Valencia Record Stores

I only spent a short weekend in Valencia but it was nice to get away from the cold and rainy Dutch weather and enjoy some sun as well as the Valencian cuisine - first and foremost the famous paella. 

Eating Paella Valenciana at the beach

While most foreigners think of it as the typical Spanish dish, in Spain it is considered clearly Valencian - I was strictly warned during my first visit to Andalucia not to eat paella there because it wouldn't be the real thing. Likewise a visit to Valencia wouldn't be complete without a paella lunch. Locals never eat it for dinner, real paella restaurants -as opposed to tourist traps- are only open from 1 to around 4 in the afternoon. The name paella just means "frying pan" in the Valencian language, which is basically a form of Catalan. The current form of the dish evolved during the 18th century in the Albufera lagoon just south of the city, then famous for its rice fields and now as a national reserve with rich biodiversity. The original recipe (paella valenciana) contains chicken, rabbit, certain vegetables and, of course, rice. The seafood version (paella de marisco) is also considered authentic, but the more changes one makes the more one risks disapprovement. Adding chorizo (which actually sounds like a great idea) is tantamount to a culinary atrocity. No Valencian (or indeed any Spaniard) would commit such treason against a national treasure.

And, with food out of the way, we can talk about my other favorite occupation when in a new city: browsing for records and CD's at the local record shops. I knew from the beginning that would be interesting since Valencia is Spain's 3rd biggest city with a population of 1 million (or 2,5 mil. if you count the whole metropolitan area). There were bound to be some good record shops - and sure enough there were, though time restrictions meant I couldn't visit them all. Opening times vary, though -typically for Spain- all shops are closed during lunch/siesta time (roughly 2-5 P.M.). If you want to keep on record browsing during these hours there's always the local Fnac shop (vinyl LPs €18-25, many CD offers from €5). Don't bother with MediaMarkt or Corte Inglés. While these chains usually have a music department, the ones I visited in the city center didn't. Two of the best record stores in the city can be found right next to the city's bullfighting arena (Plaza Del Toros): Digital Records (Carrer de Castelló 5) has a nice vinyl selection. Spanish music, jazz, classical and alternative rock, both new (€5-25) and second hand (€20+). Harmony (at the passage, Dr. Serra 9) looks smaller but it's quite packed. Here you'll find a lot of rock (metal, psychedelia, oldies and alternative) both new and used. Used vinyl typically goes for €5-10 (€20 for rarer items), new for €12-30, typically just under €20. Used CD's between €4-9, new ones €8-18. Of course all prices are only current as of early 2020, but by making comparisons one can surmise which shops are relatively cheaper and present the best bargains. A short 5-minute away (Carrer de Pelai 12) you can find Acetato Discos, a must for fans of psychedelic rock, both Spanish and international. New LP's cost around €25, used ones typically €15 (€30 for collectibles). On the next street (Convent de Jerusalem 11) there's Discos Chachacha. It's not an especially well-ordered shop, there's just a lot of old vinyl lying around. In the front there are two stalls of random LP's (80's, classic rock, whatever). One is either €5 or €8, the other is a bit more expensive. Inside you'll also find many LP's for €2,5-3. I didn't stay long but I had the feeling that it's a good place for bargains. 

Moving a bit further south, you'll find yourself in the old Arabic neighborhood (Russafa) which is widely consider Valencia's new Soho, sporting a lot of tapas bars, restaurants etc. Here (Carrer de Russafa 41) can find Discocentro, a shop selling a lot of cheap (€2-5) used CD's and DVD's, and Ultrasound (Carrer de Cuba 49) which will be of interest for DJ's as it is the only shop I visited with a big variety of 12' singles, techno and electronic music. There's also a nice collection of used LP's (80's, some older jazz or rock for €5-20, but typically €10). Back in the city center (at the pedestrian street Carrer de la Mare de Déu de Gràcia 6) there's Discos Oldies. Here you'll find a lot of Spanish bands, psychedelia  and classic rock. CD's cost €2-7 (used) or €7-17 (new). LP's between €6-20 (used) or €15-20 (new). Often you'll find the same new LP €2 cheaper than other shops. There's also a big selection of 7' singles (a lot of them for 50 cents), worth a search for those collecting singles.

Last but not least among the records I visited, also in the center, Devil Records. A nice little shop at a small pedestrian street (C/Cerrajeros 5) with all sorts of rock music (e.g. classic rock, psychedelic, punk, metal), it sells T-shirts, CD's (€7-15) and vinyl, both used (€5-20, many choices under €10) and new (€15-30). Cool logo, too! Due to time limitations I didn't get to visit any of the record stores north of the center, so I'll just post links and addresses here. These include: Discos Amsterdam (Av. de Pius XII, 2) at the Nuevo Centro neighborhood, and La Ragazza del Piper (de la Corona 35) taking its name from a legendary 60's Roman mod club. With a name like that, I'd expect some very interesting findings, I'm sorry to have missed it. Even further from the center there's Capra Records (Carrer d'Enric Navarro 30) which seems to specialize in reggae and V.P.R. Records (Plaza Rafael Atard, near the airport). "V.P.R." stands for Vomito Punk Rock, so I'll let you guess what kind of music it sells. To round it up, there are a couple of bars that also serve as record stores: Splendini Bar i Discos (Carrer de Sogorb 10) and Monterey (Carrer de Baix 46). They're supposed to be open on evenings, but they were closed when I swung by. Well, hopefully there'll be a next time. This visit to Valencia was enjoyable but short.