For The Record: Here’s Where You Can Get Vinyls In Lebanon
A wonderful world of vinyl records varying from awesome jazz, 80s cheese, to obscure Arabic pop, and other gems await those willing to dig for them. If you intend on digging, here are a few places to start with:
This music store in Hamra sells CDs, cassettes, and vinyl (LPs and 45s). The only records left at his place are Arabic songs. The elderly owner mentioned that a man once bought a massive bundle of LPs to use the sleeves (the covers, for our younger readers) as décor for his nightclub. Oh the humanity.
Across the street from Electricite du Liban in Mar Mikhael lies your average music store, with CDs, cassettes, not to mention, a giant, giant, record collection. Don’t get your hopes up too high though, only a small fraction of them are for sale, the rest just sit there from floor to ceiling on shelves (upstairs too), and the collection currently only has English records – the rest are sold out.
This vintage store located in Hamra sells antiques, vintage collectibles, and vinyl records. The collection is quite impressive, varying from English to Arabic records. The owner is super friendly as well!
This hidden gem in Bourj Hammoud is owned by one of the co-founders of the Beirut Groove Collective, Ernesto Chahoud (DJ Spindle), who has a personal collection of over 10,000 vinyl records. What was once his grandfather’s shoe factory is now a “DJ crate-digging space” that hosts a wide variety of selections from his collection. He describes it as more of an alternative-type of hangout for music lovers.
This may look like any other DVD rental place in Hamra, but there’s more to it than that, much more. With an extensive and diverse collection spanning everything from funk and Motown to punk and hip hop, all thoughtfully arranged, it’s no wonder a DJ and record collector is behind this operation.
This last destination isn’t exactly for the hardcore diggers, but more for those who enjoy the novelty of owning recently pressed records. Have you ever been listening to Radiohead, Muse, or Lana Del Ray and thought to yourself “You know, these mp3s are great and all, but I’d really like to have this transcribed into little bumps and wiggles which cause a needle to vibrate in a certain manner producing audible sound”. If you have, come on down, Virgin’s got what you’re after, and more.
