With scores of music venues and an artistically-minded population, Eastern Paris has something to suit all tastes when it comes to record stores.
Crate-diggers are strongly advised to venture east of Bastille, especially around the vibrant Rue de Charonne. The 11th arrondissement is a historic stronghold for Parisian record shops, boasting a versatile range of independent stores specializing in different genres: electronic music (Synchrophone Records, Techno Import), reggae (Patate Records), rock, indie and punk (Born Bad, Music Fear Satan, Le Silence de la Rue, Souffle Continu), etc.
Further north, the République and Canal Saint-Martin area has seen noteworthy openings in recent years, with records stores such as Music Please Records joining the colorful restaurants and bars of the Sainte-Marthe neighborhood. Crossing the canal towards Gare du Nord, record enthusiasts can discover the modern concepts of more recent additions like Walrus and Rupture.
Finally, we can only recommend checking local flea markets, or “brocantes”, where boxes of “vinyles” are a common occurence. They are regularly held on public spaces such as Boulevard Richard-Lenoir or Boulevard de la Villette. Lovers of classical music and chanson française are certain to find records to their liking, and prices tend to be much lower than anywhere else. Old school jazz and rock hits are also easy to come by on the market stalls, and who knows – with luck and some digging skills, you could even discover some unlikely gems!
Where to find the best independent record stores in Eastern Paris?
PARIS 3
Discocaso
77 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris
www.discocaso.com
Superfly Records
A few steps away from the Porte Saint-Martin, Superfly Records specializes in rare vinyls and features a large selection of jazz, soul, funk and tropical sounds.
53 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris
+33 (0)1 44 61 06 07
www.superflyrecords.com
PARIS 4
Lucky Records
Lucky Records opened in December 1991. Featuring a large selection of pop, rock, French and international artists, it is specialized in Madonna collectors such as press issues, books, and merchandising. Lucky Records is a reference for collectors around the world and has become a must for all fans coming to Paris.
66 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 72 74 13
www.lucky-records.com
Rock’n’Roll Voltage
23 Rue du Roi de Sicile, 75004 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 74 64 19
PARIS 10
Ground Zero
114 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010 Paris
+33 (0)9 83 20 84 42
www.groundzero.fr
Music Please
5 Rue Jean et Marie Moinon, 75010 Paris, France
+33 (0)6 99 14 72 71
http://musicplease.fr
Record Station
13 Rue des Récollets, 75010 Paris
+33 (0)6 17 91 39 53
Rupture
With a design inspired by the 1950s, Rupture is not only a record store: it also serves as a coffee shop serving tea, juice, and espressos. The store features 3,500 references including oldies, mostly by American and British artists.
3 Rue de la Fidélité, 75010 Paris
http://rupture.tv
Smallville Records
26 Rue du Château d’Eau, 75010 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 06 69 49
www.smallville-records.fr
Walrus
34 TER Rue de Dunkerque, 75010 Paris
+33 (0)1 45 26 06 40
www.the-walrus.fr
PARIS 11
Betino’s Records
32 Rue Saint-Sébastien, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 14 61 34
www.betinos.com
Bigwax Records
72 bis Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)9 80 57 12 61
bigwaxrecords.fr
Born Bad
11 Rue St Sabin, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)9 53 07 84 58
www.bornbadrecords.net
Comets Café & Disques
38 Rue Léon Frot, 75011 Paris
www.cafecomets.fr
Fargo Vinyl Shop
20 Rue Chanzy, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)9 53 79 64 12
www.fargovinylshop.com
Heart Beat Vinyl
26 Rue Godefroy Cavaignac, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)9 51 65 92 08
www.heartbeatvinyl.com
Music Avenue
10 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 24 16 20
www.musicavenueparis.com
Music Fear Satan
4 Bis Rue Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 56 92 29 60
www.musicfearsatan.com
Patate Records
A staple of the charming Rue de Charonne since 1992, Patate Records has the largest collection of reggae, ska and dub music in all of Paris. The perfect place to find classic Jamaican sounds!
57 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 48 06 58 11
www.patate-records.com
Pop Culture
23 Rue Keller, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 55 34 68
www.popcultureshop.fr
Le Silence de la Rue
39 Rue Faidherbe, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 24 16 16
Souffle Continu
Bernard Ducayron and Theo Jarrier founded the shop in 2008 afer fifteen years working together at a second hand record store. They started the Souffle Continu adventure to create a space dedicated to experimental music. The store has more than 5.000 references in store, from musique concrète to krautrock, industrial to minimal electronics, and free jazz to “weird” rock.
22 Rue Gerbier, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 24 17 21
www.soufflecontinu.com
Synchrophone Records
6 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 48 05 35 30
www.syncrophone.fr
Techno Import
16 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris
+33 (0) 48 05 71 56
www.techno-import.fr
Toolbox Records
30 Rue Saint-Ambroise, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 48 05 80 16
www.toolboxrecords.com
Vinyl Office
9 Rue Trousseau, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)6 58 10 65 69
PARIS 12
Citeaux Sphère
In this original concept store serving as a coffee shop and record shop at the same time, customers can pick a disc while they’re eating. While the record store specializes in original pressing, its restaurant offers large salads, ravioles, homemade foie gras and tartiflette!
45 Rue de Cîteaux, 75012 Paris
+33 (0)1 72 60 76 88
La Cuve à Son
56 Rue Traversière, 75012 Paris
+33 (0)6 48 30 24 09
www.lacuveason.com
Hands and Arms
72 Rue Crozatier, 75012 Paris
+33 (0)6 48 36 62 07
www.handsandarms.com
Supersonic Records
Located in the same 1930s building as Supersonic, Paris’ leading rock club, Supersonic Records was launched in February 2020 to feature the best of indie rock, pop, garage, post-punk, and synthwave. It has more than 3 000 references, including many artists produced by the labels Captured Tracks, Domino, Fuzz Club, Sacred Bones, and Sub Pop.
9 Rue Biscornet, 75012 Paris
+33 (0)1 49 23 41 90
www.supersonic-club.fr
PARIS 19
Kanaga Records
30 Rue de l’Ourcq, 75019 Paris
+33 (0)9 83 66 67 51
PARIS 20
Bedisc
4 Rue des Grands Champs, 75020 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 09 04 05
Yoyaku Record Store
Yoyaku Record Store is the record store affiliated with the Yoyaku label. The store is well known for its wide selection of new and second-hand electronic music records, its in-store sessions featuring international artists, and its Second Hand Markets, which usually takes place the first Saturday of each month. At the heart of Belleville, the store shares the space with a pleasant art gallery featuring emerging artists.
74 Rue des Cascades, 75020 Paris
+33 (0)1 72 60 76 36
www.yoyaku.io
Photos:
© S.T. & © Lieux concernés