Outside of the UK, where are the best cities in Europe to go vinyl record hunting? Martin Gray takes time out to conduct a comprehensive store-by-store itinerary/tour of the plethora of record shops in his beloved city of Amsterdam, to reassert his belief that the cultural capital of the Netherlands is also an undisputed mecca for vinyl junkies.

Mention Amsterdam to many and most people would think: sin city, hedonism central, weed capital of the world (sex and drugs and coffee shops, is that all your body needs?) and, of course, plenty of red lights. Oh, and conveniently overlook the fact that it has more museums per square mile than any other city in Europe, and when it comes to art and culture – both highbrow mainstream and underground grass roots – it leaves most cities more than twice its size in the shade.

More intriguingly, Amsterdam isn’t even the biggest city in area in the Netherlands anymore. That honour goes to second most populous city, Rotterdam (which has more extensive sprawl of its municipality area). To give an idea of how relatively small and compact it is, Amsterdam is surrounded by an orbital motorway, the A10 – its own version of London’s M25 or Manchester’s M60. Except that the entire circumference of the A10 totals just 32km (20 miles), whilst Manchester’s M60 is 58km (36 miles). The whole of Amsterdam’s main city area thus can fit inside the M60 with room to spare.

As a compact but densely built up city, it’s easy to walk from one end of the central region – called Centrum, defined by its main belt of canals (Grachtengordel) and the inner ring road (S100) – to the other in less than half an hour. That’s a distance of just three kilometers. With so many attractions to take in within this central area, the distances between them all are very small – making Amsterdam one of the best cities anywhere to get around on by foot. Of course you can hire a bike or take to the canals or use the excellent public transport network of trams, buses and metro lines.

Amsterdam is an absolute mecca for book shops and record shops. For a city of this size to have more record shops than even London is quite astounding. At last count, there are 28 still trading in the city within the Centrum area, whilst there may be yet a few more on the outskirts. Of course, this number excludes at least a dozen other stores which have closed in the interim since my first proper vinyl-hunting pilgrimage 20 years back.

Inevitably, the big challenge, with record stores spread all around the Centrum zone – though there are also areas where several shops are found quite close together – is where should one start and finish? For the purposes of simplicity I have devised a specific trail that can be followed which takes in all of the stores still currently trading, focusing on each sector of the central area – starting outside the city’s Centraal Station and traversing around in a roughly clockwise direction – east, south, then west and north west.

To make things easier, I have designed two maps that people may well appreciate which show the locations of ALL of these stores, one of them is based on a free central street plan of the city, with the localities marked clearly and a suggested route added in linking each and every one of the premises; the other is of the walking route simplified into a metro-line style diagrammatic (not to scale) map, with each station or stop represented by a small vinyl symbol and the street name of each alongside for easy reference. These maps can be downloaded from this page for your own personal use.

Anyway, let us begin the vinyl trail…

BORDELLO A PARIGI (Oudezijds Kolk 71) – website

First stop, just a few hundred yards from Centraal Station, is this small but compact store which was founded in 2011 by owner Otto Kraanen. Originally (and still) a record label, distribution company and even bar of the same name, Bordello A Parigi specialises in a lot of electronic and techno/ambient, with DJ white labels, deep house, garage, Balearic, Italian disco, 80s electro, synth and left-field sounds. The label still issues a regular stream of releases and hosts club events around the city. In this store, just a stone’s throw from Zeedijk (the main drag that takes you through the Red Light District and Chinatown) are a specially curated section of both used vinyl and new releases.

You can also purchase t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, and other merch from here. I was there several times in 2018-2020 and found some much-loved old-skool ’80s street sounds electro albums and 12″ singles, including a rare European 12″ pressing of Indeep’s Last Night A DJ Saved My Life – a timeless classic if ever there was one. On my most recent visit in September 2025 I came away with TWO free complimentary 12″ sampler EPs of crazy eclectic funk-electronica that would give the likes of Daft Punk and Cassius a run for their money.

PLATYPUS RECORD SHOP (Zeedijk 45A) – web entry | Instagram

Just a couple of minutes walk down Zeedijk (or ‘sin street’ as some call it these days – filled with all the usual food/drink/drug/sex tourists you can imagine) lies Platypus Records, another cosy and compact little place that exudes an air of total welcoming warmth the moment you step inside through the split stable-like entrance door. It’s a veritable Aladdin’s Cave crammed with all manner of ephemera – vinyl records fill the racks and adorn the walls on the left side whilst CDs, comics and film posters, toys, models and other collectibles fill up the right side, and old skool ’80s games, analogue record players, tape machines and radios take up the far back walls.

It’s a real compact goldmine that possesses a genuine sense of gezelligheid (a favourite Dutch word of mine, and one that everybody should learn to use in conversation..). The owners who set up the shop, school friends Raoul and Bas, are laid back and friendly guys who always have some cool stuff to talk about: their obsession with collecting is their primary passion, however. The place is relatively new – it set up only around six or seven years ago, as both guys are also DJs as well as collectors of vinyl and once also dabbled in running a food outlet on the same street.

As for the range of stuff – the records are mostly used and second hand but take in soundtracks, exotica, hip hop, jazz, soul, reggae, easy listening, rock, psychedelic and prog, as well as a special dedicated section on South Asian music in addition to a small Dutch Folk section too. It’s very eclectic and well in keeping with the ‘anything goes and nothing is turned away’ ethic of this cool little place. I always tend to pop by during the evening when it’s later as the shop has a whole different vibe of its own around those twilight hours – with friends often coming and going, spliffs in hand (of course), and a wonderfully chilled out communal vibe that makes me feel so welcome every time I am there.

