popular. I can also see the stock of records in the shop increasing over time and I look forward to making many more visits here.

upsidedownrecords.co.uk

Out On The Floor Records

For many years I used to visit Camden Market to buy records. However, in more recent times, I feel that overall the market doesn’t offer the same experience and value that it did in the past. Music & Video Exchange used to have a great record shop in Camden that was perfect for digging, but alas it is no longer there. There is, however, one record shop in Camden that is a great place for finding old and rare records for a reasonable price and that is Out On The Floor Records. It’s a small shop located close to Camden Town tube station. The racks are full of records of different genres. I find this shop particularly good for original and collectable 60s and 70s rock, prog and punk LPs in addition to old reggae 7s. There is also a large area of bargain records. Most of the time digging through such crates can be a waste of time, but in this shop I have found quite a few original, albeit slightly tired, and collectable LPs for only a few coins.

outonthefloorrecords.com

Crazy Beat Records

Crazy Beat Records is located in the Essex town of Upminster at the eastern end of the District Line on the edge of Greater London. Despite its far location, it is well worth the effort to visit this record shop. In fact, I would even recommend a day’s visit here. This shop has many crates of records to dig through. The speciality here is reggae. I would argue that this shop has one of the biggest and best stock of old original reggae 7s in London. It is actually quite mindblowing the amount of reggae records they have. On my last visit here, there were at least 20 boxes of new arrivals to dig through. Lots of rare old 60s soul gems were in the boxes as well as some collectable old 60s and 70s rock and pop 7s. However, most of the records in the boxes were original old reggae 7s from the 60s and 70s in varying states of condition. One could spend at least 2-3 hours just going through those boxes. It can be gruelling at times, but the rewards can be bountiful. I found a handful of lovely original old reggae and ska records on the Trojan and Blue Beat labels as well as a few rare soul 7s from the 60s for a very reasonable price. In addition to these boxes of new arrivals, many more crates await.

After getting all reggae’d out, I walked over to the bargain section of LPs by the entrance. I highly recommend digging through the bargain crates. A lot of the records in this section are no great shakes, but with persistence some seriously good and collectable LPs can be discovered for an amazing price. I will stress though that it is important to always check the condition of the records in this section. I once found an original first pressing of the first album by Emerson Lake and Palmer on the pink Island label for just £4. Alas, on closer inspection, the record had some rather nasty scratches so I passed. However, on my last visit I found an original Bo Diddley LP from the 60s on the Chess label also for only £4 and the vinyl was in much better shape than the ELP record.

There are also crates of original soul, funk, reggae and jazz LPs to dig through plus a huge collection of dance 12 inch records.

crazybeat.co.uk

Shaks’ Stax Of Wax Record Shop

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Before this record shop, located in Kingston upon Thames, began trading as Shaks’ Stax Of Wax in October 2018, this place used to be known as the Collectors Record Centre. I used to frequent the Collectors Record Centre quite regularly during my early record collecting days. In fact, some of the first LPs in my collection were purchased from this shop. I remember one time almost 25 years ago purchasing an original LP copy of Hatful Of Hollow by The Smiths in decent condition for only a quid. Back then vinyl records were cheap and lots of people were dumping their LPs for CDs. Hard to believe now.

Stax is a great record shop for digging with lots of crates to get stuck into containing a wide range of original records across many different genres. It’s a worthy successor to the Collectors Record Centre record shop and the owner is very friendly. The shop has a good selection of original 60s and 70s rock and pop LPs as well as crates of quite decent original jazz and world music LPs. One of my favourite places to dig are through the crates of 7s at the back of the shop. There are lots of crates in this area of the shop containing some unusual and rare records to discover if you search hard enough.

If you have time, its also worth checking out nearby Banquet Records. Today Banquet sells mostly new releases focusing on new music. I would argue that its probably one of the best independent record shops in the country to buy LPs and CDs by new bands and artists and its been very successful. Before this shop was known as Banquet Records, it was originally known as Beggers Banquet Records. I used to frequent Beggers quite often back in the day.

Banquet Records also puts on a number of live events by established and up and coming bands and artists inside their store and at local venues such as The Hippodrome and The Fighting Cocks.

https://collectors-record-centre.business.site/

VIP Record Fair London Victoria

VIP Record Fairs have been holding record fairs across the country since the 1980s. The VIP Record Fair in London Victoria is one of the biggest record fairs in the city. This is a phenomenal place for crate diggers with more crates to dig through than one can shake a stick at. One can easily spend the whole day here and that’s what I would recommend doing. Give yourself ample time to check out all the stalls. Some stalls sell some very rare and collectable records that are priced accordingly. Sometimes though, one can find highly sought after original records through persistent digging for a good price. It is also possible to bargain on certain records with some sellers so it doesn’t hurt to make an offer, especially on a large or expensive purchase. This record fair is highly worth the £5 entry fee (£10 early entry). Even in the unlikely case that you don’t end up buying anything it is a great experience. This fair has an amazing buzz and there are some interesting characters here. All in all, this is a real mecca for dedicated diggers and not to be missed.

http://www.vip-24.com/

Your recommendations

I think I have picked some pretty stellar places in London that are fantastic for crate diggers of old original vintage records. However, I don’t think my list is definitive and I am sure that I have missed some really great places that I haven’t discovered yet. If any of you know of any other places in London that I haven’t already mentioned and that tick most of the boxes of the kind of places that I am looking for then please mention these places in the comments section below. These places could be independent record shops overflowing with stacks of old records or even flea/antique markets and car boot sales in the city where one can dig through crates of records and find some gems for a reasonable price.

By Nicholas Peart

24th January 2024