At present, Berlin has over 80 record stores. That’s the highest concentration of vinyl specialist outlets in Europe. There’s plenty to praise about Berlin’s music scene, but the focus is always on the city’s nightlife, never on the legendary collection of what DJs depend on in the first place: the discs themselves. When it comes to waxing lyrical about Berlin’s music scene, shouldn’t we be more lyrical about our wax? Hard Wax, Berlin’s legendary dub and techno record store, opened the same year the Wall
came down, almost 40 years ago. It’s frequented by some of the biggest names in the music scene, yet it isn’t even half as hyped as Berghain. Sound Metaphors is so well curated that some of the titles it stocks are rarely found elsewhere, yet for a brief period last year, the store faced permanent closure after its lease wasn’t renewed. Over the past decade or so, the city has also lost some of its most iconic stores, including The Record Loft, Bass Cadet and
DENSE: shops and communities that formed an often underrated backbone. The city’s music scene is more interconnected and interdependent than you might think. Some traditions have yet to change. Artists still take their records to shops in person to sell. When we talk about Clubsterben without mentioning the pressure record shops are under, much of the cultural context is lost. They’re essential to keeping clubs alive. They provide the music for the DJs and the scene as a whole. They’ve also become third-places for producers
and music lovers alike, serving as hangout spots for the community. For a city as big as Berlin, it’s surprising that there isn’t an internationally recognised record fair or expo that celebrates this collector’s culture. France has Paris Loves Vinyl. Just outside of Amsterdam is the world-famous Harleem Vinyl Festival. Barcelona also has one of the most celebrated digging events on the continent: Feria del Disco. Yet aside from a few sporadic Plattenbörsen, which are tailored towards niche communities and collectors, Berlin seems unable to
market its vinyl kudos. Germany’s capital isn’t only known for selling vinyl, but for pressing it as well. OBJECTS Manufacturing and Intakt! Vinyl press new records every day and have long been known as trusted custodians of high-quality wax products. Yes, clubs are great and partying is fun. But wouldn’t it be better if we could re-centre the needle on Berlin’s vinyl community? Last year, worldwide vinyl sales surpassed $2 billion in revenue, making it the biggest era for record sales in the modern era.
As of this year, Gen Z became the biggest consumer demographic in the vinyl scene, helping reshape the trends and demands within the community. Berlin tailors to a wide variety of music lovers: the hip hop selection at HHV, the eclectic Latin sounds at Kimchi Records, Dodo Beach’s curated rock racks, Soultrade’s specialist outlook on RnB, Japan Record’s rare imports, to name a few. If Berlin keeps treating its record stores as retail instead of ritual, then its famous heartbeat may become nothing more than
a ghost in the machine. If you liked this column, check out our articles on Sound Metaphors and Hard Wax.
Berlin vinyl, record stores, Hard Wax, Sound Metaphors, OBJECTS Manufacturing, Intakt! Vinyl, Clubsterben, Plattenbörsen, Berghain, Gen Z vinyl sales