Budapest Record Shops

I visited Budapest directly after Prague, and I couldn't help noticing the similarities and differences. Both cities have a beautiful historical center with imperial period architecture, but while Budapest had some bigger and more majestic buildings, the overal look was a bit more rundown. Which, I'll have to admit, I liked. It looks more like a lived-in city when Prague has this fairytale quality that seemed to be fabricated for tourists (I'm sure it isn't so, but that's the feeling I got). Also, in Prague they may sell the chimney cakes (there it's called trdelník) in every corner, but here you'll find the most authentic ones. They're called Kürtőskalács and if you want to taste some really good (and cheap) ones I strongly suggest Molnár's. Another thing I loved about Budapest was how lively it is. When you go out at night it's full of young locals having fun. A special feature of the city's night life is the so-called ruin bars. Be sure to at least visit the first and best one Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy Street. It's very crowded at night, so if you want to take a look around I suggest going in the afternoon. And as long as you're there, don't forget to eat at Karavan Street Food a few meters away. It's an open space with food trucks serving everything from Goulash-in-a-bun to the delicious Hungarian pies called lángos.

Despite the fact I was only in Budapest for 2,5 days, I tried to visit most of the city's record shops - at least the ones within walking distance from the center. Starting with Musicland which may be somewhat out of the centre (Almássy Square 8) but is, at least size-wise, the biggest in the city. It's a semi-underground establishment with two big rooms. During my visit the CD section was closed for construction, but there was enough to see at the main (vinyl) section. It's very well stocked, had lots of record store day specials and new 180gr reissues (€15-25) as well as second hand LP's and a bunch of 7' singles (60's to 80s pop & rock in dubious condition) for a measly 100HUF. There's also a record player you can use to listen to LPs. Conveniently for international buyers, prices are also listed in €. International LP's (Classic rock, psych, pop) cost 3,5-20€, Hungarian editions 1,5-5€. To get an idea of the prices from now on, at the time of my trip 1000 Hungarian Fiorins were roughly €3,5. Second stop was Headbanger (Múzeum krt. 17),a small store dedicated to Heavy Metal. It has a big variety of Metal T-shirts, and a few hundred vinyls (mostly 5-7.000 HUF). It doesn't sound like much, but you'll be surprised with what you can find: Anything (but not everything) in HM plus some rock albums (e.g. Pink Floyd, Doors), mostly new and sealed or used in good condition.

Laci Bácsi Lemezboltja (Kertész utca 42) 

Rock diszkont on Kiraly 108 reminded me of a shop in my old neighborhood that sold buttons and shoelaces. Cd's are in boxes on the walls, some you can get out and browse through while others are out of touch behind the counter. There are no price stickers, so you'll have to ask. The problem with that is that these guys there don't speak English or make any effort to communicate. The prices they gave me were the same or slightly lower than the average prices anywhere in Europe. On the other hand, there's a huge variety of Hungarian music in CD so if you're looking for something specific in that department, it's worth a visit. A bit further (Kiraly 67) you'll find Lemezkucko, Budapest's oldest record store (from 1986). It looks the part, too. It's of good size and, while it may not be the trendiest in town, it's nice to look about. You'll find 2nd hand vinyl (60s/70s/80s pop & rock, international albums mostly costing 2000-3000HUF, Hungarian ones typically 2000), new LP's (around 5000HUF) and CD's (international 2000-4000HUF, a big variety in Hungarian rock mostly 2000HUF). It's possible to listen to albums. I bought a couple of Yugoslavian pressings of Western rock LP's here, they're cheaper than e.g. German but still of good quality - which I can't say about the Hungarian-made vinyls I listened to in this trip. 

Zene Borze

Rock Dizkont

Laci Bácsi Lemezboltja  (Kertész 42) is the place to look for vinyl. Long corridors stuffed with all kinds of LP's (60s/70s/80s for 600-6000 HUF, new reissues and rarities sometimes more expensive). Some really cheap ones also, prices vary according to the vinyl's condition and issue. Worth spending time, there's no telling what you can find. Especially recommended if you're looking for East Bloc Rock. 

Many shops are listed on a wide road called Erzsébet str. The most visible is Zene borze at no. 52. No vinyl here, only CDs and DVDs apparently 2nd hand. A lot of international rock/pop CD's for good prices (1000-2000HUF). At no.58 you'll have to go inside the back yard to find a tiny shop. The sign says Hanglemez, which apparently means "Records" in Hungarian. I think it's probably Film-Zene Kuckó which is mentioned in some sites and is registered in the same address. It's really packed with very little space to move, but I did see some interesting stuff, classic rock mostly. CD Pince at n. 41 is likewise in an inner yard, and underground to boot. Fairly big, though, if somewhat one sided. To paraphrase The Blues Brothers, they have both kinds of music: Heavy and Metal. If that's your thing you'll find lots of CD's (new 3000HUF, used 1500-2000HUF) and T-shirts as well as some vinyl LPs. Média Pont A Lemezbolt is a little out of the center (about 15 minutes' walk from the parliament building). It's small and cluttered both inside and out, but in a nice, colorful, manner. There a few boxes of offers for 500HUF outside. Inside there are both used CD's and vinyl. A surprising variety for such a small shop, with prices slightly lower than elsewhere (typically 1500-4000HUF for vinyl). Saving the best for last, Wave (Révay Köz 1) is a beautiful record store that serves as the center of the Hungarian underground scene since 1989. The owner speaks good English, he's friendly and very knowledgable about music. The focus is on Alternative rock, punk and underground music but you can find everything from Jazz to Garage Rock to Soviet records. New vinyl costs 5000-8000HUF. used around 3000HUF with some cheapos for 300-1500. CD's in different prices (used ones 1500-2000HUF). This is a must visit place, even if you don't have much time. After all it's just a few steps from St. Stephen's Basilica, which is an obligatory tourist stop.

During my trip I managed to visit most, but not all, of the record shops in my list. For example I couldn't find Rock in Box on the given address, Paulay Ede utca 8. Metro-nom (Kresz Géza u. 11) is apparently the place for New Wave, dark wave and electro, but it was closed on Saturday. Newport Records is a very small shop hidden in a passage (Teréz krt. 8). I swung by, but it was closed. Supposedly it's good for Jazz, Classical, 60s and French vinyl. AktRecords (Ó u. 35) and Deep Music (Aradi u. 22) specialize in dance music which isn't my thing so I chose to cut them out of my schedule. A couple of shops at the city's 8th district sounded interesting, but I didn't have time to visit them: Ethno Sound (Krúdy Gyula 7) has ethnic stuff including world music CDs and Iguana (Krúdy Gyula 9) retro/vintage items, including garage/punk vinyl LP's. Maybe next time. To summarize, it seems that vinyl is alive and well in Budapest (well, in Pest at least. Not much to do in Buda). Many shops cater to the needs of record buyers, although price-wise there aren't many bargains except for local artists. At first it struck me as odd, seeing as the cost of living is supposedly lower than in Western Europe, but it makes sense after all: there weren't many rock records getting pressed in Hungary during its communist years, so most of the records on sale are imported. Not that it matters - if you're like me, you won't be able to resist searching the shelves. And when you do, you're bound to find some good stuff, I certainly did...