ZWART GOUD (Geldersekade 89S) – website

Established in 2015, thus adding another name to the increasing tally of new vinyl stores in the city, Zwart Goud (Black Gold in Dutch – but not to be confused with another store actually of that name, see later), like others, also has sidelines in DJ-ing, radio and vinyl distribution. This small basement level boutique store found on the Geldersekade canalside close to the Waag (‘weigh-house’ – a venue of food and drink that attracts the usual rowdy party elements) has a carefully curated selection of electronic, techno, ambient, chill out, hard house, avant garde/experimental and also white labels. It also has more esoteric stuff like psychedelic, folk, world music and other rarities. Like with the other two places above, you’re able to listen to the records first on the turntables before purchasing. It also sells some accessories – tote bags, replacement record sleeves, slipmats, etc….

My first visit in 2018 was notable in that I was greeted by a particularly large and chonky grey Persian cat which lounged about on the decks and racks, inviting all the crate diggers to stroke and pamper him/her, which of course we all did. I’ve always said that in Amsterdam, when you visit any stores, pubs or coffee shops, the very presence of a furry friend within the premises immediately renders said establishment ‘heel gezellig zonder gelijke’ (super cosy without equal).

CITY RECORDS (Geldersekade 100A) – website

Just across the canal on the other side sits City Records, a neat and tidy space run by the knowledgeable and welcoming owner Jasper, specialising mainly in second-hand vinyl at some truly giveaway prices (there are several crates worth of albums for just €5 for starters – and they cover all genres, not just the usual stuff you associate with knockdown bargains – so get stuck in!). If you’re after ’60s/’70s, soul, blues, jazz (the owner’s genre of choice), funk and classic rock too – this is a good place to check out. Other genres like ’80s/’90s, indie, punk and post punk/new wave and synth are also well catered for. It’s these latter categories where I tend to come across some genuine steals.

There is a decent section given over to 7-inch vinyl singles too (all genres), particularly the large selection of Northern Soul and 60s singles, many with picture sleeves. Something I love about NL is all 7″s of the 1960s-1970s had picture sleeves back in the day – unlike UK with its generic record company die-cut paper bags. City Records also does a nice line in music books and box sets of CDs and LPs, a selection of which is displayed in the cabinets.

Related anecdote: On my six visits to this shop so far between 2016 to the present – I must have picked up a stash of about 15 albums and singles – none of which cost me more than €10: Siouxsie and The Banshees’ Through The Looking Glass (Canadian pressing – EX/EX) for just €10.00; Wire’s Eardrum Buzz (German 12″ EX/EX) €5.00; Todd Rundgren’s Hermit Of Mink Hollow (EX/EX) and Faithful (EX/EX) for a mere €4.00 each; The Residents’ Duck Stab/Buster & Glen (EX/VG+) for €10.00. Needless to say, I will be back there again on my next visit to Amsterdam this coming March.

BLACK GOLD (Korte Koningstraat 13)  – webpage

Yet another of the new generation of vinyl-cum-coffee joints which started in 2015 (must have been a real keynote year for Amsterdam with so many set up that same time!), Black Gold Amsterdam is one of the nattiest of all the vinyl stores, which deservedly marked its first 10 years in 2025. It’s the perfect hang out for coffee and music aficionados, chiefly those whose main passion lies in jazz grooves, funk, hip hop, afrobeat and electronica. The tidily arranged crates of vinyl on offer here tantalise with their colourful sleeves and exotic sounding titles, and you can of course also listen to items before you commit to purchasing, but also take in a neat espresso or warm melkchocolade met slagroom (as I tend to always ask for whenever I call by).

The owner of Black Gold, Siebrand van Hengel, is a genuinely lovely chap and really friendly and engaging. As I have been back a few times now since my first chance visit in 2018, he welcomes me like a familiar friend each time I reappear, so gezellig (that word again). My first purchase from him in 2018 was actually on his recommendation – I was browsing through the jazz racks and specifically New Orleans jazz (being a lifelong fan of Louis Armstrong since I was a kid), and Sie recommended I check out the LP with the black and blue sleeve – Paul Barbarin: a celebrated New Orleans jazz drummer who also happened to play support to Louis Armstrong back in the day. This was my first ever hearing of him and needless to say, suitably enchanted with what was coming through the cans, decided there and then to bag said LP….my inaugural Black Gold acquisition.

Sie has this endearing habit of photographing everybody who purchases a record from the store to put on his Instagram page…it already has hundreds of portraits of delighted customers from far and wide happily posing with their finds. The store is – like the others – small and compact and homely, with an area at the back given over to a library where people can lounge about, chill and have a book to read whilst enjoying their coffees. It also functions as a social place for DJs to undertake sessions in the evening too. Like some of the others, DJ-ing and label distribution also figure prominently as part of this venture. If you like decent home roasted (and sustainably sourced) coffee, and love to sift through a few boxes of tasteful wax, then Black Gold is where it’s at.

RECORDFRIEND ELPEES (Sint Antoniesbreestraat 64) – website

A short walk from Black Gold back on the main drag that takes you out of De Wallen lies Recordfriend Elpees, a veritable goldmine of vinyl that lies at basement level and down a very narrow wrought-iron spiral staircase (be warned, this store is NOT accessible for the mobility impaired). The first thing you see is racks and racks of used and super cheap second hand vinyl (€5 or less). There is NO alphabetical order here (just genre) so you may need to flick through every rack to find whatever you might be looking for, but bargains can be found. Once you walk through the inner entrance you’re in the shop proper with more vinyl racks – this time arranged into genres and alphabetical band names. There are also accessories for sale here such as record cleaning kits, sleeves, cloths, etc….

Marty Zwaan, the owner of this shop, can advise and guide on pretty much any query you may have about record hunting, as they specialise in buying large used collections (2nd hand), but the store also has a fair consignment of new titles too as well as Record Store Day releases. In fact, this is a great place to come to find RSD stuff that might no longer be available at home here in UK, and often at cheaper prices than you might expect to pay back in Blighty. Everything is catered for here – all genres – and there is a comprehensive section of 7″ singles too.

