An unassuming store that I had a flick through and was about to leave when… I saw a little sign pointing downstairs. From first impression it seemed off limits as a bar style door had it closed. After leaving my bag with the nice shop owner I took the drop to an underground oasis! So many records, I didn’t know where to start.

I got lost down there for a good long while amongst the ridiculous amount of 12″ disco maxis, with conditions varying from horrific to VG+ and all at 1 Euro a pop. The back room had a really interesting collection. Heaps of rock, large German representation (as expected), kraut, ambient, library, new wave etc. Big funk and soul contingent also.

Prices were fine all over and I left with some hot items. A mobile with internet would be a great advantage as there is no listening spot.

From outside (or even in the store) you would not know what is bubbling underground… you gotta see for yourself!

Music, Friedrichstraße near the corner of Oranienburger Straße. Mitte, Berlin.

Sorry to be so vague with the store location, I was staying around the corner and passed it on my travels, but this map is pretty much on the money.

Not strictly a record shop but they sell records, as well as all kinds of knick-knackery. Apparently this stall is run by the guy that used to have Yarraville Records, which is now closed.

The selection is mainly rock and pop, but there are several crates of 12s and loads of 7s. You could get lucky.

One criticism might be the prices are just a little high for some of the stock, but that said I was happy to part with $15 for a Gino Vanelli LP that yielded at least one Balearic gem. Nice crate of 70s Bollywood too – could find some Burman or Bappi if Krishna is smiling upon you.

Lost and Found Market 12 Smith Street Collingwood, Victoria 3066

Tel 03 9419 4477

Vinyl Solution reminds me of the record shops where I used to waste time (mine and the management’s) as a kid. It’s in a nondescript suburban shopping precinct but inside there’s enough eye-popping goodness to keep you occupied for hours.

Vinyl Solution is comprehensively stocked and really well organised. No flicking through random crates here. Proprietor Glenn is of the “a place for everything and everything in its place” school and it works.

Glenn has also catalogued his stock and put it online for mail order, providing as much info on each item as possible: condition, country of manufacture, track listings etc. This guy is thorough!

But don’t just use the website if you’re a local. Make the trip to Cheltenham and marvel at this Aladdin’s cave. Bring your wants list. Seriously, I almost didn’t want to share this place as I have found so much gold here I wanted to keep it quiet…

Vinyl Solution Records 5/10 Park Rd Cheltenham, Victoria 3192 Tel 03 9585 0133

Chris from Northside and Tim from Wax Museum have put together a genius little map of all the Melbourne record shops stocking secondhand records.

Rumour has it that a new version will be released in late 2010. Until then, work your way through this one. It’s free and available where secondhand records are sold or downloadable as a pdf here.

Northside specialises in a lovingly curated selection of what an ethnomusicologist might call “the music of the African diaspora”. We call it a crate-digging paradise. It’s located in the heart of Fitzroy, but you won’t find hipster jams and nu-disco here.

While Northside’s focus is very much on soul, Latin, reggae, jazz, hip hop, Afrobeat, funk and their associated variants, this is a shop to check no matter where your preferences lie.  It’s not unusual for entire collections to turn up here, but naturally they get ransacked quick smart. The disco selection is small but good and the library crates are always worth a punt for some Bruton or KPM nuggets.

Nice-price gems are often found in Northside’s bargain crates so don’t be afraid to get on your knees and rummage. Proprietor Chris sends out a weekly bulletin of recent arrivals (new and secondhand) which also contains a mini gig guide to Melbourne’s soul/funk happenings. They stock Grado carts and can hook you up with a guy who reconditions vintage turntables. Northside is the real deal.

Northside Records 236 Gertrude Street Fitzroy, Victoria 3065 Tel 03 9417 7577

Mixes from Smoking Jacket are available for download here. Five hours of power from Roman Bruce, Longboss and myself. Ecstasy disco, heavy downtempo jams, Italo oddities, raw analogue House, cosmic nuggets, psychedelic rock and late night sleaze.

I discovered The Searchers one morning circa 2008 while loitering near the corner of Smith and Gertrude waiting for a cheese and tomato toasty from Dr Java. Having only recently opened, the shop contained just a few shelves of secondhand books and some bins of used records. A noncommittal browse yielded instant results (a Supermax LP from memory) so I kept coming back.

In the intervening years proprietor Damien has developed The Searchers into a solidly stocked secondhand dealer.  While the books outnumber the records these days, the selection of secondhand vinyl and CDs is well curated and accurately priced – unlike some other Smith Street dealers I could mention.

The Searchers is also a genius example of DIY shopfitting – Damien constructed all the shelving and racking himself, complete with rolling library ladder for those top-shelf items.

93 Smith Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065. Tel: (03) 9939 0096

Emptysleeve is marking International Record Store Day with an obituary to another sadly departed player in Australia’s independent music retail landscape – Adelaide’s B-Sharp Records.

B-Sharp closed in early 2010 after almost 22 years of supplying Adelaide with a top shelf selection of jazz, funk, soul, reggae, hip hop, house, world, disco, ambient and techno.

Rumour has it that the guy who started the shop funded it by importing a massive shipment of hashish in the early 80s. True or not, this rumour suits B-Sharp. It was always a shop that – while having a brilliant selection and expert staff – was always a little shambolic.

During my brief tenure as a staff member I was constantly amazed by what the management let happen in that shop. The managers themselves would routinely trade CDs for pizza at a nearby restaurant. Running a tight ship unfortunately wasn’t a top priority.

Antics like that almost sank B-Sharp but a change in management around 2004 put some true music lovers back at the helm. Thanks to them, B-Sharp was again one of Australia’s best record shops for the last years of its life.

B-Sharp’s fortunes were built on the World Music boom of the 1990s and more recently on the support of Adelaide’s always strong hip hop and disco scenes. But  the middle classes bought iPods, the b-boys bought Serato and the B Sharp bubble had to burst.

Photographs courtesy of B-Sharp staff, management and friends.

Having just become a father it seemed appropriate to post this.

Words by Neil Boorman and Daniel Pemberton. Illustration by Elliot Thoburn. Part of a series which appeared in The Guardian Guide in 2004.

Graham Jones is to independent record shops what David Suzuki is to the ozone layer. His book “Last Shop Standing” looks at the decline of independent music retail, examining why there’s now a 7-11 where your local record shop used to be.

Jones has been involved in British music retail and distribution all his life. He’s passionate about his work and loves record shops and the people who run them, but his book is more than a misty-eyed remembrance of shops long closed. Jones’ examination of how factors like the rise of retail mega-brands, illegal downloading and the business practices of record labels themselves have all contributed to the gradual attrition of independent music retail is incisive and enlightening.

The book wastes no time in making its intentions clear – it opens with a roll call of the 500+ music shops that have closed across the UK over the last four years.  The grim realities are tempered with tales of how some smart operators have managed to stay afloat against the odds and Jones’ own recollections of record shops he’s had dealings with over the years. The latter will raise a smile from anyone who’s ever worked in one.

If you love record shops or are interested in the changing landscape of independent retail in general, read “Last Shop Standing”.

LSS is published by Proper Music Publishing Ltd; ISBN 0956121209. It’s the official book of World Record Store Day (April 17, 2010) and is available from your local (independent) record shop and good bookshops everywhere.