Old souls rejoice: physical media is making a comeback. In the past year, Shanghai has seen the opening of new listening bars, new listening cafes, and now, at the EKA Tianwu creative hub in Pudong, a Sound Library.
Part record store, part audio equipment showroom, and part field recording collection, the shop is the first Shanghai branch of the national chain, which started in Shenzhen in 2021.
For records, the store features a wide range of recently released vinyl and CDs, as well as a smaller collection of used CDs and tapes. Records are organized by label, and the store stocks releases from dozens of them, including Chengdu's New Noise, Hangzhou's Space Circle, and Chongqing's GooeyGoof. The store has eleven listening stations highlighting recent staff selections, and records are tagged with short descriptions. If you want to be hip to the Chinese indie scene, read Will Griffith and Jake Newby, and visit the Sound Library. Vinyl is priced from 200 to 300 RMB, and CDs from 70 to 100 yuan.
Last saw a CD player circa-2008, or gasp, never even seen one at all? No sweat, the shop has you covered, with record players, CD players, headphones, and speakers ranging from entry-level to the absurd. If you pick up the 198,000 RMB speakers, invite me over for a listen.
The natural sound room is what sets the place apart from other shops. Here, they sell dozens of one-hour field recordings collected across China. There are the waves breaking on Hulun Lake in Inner Mongolia, the burble of Cangshan mountain stream in Dali, Yunnan, and the croaks of the music frogs of Yichun, Jiangxi. Each recording comes in a pocket-sized digital player and costs 228 RMB.
In the merch section, most interesting is little crank-turn music boxes embossed with the common laobaixing Chinese surnames, which would make an excellent gift.
The store also features a small Dolby theater that is used for live events and can be rented out for private groups. The store hosts its own events under the Lighthouse Radio brand.
While there, it is worth checking out the rest of EKA Tianwu if you have never been. Since SmartShanghai last visited in 2024, the former factory complex has opened tons of hip retail spots alongside dozens of restaurants. Want a Lomography camera to accompany your vinyl records, all to be stuffed into a Kodak-branded tote bag as you wander around the industrial-chic architecture? Then this is the place to be.
How to get there: The Sound Library (声音图书馆) is open from 10:00 to 22:00 and located in Building 16 of EKA Tianwu, 535 Jinqiao Road, Pudong New District.