 

My many visits here since 2010 have landed a fair number of outright bargains. Nilsson’s Pandemonium Aerial Ballet (NM/NM) on original USA RCA DynaFlex issue was just one of my lucky finds – for a ridiculously cheap €7.00 when I picked it up in 2018. Last year in September 2025 I even snagged a vinyl copy of P.J. Harvey’s To Bring You My Love – Demos’ (M/M but unsealed) for just €9.70 (!) as well as Martin Stephenson’s Gladsome Humour And Blue LP (NM/NM first pressing) for €7.00. If you know what you’re looking for, you may strike gold down here in this humble vinyl emporium.

RED LIGHT RECORDS (Oudezijds Achterburgwal 133) – Facebook

Established in 2012, and originally right next to the heart of the RLD (hence the name), opposite the Oudekerk, Red Light Records relocated around 2019/2020 to its current new corner location. No longer a pain to access (originally at the old location, you had to press an intercom button at a gated alley to wait for access to enter), it’s now a breeze to swan in and sift through racks of vinyl specialising in disco/funk/soul, Afro, groove, world, electronic, Balearic, old skool house as well as indie pop, new wave, prog, rock, etc. Like many of the other record stores here, the owner (Abel) and his cohorts also have a sideline in Radio and DJ-ing. The shop took its name from associates who ran the parallel broadcasting platform Red Light Radio – which showcased a multitude of international and local artists and built up a global following on Mixcloud and Soundcloud between 2010 and 2020. It wrapped up operations during the latter year’s Covid lockdowns. The vinyl record shop however, continues to trade in its new location and its future looks assured.

WATERLOOPLEIN FLEAMARKET (Waterlooplein) – website

Amsterdam Centrum’s biggest daily fleamarket (except Sundays) at Waterlooplein needs no further introduction….as it’s a paradise for all kinds of stuff and collectibles. There are also a couple of record stalls that set up along here as part of the array of traders too. Again, there is no predicting or foretelling what sort of vinyl bargains can be had here – the simple truth is, you just have to keep browsing and hoping something eye-catching turns up – as it usually will. Haggling, on the other hand…..my personal view is, if it’s cheap already, then don’t be a churlish tightwad. Just hand over your moolah and revel in your latest piece of glorious rare wax! Prices usually range from around €3.00 to €30.00.

AMSTEL ANTIQUES RECORDS (Amstel 110) – website

Situated a short walk from Waterlooplein and along the main Amstel drag (which parallels the river of the same name), Amstel Antiques is a just a couple of doors from the city centre’s most celebrated Irish pub (Mulligans), but, like several other Amsterdam vinyl record emporia, suffers from being inaccessible to wheelchair users as it is once again at sub-street level, down a few steps. The frontage looks exactly like a traditional old fashioned antiques premises but once you step inside, your eyes are agog at the acres of racks and shelving which stretch from end to end and across three whole aisles. Not only that, but they’re in TWO tiers – so there’s the same number of racks at floor level (which entail a hell of a lot of strenuous squatting and pulling as the heavy vinyl-laden shelves can be slid outwards – but due to the sheer amount of stuff in this shop, sometimes even this is not possible).

The shop is run by a husband and wife team who usually oversee business and can often be seen sat at the back of the premises smoking away with the radio on, oblivious to what’s going on. The wife tends to speak more readily with customers than her husband (who tends to converse more in his native Dutch).

Seriously, this place has the most vinyl stashed away of all the shops so far. There are thousands and thousands of records here, grouped into clearly defined sections and genres: variously by decades, male, female, soul, funk, hip hop, easy listening, African, Latin, Asian, rock’n’roll, pop, new wave, indie, punk/post punk, country, folk, prog rock, psychedelic, jazz, classic rock, metal, and even specific categories for goth, thrash (metal), grindcore, industrial, experimental, noise – the whole shebang. It’s pretty comprehensive for sure, and I have spent many an hour here going through some of the latter categories. I’ve found at least a dozen gems on my many visits, suffice to say, and very fairly-priced too.

Second hand vinyl is the main thing here, but among all the endless racks there are lots of new sealed records too. There’s also loads of CDs along the right hand shelves, collectibles and other ephemera, and a hefty stash of 7″ vinyl near the front (that I actually never have enough time to browse them all, as there is so much to get through). Put simply, prepare yourself for a back breaking stint here – and maybe a few days put aside if you want to browse absolutely everything, but do pay it a visit, if only to see the insane amount of stock kept here.

CONCERTO RECORDS (Utrechtsestraat 54-60) – website

Onto Amsterdam’s (and Netherlands’) biggest record store by far – and one of the oldest / longest surviving. Concerto is simply mammoth: taking up five frontages along the street – almost the entirety of one block. And needless to say it is effectively five shops all bolted together to form one super-sized store, with multiple entrances. Not just the biggest, but the most celebrated obviously. The largest turnover, the largest number of knowledgeable staff, and of course the one that nearly anybody who has any interest in music at all would have to put on their ‘must visit’ list or itinerary. It’s even easily picked out from drone images of the city taken from high above – by virtue of its distinctive burgundy painted frontage.

Established in 1955, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2025 with all kinds of high profile events. A timely occasion indeed given that the city of Amsterdam itself celebrated its own 750th Anniversary too. It’s easier to say what Concerto Records *doesn’t* stock than what it *does*. It’s all there: new vinyl (reissues and new releases) – truckloads of it, second hand vinyl, CDs, books, box sets, collectibles and rarities, promos, RSD titles, regular Uitverkoop stock (clearance sale) of new sealed records – often at bargain prices (I’ve picked up a fair few in my many visits there). All imaginable genres and sub-genres too – you name it, they will have it probably.

Being so vast (and staffed by so many people) it will appear daunting on first visit. But that’s to be expected and it should be quite easy to navigate around once you know which section sells what. CDs are relegated to upper and lower floors of one building, a nice coffee shop and arty seating/reading area takes up the mezzanine level of another part, there are also music books for sale, second hand vinyl on one level, specialist genres (e.g. classical) in another part of the shop (the furthermost section – which also includes the male/female vocal section in another lower level still), and so forth.

Because of its sheer size, Concerto may lack the intimacy and friendliness of all of the previous locations dealt with so far but the staff are generally helpful, so if there is anything you are unsure about, you only need to simply approach them and politely say ‘Alstublieft! Kunt u mij helpen?’ and their attention will be grabbed.

