Eighteen years after its inception, Record Store Day returns on April 12th – uniting vinyl lovers across the globe. The annual celebration brings together collectors, DJs and music connoisseurs with exclusive releases and intimate in-store performances.
“For us, every day is Record Store Day.” This was the response I received from Nemo Ripoll and Castro Moore at Sound Metaphors after asking what they had planned for this year’s event. In fact, I’ve heard this sentiment from many of the city’s record store owners.
Berlin is home to over 90 record shops – accounting for 20% of the country’s total number of stores.
Over the years, Berlin has cemented itself as one of the world’s premier cities for record shopping. But what truly sets the city apart is its diversity and breadth of styles. In my neighbourhood alone, just off Boxhagener Platz, I can dig for 7” soul gems at HHV, hunt for dub classics at Blessed Love, pick up second-hand techno records at Audio-In, or browse for alt-post-punk at Bis Aufs Messer. And believe it or not, that’s only half the shops within a 15-minute walk from my front door.
Berlin is home to over 90 record shops – accounting for 20% of the country’s total number of stores. With so many specialising in niche genres, the city draws crate diggers and collectors from across the globe. After all, where else can you find legendary spots like Hard Wax, Spacehall, and OYE Records, to name just a few?
And it’s not just about new releases. Berlin is great for collectors items and second-hand delights too. While some city staples have been forced to close over the years– like The Record Loft – there are still some esteemed spaces for used-records, such as Power Park and Bikini Waxx. Not to mention the vast number of sellers that turn up at the Sunday Flohmärkte.
Out of all these magnificent shops, only a handful are participating in Record Store Day – most notably Coretex, Bis Aufs Messer, Dodo Beach and HHV. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Record Store Day focuses on one-off collector’s items aimed at a more mainstream audience, which doesn’t always align with the curated selections of niche record stores. And for shops catering primarily to DJs, a sudden influx of casual shoppers might not be ideal, taking up space better suited for their regular clientele.
As someone who visits HHV every year for Record Store Day, I can vouch for the energy it brings. The store transforms into a digger’s dream – well, even more so than usual. But whether you buy into the hype or not, the team at Sound Metaphors has a point. You don’t need an excuse to visit a record store because with so much on offer, in Berlin every day here is Record Store Day.
Listen to the new podcast of Vinyl Futures from The Berliner Music Editor Dan Cole. In this episode, Dan explores how vinyl stores across the globe are creating unique spaces for music lovers, beyond just selling records.
