Records won't solve all your problems, and they won't even necessarily sound better than digital files, but there's something warm, comforting, and even primal about flipping through a box of art, picking a record, and dropping the needle into the groove. Records are part of a slower, more analog, and maybe more intentional life – and a way of reclaiming ownership. There's no subscription or even internet connection here, but there's memories associated with every record in the bag.
Like bookstores, record stores are excellent places to browse the artifacts of human creation, and possibly to meet other people. At their best, they can also serve as hubs and community spaces, and reservoirs of knowledge and discovery. A great record store clerk is like a great bartender, and records are a gateway to the whole world of music that is on streaming.
If you're looking for records in Shanghai, these are five places to go. Prices are what they are – don't expect bargins unless you're pawing through dust.
The Melting Pot
Good For: Rare funk/soul/hip-hop/Chinese records including 7"s, community vibes, hanging out with beers listening to tunes, occasional events, and great DJs who play around town
Founded by Bboy and DJ, Rochaos, this cozy indie record shop/community hangout has turntables in front of a big window looking out onto Yongjia Lu, records spinning while life passes by outside. There's two walls stocked with a well-curated selection of Funk, hip hop, RnB, Chinese, Latin, African, and soul records, some rare music books, a fridge stocked with beers, and a DJ setup. It's as much a place to chill and jam as it is an actual record store.
Hours might vary, but it's definitely worth repeated attempts, especially if you're loooking for some rare Chinese records from the '70s/'80s/'90s and just rare records in general. Prices reflect the rarity – you could easily drop 400-500rmb on a single rare 7" here. It was very hard to not drop 520rmb on a copy of Digable Planets' Blowout Comb LP, which is the perfect summer record.
Melting Pot is also an excellent DJ crew that sometimes plays around town. If you're into funk, soul, rare groove, and related genres check 'em out.
fRUITYSHOP Record Store
Good For: Groove based music, in-store events, excellent speakers, community vibe, cool clothing, great DJs who play around town
Over on Changle Lu, this well-curated neighborhood record store from the Beijing-founded fRUITYSHOP universe has a solid selection of records spanning hip hop, jazz, Latin, rare groove, city pop, electronic, and rock, plus some music books, magazines like Juxtapoz, and items like Technics turntables and Casio watches.
There's definitely a bit of a community vibe, and they often host events, listening sessions, and collaborations with DJ crews, music gear makers, and clothing brands. For example, last weekend they had a live show by Shanahai-based producers Knopha and LinFeng, who are about to release a record on E-fRUITY Records.
The sound system here is impressive, and it's worth coming in just to hear it (tip: they also built the mighty soundsystem at Reso, a great café on Tai'an Lu). The staff are super approachable and they always have something good playing. Shanghai-based DJ KaleidoJazzlegs stocks funk/soul/jazz/rare groove/world music/hip hop, and the electronic section is curated by Naxin from the VOID crew and her own night, Vacuum. Other members handle rock and sprinkle their taste throughout the other crates.
fRUITY makes some really fresh clothing too (you might have seen their "Jazz" jackets and T-shirts around town), and for that, you can go to their other store, which is a two-minute walk east on the same street.
This record shop is part of an extended fRUITY universe that includes fRUITYSHOP Records (music label), E-fRUITY Records (electronic music sub-label), fRUITY Audio for sound systems, fRUITYSHOP Daily for clothing, and fRUITY GROOVE (the party). They've also got record shops in Beijing and Aranya.
Vinyl Villa
Good For: Japanese records, rock, soundtracks, a good selection of everything else, a hidden feel, and a super nice shop clerk who also promotes rock shows around town
Vinyl Villa is probably the oldest record store in Shanghai. It first opened in 2005 and has moved around a bit since then. Nowadays, the shop is located a few blocks south of IAPM, inside Shanghai Culture Square, underneath a café. The clerk is a Shanghai local who also promotes rock concerts under the name LIVEHUNTER. Great dude. Vinyl Villa also worked with promoter Antigen on the official China vinyl release of a record by Japanese rapper Shing02. So, deep connections to the music scene here.
Inside, they keep a pretty eclectic stock. A bit of everything, really, including a decent section of dancehall and reggae. Japanese records, soundtracks, and rock take up the most space, though. I walked away with a Stevie Nicks solo record and struggled not to buy a DāM-FunK record and a Jesus and Mary Chain single.
On a recent visit, they were playing some J-rock music videos. LIVEHUNTER books some visual kei shows, among other subgenres. The shop also has a bunch of tables where you can sit and chill, which is unusual for a record store, and there's plenty of coffee upstairs.
By all means, check this place out.
Deer Music Vinyl Store
Good For: Digging in the boxes for real, finding samples from super random and questionable records, possibly finding some gold. Samples
Deer Vinyl is the closest you'll get to a real old-school digging-through-dusty-crates experience. And this is probably the only place on this list where you'll find some real bargains.
First, you gotta dig for the shop itself. It's in a random apartment building inside a huge xiaoqu near Columbia Circle. Deer Music is mainly an online store, and this is their warehouse, so there's tons of boxes of unsorted records that they may or may not let you dig through.
Inside the apartment, they also have a showroom that's somewhat sorted and much easier to flip through. In there, you can find random records for 30rmb, but also more expensive shrink-wrapped copies of MJ, Guns N' Roses, Chinese pop records, that kinda thing.
But really, you're here for the joy of digging and finding wtf records like "30 Wartime Hits," "The Wonderful World of Reader's Digest Music," ummm... foreign-language records, random poetry records, and "Pinky & Perky's Hit Parade". Boyz II Men Christmas on CASSETTE? Yeah man.
If you're looking for samples, this is the spot. Nice people running the place too. Hit it up for sure, just know what you're getting into.
Raccoon Records (Shanghai Film Art Center)
Good For: The closest thing to a Barnes and Noble/mall kinda shop in Shanghai, pop records, soundtracks, some rock/post-punk/krautrock, anime soundtracks
Over on Panyu Lu, about five minutes from Deer Music, is the Shanghai Film Art Center branch of record store chain Raccoon Records. Compared with some of the smaller indie shops on this list, this one has a bit more of a commercial feel, like a nice record shop you might find in a mall (there's a whole wall for Taylor Swift, but also a little section for Krautrock/post-punk/punk/new wave).
This shop is big, all the records are new, and the selection is fairly wide, though the main focus is on Western and Chinese pop, rock/post-punk (both Western and Chinese), and soundtracks. You can find some cool anime OSTs here too, including deeper cuts like theDemon City Shinjuku soundtrack.
They also have a small section of 7" records, a few 3" records, some cassettes, Record Store Day exclusives, records by local artists like Voision Xi and B6, and some merch. This is the sort of shop you might hit up to pick up a Weeknd record or movie soundtrack as a present for a music fan in your life (The Legend of 1900, perhaps?). For sure the shop is worth peeping next time you're in the building for a film.
Raccoon has two other branches in town: one in Pudong at Qiantan 31 and another on Yueyang Lu that's connected to the BOOCUP bookstore, which is pretty awesome.
There might be a few more out there. One record leads to another... Happy diggin'