CHARLES MUZIEK (Weteringschans 193) – web entry

This is the only other ‘venerable’ music store remaining in the city – having been trading since 1954 – making it Amsterdam’s oldest (one year senior to nearby Concerto). It is also the only such store specialising primarily in all ages of classical music (with also a selection of ethnic / world music and folk) and as such it tends to be one of the more overlooked shops in the Centrum area. Titles are available across CD, vinyl and DVD formats, but do not expect to find any rock or indie or other contemporary pop/dance genres here so it’s still worth calling in just for a completely different and more sedate browsing and shopping experience.

The interior of the store is much as you’d expect – well organised and tidy with plenty of titles on display, and more besides. If you are particularly interested in just classical music (there are also two fine venues in the city for live classical concerts – Concertgebouw by Museumplein and Muziekgebouw by the IJ) this is well worth a detour on your itinerary. Unlike all of the other premises on this trail, Charles Muziek currently has no official store website or even social media presence, in keeping with its admirably old-school traditions, so that gives you more of an incentive to visit in person. The lady who owns/runs the place has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things classical.

RECORD MANIA (Ferdinand Bolstraat 30) – website

For me personally, Record Mania is one of the top five record shops in Amsterdam – and one of my most-visited mainly for the best mix of stuff at very decent prices. It’s an essential stop on ANY vinyl junkie’s tour of the city and I cannot recommend it enough. For one thing, it lies between two very popular tourist attractions: the Heineken Brewery Experience (just literally a couple of hundred yards up the main street in one direction) and the famous Albert Cuypmarkt (equidistant down the street in the other direction), in the popular multi-ethnic southern city district called De Pijp. The range at this store is pretty damned eclectic. Every genre is catered for here: it simply has everything – even extensive jazz collections, folk, classical, world music, film soundtracks, exotica and native Dutch language artists.

In some ways it’s like a condensed, cosier, single-unit version of Concerto – but is efficiently run by a handful of staff of which one of the main guys Michael who is there four days of the week is one of the most helpful and friendly (but they’re all great folks). What strikes you most about this store is the front window display – with some gorgeously nostalgic old record players and machines which must have been sat in that window for decades. Then on stepping inside you’re greeted by a wonderfully charming interior – orange painted and with rear stained glass windows. Attention to detail is everything – the floor was once also covered in vinyl record linoleum giving the illusion of people walking on them. The shop has two levels – but it’s pretty small in area so can get very crowded at times due to so many younger customers (very popular with students and backpackers) as well as those seasoned record hunters who often spend hours here flicking through everything.

It was first set up in 1994 so has just marked its third decade in the city, but for me this shop is the closest in resemblance and vibe to one of our own much loved and long-established record stores in the UK – namely the legendary Kingbee Records in Chorlton, Manchester. Second hand records arrive almost daily, and they also have a lot of new (sealed) titles as well as the usual RSD and special collectors editions. CDs too are catered for extensively and are stored in a very similar fashion to those at Vinyl Exchange (another renowned Manchester shop) – with inlays slipped into PVC sleeves to maximise space. Best of all, they have a permanent ‘bargains’ section as well and lots of new titles coming in which are usually all stored prominently at the front of the shop nearest the windows. The only limitation is the more modest range of 7″ singles by comparison, but then I guess this is probably down to reasons of restricted space. If you only have time to visit half a dozen stores at most, make sure Record Mania is on your must-see list.

RECORD PALACE (Weteringschans 33A) – Instagram 

The second of my top five record stores in the city has to be this local institution situated a stone’s throw across the road from the famous Paradiso club. Record Palace is the place of legend, it’s a proper old-school Dutch platenzaak which has retained a lot of its original character ever since it was first opened in 1988 by original owner Jan van Dorsten – himself a well-known and much-loved figure on the Amsterdam music scene (manager of a few local bands of yore such as legendary 1960s beat pop combo The Tee-Set, and also close associates with the guys from the famous Dutch art collective The Fool).

The shop celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018 with a special event at the Paradiso – and visitors from all over would flock to the store to check out the famous left-hand-side wall of signed albums which Jan proudly displayed from every single musician of repute who played at the celebrated venue opposite (and then called by to have a few moments crate digging – and also share a coffee with the genial host/owner). Jan even prided himself on having a regularly-changing second display on the right hand wall as you enter the shop – LP covers which shared common graphic elements. Sometimes even bands would play impromptu sets in his shop prior to performing across the road at the Paradiso, such is the genuinely gezelligheid vibe that this place has.

Record Palace originally specialised in Jazz and classic 1950s-1970s rock of all types, plus lots of imports from Japan as well as World music. Soundtrack albums also featured prominently, as does a selection of Nederlands beat-pop bands (Jan’s background ostensibly) and the lower basement section was crammed with cheap bargain albums in jazz, blues, classical, Dutch language music and easy listening as well as some pop stuff too. There are other genres like 80s music, new wave, punk, soul, funk and prog/rock. Dance music however is not catered for much, and there are boxes of 7-inch singles too but again mostly of stuff from the 1960s-1990s decades. The focus was usually on vinyl so CDs were in the minority.

Related anecdote: Having always called by Record Palace during the many years I have been visiting the city, I became very friendly with Jan and he’s always offered me a brew every time I showed up, such was his warm welcoming personality. In summer 2022 he announced his retirement after holding fort for 34 years, and – whilst the news was sad for myself personally – he handed over the reins of the shop to a colleague Bas Kleijn who previously owned Homesick Records across town in the Jordaan (famed for its comprehensive Bob Dylan section – the biggest in the land). So when the latter closed it took up its new base at Weteringschans which, whilst retaining its original name, also is known under the amalgamated alias of Homesick Records @ Record Palace. After a re-launch and refurbishment, the new Record Palace Mk II is in every way as well stocked as its previous incarnation, and is still worth calling by for a good rummage.

