After a long time of Vinyls suffering because of the rise in popularity of CDs, vinyl has returned and is booming. To get in on the wonderful experience of listening to and buying Vinyl Records you have to know where to go and find them. This is a list of the best Edinburgh Vinyl Record shops which each have their own unique flavour which you can find out before hand best suits you. Here they are:
Underground Solu’shn
Location: 9 Cockburn St, Edinburgh EH1 1BP
Specialises in: dance, electronic, Hip-Hop
Underground Solu’shn is the last remaining independent record shop in Edinburgh with a focus on dance and electronic music. This spot is just right for you if you are a musician or a DJ. It opened in 1996 and its somewhere you can buy music equipment such as turntables, headphones, Hifi and studio equipment. Each week this shop gets hundreds of new electronic releases in stock. However there is still plenty of pop, rock, indie, funk, jazz, soul, hip hop, disco and more. It’s a very historic shop which is worth a quick stop and browse.
Voxbox
Location: 21 St Stephen St, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Specialises in: pre-owned indie, rock, jazz and blues LPs and singles
This stand alone record shop may be the one shop in Edinburgh with a B side. One side A at the front of the shop, they have: jazz, rock, folk, reggae, blues, indie, new wave, and punk LPs. They claim to only be missing an abundance of one genre: techno. Their backroom, side B, has in it LPs and singles which are priced nicely at £1.50. In this shop you can find a lot of vinyl records by Scottish artists on in local independent labels so by shopping here you can support your local music scene.
Backbeat Records
Location: 31 E Crosscauseway, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9HE
Specialises in: Jazz, blues and soul
Opened in 1981, Run by Douglas McShane, an eccentric character and dedicated record collector, Backbeat records is a record shop with so many records in it that customer aren’t allowed inside. You must come to the entrance; request the vinyl you would like and Douglas will find it using the complex alphabetical system he has within the shop that customers would only mess up if they came inside. I had a peek inside and the room looked like that scene from interstellar where Mathew McConaughey has entered a physical or humanly interpretable visual realm which represents the 4th dimension and consists of lines and patterns surrounding him in a never endogen continuum of patterned expression. Basically just a whole lot of records and not a lot of space.
Assai Records
Location: 1 Grindlay St, Edinburgh Eh3 9AT
Specialises in: indie and alternative
Assai has a lot happening from new music deliveries, live performances in-store, competition, limited edition presses, and sometimes the occasional signed vinyl. Although assai focuses primarily on indie and alternative music, you’ll also find a lot of other genres as well as books, memorabilia, turntables, and vinyl from Scottish artists. Check out their socials to see live streams and videos of their performances as well as what they have in store.
Vinyl Villians
Location: 5 Elm Row, Edinburgh EH7 4AA
Specialises in: rock and punk Vinyl
This is one of the last remaining “old-school style records shops” and has been called one of the best record shops in Edinburgh since 1983. It focuses mainly on older releases, find here a lot of rock and punk as well as jazz, blues, folk, reggae, hip hop, country, soul, DVDs, CDs and other stuff that you may not find in your average HMV. The majority of the records are 2nd hand, but only ones of excellent quality. The not so good quality records are also sold, but for a bargain.
Almond River Records
Location: 253 St. John’s Road, Edinburgh EH12 7XD
Specialises in: 2nd hand indie, classic rock, punk, blues, and alternative vinyl
Almond River Records opened in Dec 2021 after the shop owner Andy decided it was time to open a real shop after a lot of success selling records online. Obsesses with music and vinyl collecting from childhood, Andy has a deep routed passion for music and has around 4,0000 records for himself. Since opening his shop has had a very good reception from locals, keep this going by giving it a visit, to keep it alive and thriving.
Fopp
Location: 3-15 Rose St, Edinburgh EH2 2PR
Specialises in: new releases, modern indie, alternative, hip hop, pop and dance records
Even though its owned by HMV, fop keeps its indie shop feel with in store performances, signings, and that close “we’re all here for the music” vibe. Fopp also have tonnes of films and books and aims to sell them at low prices. Positioned over Rose Street, the shop, due to it being a widely adored chain, is much larger than many others on this list, allowing you the space to look around properly and loose yourself in al the books, DVDs, Vinyl, CDs, and even tech.
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