INDEPENDENT OUTLET (Vijzelstraat 77) – website

Having marked its 30th anniversary in 2025 since this skateboarder’s paradise first opened in 1995, Independent Outlet caters for more than just four wheels and affiliated clobber (clothing and footwear), it’s also been a great little place to trawl for vinyl records and music books. And that was how I first came across it as far back as 2000. The store’s interior may have had a few redesigns and re-fits since those early days, but the vibe and atmosphere is still as warm and welcoming as it’s always been. The main specialist genres of the vinyl – in keeping with the clientele – is mainly punk, post-punk, hardcore, grindcore, thrash and metal/noise, with some indie as well. Dance music fans are not catered for (unsurprisingly). Nevertheless, I adore the youthful, anarchic spirit that pervades in the shop here as it makes me regress in mental age by at least 40 years.

Set up by the friendly owners Maria and Vincent, I always get a warm welcome here whenever I pop by (pretty much every time I’m back in the city); they too always offer me a brew as I have become a regular from outside of the country as it were. And it’s thanks to them too that, all of 25 years ago, I belatedly discovered some great hardcore bands that I have since become enamoured with. Even now I appreciate their recommendations for new previously unheard of or obscure names, some of whom are Dutch and others from the US and Europe. The last few visits I made I picked up various 7″ EPs and 10″ mini-albums, mostly small label releases and all of whom are agit-punk or thrashy hardcore type bands whose names will never be associated with the ‘establishment’. Indeed most if not all of the vinyl I pick up here cannot be found anywhere else – not even in Concerto. That’s surely an endorsement in their favour.

DAMN GOOD RECORDS (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 371A) – Instagram

Occupying a unit which has seen various other bookshops and record stores based here in the past, the newest kid on the block, Damn Good Records, is only around three years old – the youngest of the city’s record stores of any size. Formerly trading under the name Trash & Treasure, they’ve now established themselves in this compact and cosy premises with split mezzanine upper and lower levels, giving three floors in total (so many Amsterdam record shops really ARE cosy – simply because they’re so small in floor area). Owned and run by a smashing bloke by the name of Ko, who co-hosts a monthly event called Amsterdam Vinyl Club (at the Bro20 music pub on the Marnixstraat west of this part of town), the chief specialist genres catered for here are Japanese imports and hip hop, of which the collection is ever growing.

Other genres like dance, electronic, prog, jazz, indie, rock, classic rock and the usual multi-decades are also represented, and it’s worth spending a while checking out everything here. There are also tape cassettes too (not many record shops sell them in the city granted!) plus lots of posters, books, mags, comics, ephemera and collectibles like figures and toys. He also sells cool T-shirts, usually displayed just outside. It’s a great little place to have a rummage in.

I picked up some real bargains here in just my last two trips – a couple of Neil Young vinyl LPs (VG/VG) for just €5 each (Comes A Time and the triple album Decade – albeit missing LP3) and then also – cue fanfare! – the original Ralph Records pressing of Snakefinger’s Chewing Hides The Sound – complete with insert sleeve – this too was in EX/NM condition and set me back €22. On another earlier occasion in January 2025, Ko found me an original UK EMI/Capitol pressing of the first Klaatu album for just €20 (I’d already picked up a cheaper (VG+) NL pressing of this in Utrecht exactly 5 years previously in Jan 2020 for a mere €5).

SECOND LIFE MUSIC (Prinsengracht 366) – website

Another of the city’s longer-established record shops (first opened 2002), and one of three remaining in the western Jordaan district by the canal ring, Second Life Music is another good old fashioned ‘proper’ Dutch institution (their website’s in NL not English) which has changed little over time and thus presents itself like a bit of a timewarp once you step inside. It’s crammed with stuff – 7″ and 12″ vinyl, CDs, cheap second-hand bargains, old record players and hi-fi’s (stacks of them). If you want new vinyl then this is not the place to come: it’s all used and everything here is among the cheapest priced in the entire city. Like almost every other shop mentioned already, it’s on three levels – a mezzanine upper floor and then a half-basement level too, down a few steps. Because of its cramped nature, mobility impaired people are unable to access this place.

As with many others, all genres are catered for here, you just need to be patient enough to work your way through everything as there are piles stacked upon piles and racks groaning with all kinds of stuff. The fact that so much is hoarded and stashed everywhere – especially the upper level (mostly disco, soul, Dutch music, easy listening, male/female singers and kitsch stuff) means that a lot in the shop is dusty and very much ‘lived in’, but this perhaps adds to its own charm. The lower floor is where most of the jazz, folk (lots of Irish folk music too!), pop (’60s-’90s), rock, punk, new wave, and new stock arrivals are found. A hi-fi, turntable and CD player is provided too for people to listen to things, plus heaps of even older artefacts like jazz 78 rpms. There are of course collectibles too – and they’re behind the counter – simply ask.

The owner Chris is a really affable guy (most of them are, once you get to know them they’re all friendly folks who love nothing else but to chat about what your music obsessions are) and the clientele is usually more local than tourists, even though it’s on the same canal as the Anne Frank House which lies a little further north. It attracts a slightly older customer base due to the fact that it’s more of a traditional Dutch record store, but it’s still a goldmine for all kinds of stuff.

Related anecdote:  So many great finds from here over the years. One year (2013) I cleaned him out of his entire Cure and Siouxsie & The Banshees LPs – each album cost just €7.50 and were in EX/EX condition: Disintegration (1st 1989 UK press), Seventeen Seconds (1980 Dutch issue), Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982 Australian issue), The Scream (original 1978 UK press), and Kaleidoscope (1980 US issue on PVC). The total came to €37.50 – which probably won’t get you a single LP at today’s prices. Then in 2018, I found one of my most-sought after items: the Factory Benelux 7″ of New Order’s The Perfect Kiss (FBN 123 with Steve / Gillian on the cover – I already had the Bernard / Hooky one from 1985) for €8.00 (EX/EX) as well as the picture disc 2xLP of dEUS In A Bar Under The Sea – another that’s long out of print – for just €20.00. I also noted that same occasion that Chris had no fewer than seven original issue Prince vinyl LPs (between 1979-1986) all going for €7.00-€8.00 each.

IN DEEP ‘N’DANCE RECORDS (Rozengracht 60) – website

Founded in 1999, InDeep’n’Dance is one of the specialist stores in the city which caters mostly for EDM, house, and techno, breaks, beats, and white labels as well as accessories like decks, turntables, styluses, record cases, bags/totes, t-shirt printing and even jewellery. Seekers of classic rock and anything that isn’t dance orientated could do well to head for Velvet Music which lies just a few doors further down the same street. As with a few others in this field, ID’N’D is also a record label as well as a DJ venture, playing a crucial part in the ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) with weekly (Tuesday) dance club nights held by the store owner Dexon at the Melkweg club. ID’N’D is pretty much a social club / DJ hub in its own right as well as a record shop for the discerning connoisseur of deep cuts, and there are plenty of those about in the city.

VELVET MUSIC (Rozengracht 40) – website

The first Amsterdam record store on the trail that is actually part of a chain in the NL. Velvet Music was first set up in 1990 in the small university city of Leiden, Zuid Holland, before then opening branches in most of the major cities, each one with its own individual character and stock. Amsterdam’s shop was originally known as De Plaatboef (around the time of my first visits to the city in 1999/2000) before it was superseded by and re-branded as Velvet Music in the latter part of the 2000s.

This is a store that specialises in both new (sealed) and second hand vinyl as well as CDs, box sets, collectibles, music cassettes – yes, tapes – and DVDs. New vinyl takes in all of the most current of new artists’ releases, alongside old established names, spanning all genres. There are also accessories like specially printed tote bags to purchase. The Rozengracht store is one of the few stores in the NL to be owned and run largely by female staff – with several of them also musicians in bands from the city: there are regular live music session evenings that take place at the back of the shop too featuring new and unsigned talent from local and afar. What the store excels in is its range of new and second hand vinyl that touches on more unusual, esoteric genres like K-pop and Eastern/Asian music, exotica, world music, classical and soundtracks as well as all of the usual popular genres and new releases. In some ways Velvet also comes across rather like a miniature (and much more compact and intimate) version of Concerto Records.

Related anecdote: My visit there on 15th January 2025 was serendipitous. The shop owner was playing the Twin Peaks Original Soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch as I entered, and I remarked on how lovely it was to hear that again as I had the original vinyl LP from 1991. Unbeknownst to me, the reason she was playing it was that David Lynch had just died that day – and that was the first I knew of it, when she told me the news …..so in this respect, the oft-asked question: “Where were you when you heard the news of [David Lynch]’s passing?” The answer would be ‘whilst in Velvet’. Velvet!Uncannily ironic or what?

WAXWELL RECORDS (Gasthuismolensteeg 8) – website

Another of my top five best vinyl stores in the city. Waxwell Records has a very comprehensive stash of vinyl records in the soul, funk, jazz, blues, hip hop, disco, reggae, Latin/Afro/world, classic rock and pop genres. Located in the Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets) area of Amsterdam Centrum between two of the regal ring canals, it scores consistently high on the range of stock and also its prices – among the most reasonable in the city. Now marking its 20th year in business (established in 2005), the store is also notable for being a popular place for renowned DJs and artists to be seen browsing the racks as it often has a good consignment of super rare items and signed records, or first pressings. It’s all about being aware of the regular intake of new stock and being there when they’re priced and placed on the racks, because they don’t often last very long: one moment’s hesitation or dithering and that will cost you that much-sought after rarity.

One of its strengths is its vast range of vinyl pressings from the UK and US – even the old shellac 7″ singles of the 1970s are found in ample supply. I picked up a veritable bagful of these titles during one of my more recent visits (spending two hours there and then returning the next day for another hour’s digging of the enormous number of 7″s only because I ran out of time on the first trip as they were closing) as well as a welcome clutch of classic ’70s funk artists (Brothers Johnson, Ohio Players, Commodores, Raydio, LTD, Kool & The Gang, Fatback Band, Brass Construction, Trammps, etc) all going for between €5 and €10. Often such is my obsession with crate digging at one record shop after another – and this often happens whenever I am in Amsterdam in January – I seldom see much daylight by the time I have finished browsing, and Waxwell is indeed one of the destinations where day turns to night whenever I chance to visit.

The staff (owner Taco along with colleagues Gerard and Vera) are also extremely helpful and give you tips on things such as upcoming record fairs and when the next batch of new stuff is due to arrive in the shop so that you can get first dibs.

ZAP RECORDS (Paleisstraat 137) – Instagram

A mere 200 yards away from Waxwell Records, heading in the direction of the Royal Palace and Dam Square, is the brightly lit interior of ZAP Records – yet another stop on what is a very concentrated area of vinyl shops in this part of town. A relative newcomer – set up in 2016 – so this year it will see its 10th birthday, it was originally not a record shop as such but a world music emporium selling didgeridoos, rain sticks, and ethnic percussion like talking drums, djembes and other African instruments. Indeed, the basement still features these and customers are often invited to chill down there and have a play. This makes Zap Records unique among all of the city’s vinyl shops – you can practice drumming your Afro or Ethno-beats as a bit of a break from all of that intense crate digging.

That’s not to say Zap is lacking in the vinyl department. Far from it – it’s chock full just like everywhere else, and has a staggering variety and range of LPs and 12″s – soundtracks, ska, rocksteady, reggae, hip hop, dance, house, pop, rock, grunge, metal, prog, jazz, bluebeat, African, Latin, Carribean, Brazilian, Asian, Indian…..just about bloody everything you can mention! It even has several crates wholly dedicated to 1980s pop and synth bands – and one flick through these you might be forgiven for having your eyes OD-ing on too many mullets gracing many of these 12″ covers.

The basement is also crammed with more throwaway vinyl (some more like charity shop stuff) usually novelty, folk, kitsch and easy listening and that sort of thing. But there also is a veritable feast of local Nederlands artists too – and much to my delight, it’s the place where I could almost guarantee finding a couple of cheap (€3 to €5) original Megadisc pressings of albums by veteran Amstelveen-born female jazz/torch singer Mathilde Santing. And so I did…

Related anecdote: On my last but one visit, I glanced up at the wall and saw TWO Specials rarities which really tempted me – one was a first US pressing of their debut album signed by Terry Hall, Lynval Golding, Neville Staple and Jerry Dammers, and was fetching €140… and the other was the first UK issue of the 12″ of ‘Ghost Town’ (which I never bought back then – just the 7″) and that too was going for €30. Bit too hefty methinks, but generally, most of the prices are reasonable and not too steep.

RUSH HOUR RECORDS (Spuistraat 110) – website

One of the most renowned and respected of all of the record stores in the city is Rush Hour – arguably the best one for all the EDM, techno, breaks, ambient, experimental, minimal and avant garde titles, along with a huge array of funk, hip hop, soul, jazz, Brazilian, African and imports as well as promos. There are also four turntable decks available for people to listen to their prospective purchases, and very helpful and friendly staff who know everything there is to know about what the latest recommended titles are.

Like a few others in the city – it was founded in the city in 1997 as a record label and distributor first, followed by the record store, and has over the last 25 years become one of the biggest names in the whole industry – with the RH branding ubiquitous across the country and adorning clothing and apparel, plus of course major releases from a plethora of artists on its roster. It has an extensive presence on all social media platforms and bandcamp.

If you’re after some of the most obscure names in electronic, experimental or whatever other genre, chances are the guys here at Rush Hour will be able to direct you to ways of locating these or – better still – present them straight up under your nose. Many of them are also working DJs and musicians, so their wealth of knowledge and expertise is unparalleled. This is a real specialists’ vinyl paradise and I tend to scout for the funk and experimental sections – often coming up with one or two gems. I remember I made two consecutive visits there in 2014 and 2018 and on both occasions I found a long out of print Bruce Haack album – albeit freshly re-pressed and reissued on Telephone Explosion Records (both titles were The Electric Lucifer – one was the sequel subtitled Book 2). They set me back just €16.50 apiece, what more could a vinyl junkie wish  for?

KILLACUTZ RECORDS (Nieuw Nieuwstraat 21H) – website

Another mainly dance-orientated store along one of the narrow side ginnels that strike off the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. Founded in 1998 (around the same time as many other of the city’s comparable dance-orientated stores), Killacutz has become one of the city’s only specialists in American-based EDM: namely House music from New York, New Jersey and Chicago along with deep house, Detroit techno, trance and acid, as well as UK garage and drum’n’bass. It’s a mecca for dance music fans and DJs both seasoned and novice to spend hours seeking out all of the white labels and newest vinyl imports, and sampling them via the several turntables and decks provided within the store.

Whilst it’s another relatively small and compact place – most of the floor space is up a small flight of steps and it can get a bit cramped when more than seven people are browsing at any one time – the staff are helpful and accommodating. Besides all of the crucial 12″ imports from the dance field, there are also – at the front of the store, more racks for classic rock and indie releases (many of which are new and sealed) as well as several racks housing ‘guilty pleasures’ – usually 1970s and 1980s synth pop and new wave acts that are offered at bargain prices. You can also pick up things like books, CDs and mugs that are displayed on the shelving to the right.

Next door to Killacutz sits a luggage storage and bike rental space – it transpired that the owners originally co-habited with these two business before it was deemed more logical to open a separate space to set up the vinyl shop.

DISTORTION RECORDS (Westerstraat 244) – website

What can I say about Distortion Records? Pretty much what a lot of people who have visited the shop will say about it…..in that it is Amsterdam’s absolute undisputed chaotic Aladdin’s Cave for all kinds of vinyl treasures that you will have to persevere VERY PATIENTLY in order to come away with anything. I have strangely visited this shop only twice in the 25+ trips I have made back to Amsterdam to date – by far the least returned to of them all … and I have a good reason for this.

Let me just explain as honestly as I can. Being a shameless vinyl junkie, and a collector to some minor degree, I also have an acute form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which has been with me ever since infanthood. There is little I can do about it – as I am meticulous and strive to be tidy and organised at all times. My own house is full of stuff and I admit I have amassed over time far too many possessions than I can possibly deal with (or need), but because of my OCD, it then drives another of my worst incurable habits – hoarding. However, I cannot stand untidiness of any sort. Things have to be in their place (such that I often forget where I have safely squirreled away things – an unfortunate consequence of my hoarding of course…).

This is the reason why I have thus far refrained from a proper dig inside Distortion Records as much as I could help it. As soon as you step inside you’re greeted with what looks like a looter has turned the place inside out. The shop is simply crammed and stuffed full to the rafters with boxes of records in utter haphazard and random fashion. Every nook and cranny – spilling out onto the floors: an obstacle course that is in every way as forbidding as it is also debilitating to navigate. It’s just too much for me to try and work through so I (understandably) have not made much of an inroad back there since my first two visits many years ago.

And yet incredibly the owner, Amond Spee, knows where to find anything you might ask him for. It’s probably the number one place in town for all indie releases from whatever labels you can care to mention. Specialising in new sealed vinyl (and RSD too) as well as tons of used second hand and cut-price bargains (even these are ad hoc cos you might find three copies of the same LP or 12″ with three different marked prices : tip – go for the cheapest obviously!), patience will be rewarded with loads of great finds. Among the jumble of shelves and boxes, there are also turntables where you can check records before buying, and the shop stays open late on Thursdays as well so you can spend longer hours browsing if need be.

Distortion Records has been an integral fixture of the Jordaan streetscene for more than 25 years now. Deceptive it may look from the outside – its unkempt appearance (covered in stickers and flyposters and such) almost gives a misleading impression of an empty closed premises – but it’s still very much alive and kicking and also has a very comprehensive online store as well for those who (like me) are a bit daunted by the interior. Maybe on my next visit in March I will have to bite the bullet and give this place another chance, as I have an inkling that I might well unearth some truly astonishing finds.

FLESCH RECORDS AND BOOKS (Noorderkerkstraat 16) – Instagram

By far the most quirky of all Amsterdam’s record stores, Flesch is also something of a best kept secret – hidden as it is along an unassuming side street behind the Noorderkerk (the location for a twice weekly specialist outdoor market around its square and along adjoining Westerstraat). Curiously, it is also a place where organic fruit and veg can be purchased from the owner Harry – these are usually displayed at the outside entrance on days when the shop is open. Aside from these provisions, he also hit upon the idea of selling music too: classical and jazz – a lot of it Nederlandse – being the primary genres, but there’s also avant garde and some rock, as well as general pop singles of various eras in original picture sleeves – you will find a lot of Dutch and Benelux issues of well known chart acts too so it’s worth trawling all of the racks and boxes.

Furthermore, the quaint little store also teems with books, globes, framed pictures, old record players, wirelesses and gramophones – as an accompaniment to the old 78s which can also be picked up here – and indeed Harry offers a repair and re-conditioning service for said appliances as you can also purchase replacement styluses from him too. All in all it’s a totally gezellig little place that retains every bit of its old Amsterdamse charm and whimsy, but remains as something of a stalwart in an otherwise ever-shifting and changing Jordaan streetscape where high brow designer shops and eating / drinking establishments are so commonplace.

DISCOSTARS RECORDSTORE (Haarlemmerdijk 86) – website

One of the longest surviving of Amsterdam’s independent record stores (astonishingly, around since 1956, one year younger than Concerto) – and one of only two located at the far western end of the Centrum area along Haarlemmerdijk, the straight one-mile long thoroughfare filled with shops, designer outlets, boutiques and specialist premises galore. Discostars Recordstore once had a sister shop on the Albert Cuypmarkt called South Miami Plaza, where a similarly eclectic array of records, collectors items, film posters and all manner of memorabilia could be found, before it closed in the late 2000s and focused on the current location.

This shop is a true Nederlandse experience – specialising in vinyl records, CDs, film DVDs, posters and film-related merch – and is pretty much rammed full of stock such that the aisles are a bit on the cramped side. There is so much here that you would need to spend a week to get through everything. Perhaps parts of the store (especially near the back) appear a bit tatty and unkempt, whilst it may not be quite as haphazard and random as Distortion, but there is that same hoarder’s vibe here nevertheless. Again it has almost everything – a vast mixture of Euro pop, local Dutch artists, French and German singers, World music, Afro, Bollywood, South Asian, Hispanic, Caribbean, Latin, easy listening, male and female country singers, folk, jazz, 1950s rock ‘n’ roll / doo wop, classical, then the usual rock, pop, soul, funk and ’70s/’80s stuff.  The CDs and DVDs (loads of box sets!) are all reasonably priced, as are some of the vinyl found at the rear of the store (usually between €4 and €10).

Whilst the bulk of the vinyl on offer here is second hand, there are also many boxes in the middle aisle containing all new sealed vinyl in the rock/pop/indie and metal genres, just to appease those who are after more current sounds. They’re priced accordingly (some are admittedly not as cheap as in other shops). Other than that if it’s esoteric and exotic you are after, this is a good place to spend a bit of time browsing, and Hans, the shop’s owner, is more than happy to help with any questions and where to find what you’re looking for. Discostars does an extensive mail order online too.

CUT THE CRAP (Haarlemmerplein 9) – website

Cut The Crap incorporates a small boutique record store previously operating under the delightful moniker Eardrum Buzz (Wire reference of course…) sharing its space with the eponymously-named hairdressers (that’s TWO post-punk record titles eh?) until the vinyl stall’s closure in late 2018 in favour of trading directly via online mail order. This tiny little retreat where we end our exhaustive 15 km trail has a curated selection of 12″ and 7″ vinyl of all genres: neatly arranged and easy to flick through in a matter of minutes rather than hours.

Its eclectism and diversity belies its modest size (easily the smallest of all of the stores we have taken in along this mammoth trek). You will find anything here if you take the time to look, and new stock appears every week – once or even twice, so no two visits will see the exact same records on offer. Collectors and casual browsers alike will find something of interest.

Related anecdote: in 2018, when this record shop was still trading as Eardrum Buzz, I was fortunate enough to pick up a RSD clear vinyl of The Residents’ Intermission mini-album which was selling for only €11. I also found a NM and pristine copy of the Dutch Polydor pressing of Slade’s 1971 single Get Down And Get With It – complete with the great purple picture sleeve – absolute fucking gold. It set me back just €3. Two (EX/EX) Todd Rundgren LPs also were picked up from here: Runt and The Ballad Of – again €4 apiece. Arjen, the likeable owner who ran the shop at the time, told me that he was going to wrap up the business and move online, so that was the very last time I came away with such a fantastic haul of vinyl for the bargain sum of €22. The following year, 2019, on my return again, Eardrum Buzz was indeed no more, but I will always harbour very fond memories of it nevertheless.

AND FINALLY ….. JUST FOR THE RECORD (arf arf!)

Amsterdam is also home to one of the biggest record fairs in the kingdom – held three times a year at the RAI Exhibition Centre in the Zuid part of the city (by the World Trade Centre). This fair – hosted by Record Planet – has more than 100 stalls and is a sister/rival fair to the even more colossal Mega Record & CD Fair held in April and November at Den Bosch (previously in Utrecht’s Jaarbeurs Exhibition Hall until 2024) which has more than 550 traders.

These are the largest record fairs in Europe and have to be seen to be believed, truly mind-boggling in scale. Needless to say, they’re way too big to possibly navigate in just one day. The events – ticketed admission applies – run for two days over a weekend, but even that isn’t anywhere near enough time as a lot of meticulous planning needs to be done beforehand if visitors are not to be so overwhelmed that they just seize up from sheer sensory overload. If you’re a hopeless vinyl junkie, then prepare to OD at these fairs.

~

All words written by Martin Gray

Diagrammatic trail map devised and designed by Martin Gray

Other blogs and articles by Martin can be found on his profile.