Brussels Record Shops

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for quite some time. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks at Zaventem Airport and the Maalbeek metro station I felt I couldn't write anything about Brussels without addressing those issues, which I didn't really feel like doing. I did it last year after the Paris attacks, and once was enough. But wounds heal and life resumes its familiar rhythm and I found myself rewriting this long-abandoned piece. I used to live in Brussels for the better time of 2015 and a couple of months in 2016, but I've also been a frequent visitor to the city for years and I got well acquainted with its record stores. An absence of 6 months may mean my info isn't exactly fresh, but I doubt too much has changed already. I've often heard visiting musicians praise the city's record shops during their concerts, so I guess they should know. But not everyone seeks the same: I, for once, don't have a vinyl fixation and don't care about which format my music is - as long as it's not MP3, that is. Most of the albums in my collection are (original, of course) CD's and, embarrassing as it is, most of my purchases while living in Brussels were made in the big electronic chain stores in Rue Neuve, so I'm starting there. Fnac is located at the City 2 department store and offers listening stations and a wide variety, especially in world music and francophone artists. Right next to it, at the other big department store Galeria Inno, Media Markt likewise offers listening stations and variety, but also (crucially) unbeatable prices. Mere months after their circulation, mainstream (mostly) CD's can be bought for under €10...

UDPATE 2022: I've since switched back to vinyl, mostly. In my latest trek around the Brussels record shops I didn't stop there at all. Instead I headed straight to a real record shop, Caroline Music. A veritable Brussels institution, much like the hot waffles (gauffres for the French-speakers) whose sweet smell fills the downtown. What you won't find -and, thankfully, smell- in Brussels is Brussels sprouts. I don't even know why they're called that. No-one serves them in the city and you'll rarely find a few at the local green grocer. Now, back to Caroline Music which I remember from my first visits to Brussels, 13 or so years ago. It was in the center but hidden in one of the passages. Back then, it sported a huge variety (mostly CD's) but the prices were a bit on the high side. It has since moved to the more central Boulevard Anspach 101, right opposite to Brussels' temple of live music L'Ancienne Belgique. A much better location especially now that Anspach has been turned into a pedestrian street. There is also a bigger emphasis on vinyl and more bargains to be found: New CD's cost €9-18 but there are alo a lot of used ones for €5-8. New LP's cost more than €20 but you can also get some good used ones for €9-20. Further down on Anspach 165 you can find Juke Box, a vinyl-only shop that seems to be perennially closed. UPDATE 2022: This time I caught it open. It has an excellent vinyl collection, incl. classic rock, garage/psychedelia, alternative etc. There are a few offers, but the good stuff costs mostly €20-35.

Anspach gives way to Maurice Lemmonier, and there at no. 55 is your best bet for music bargains in  Brussels: Pêle-Mêle is ostensibly an antique bookshop but it sells a lot of CD's for €2,5 or 5. It'll take some searching, but you're sure to find a good cd, possibly even a rare one, for a great price. There's some vinyl (used €2,5-10 and new €7,5-25), though not much of interest. For that, you may want to try the Collector at the Rue de la Bourse. UPDATE 2022: The Collector's owner is retired, and the shop duly closed down. It was just one of those little shops that are an extension of their owner, and couldn't function with someone else. The other record shop in the lively Bourse area (great bars and restaurants all around) is Doctor Vinyl. A disappointing shop for me, because of its small variety (literally a few dozen records) and focus on electronic/dance music, which I am not interested in. Back to the tourist trail, just pass by the outrageously popular statue of a pissing boy Manneken Pis that has inexplicably become one of the most recognizable symbols of Brussels, and head for the next corner and Arlequin. Adorned with graffitis of rock legends on the front wall, it certainly is one of the city's best-looking record stores as well as a great source for 2nd hand vinyl and CD's. Nice to browse about, all kinds of CD's (mostly €8-12) but especially good at post punk/new wave. Also an excellent selection of classic rock/ prog/ jazz/ French music (LP's, mostly €8-20). On Rue de Grands Carmes, also straight from the Manneken Pis but to the opposite direction, is probably the best record shop for collectors, Veals & Geeks. Now, there must be an interesting story behind the name, but I don't know it.

Here you'll find a lot of interesting and rare records. Most pop/rock CD's cost €5-10, while the more collectible ones go for €18. Similarly, LP's usually cost €10-30, but depending on collectability the price can rise way higher. UPDATE 2024: Lately the shop has adopted a ridiculous "no mobiles" code. I know that once we used to shop without checking online for info, but now I buy lots more records because of the internet; if a record/group title I come across seems interesting/familiar, I can check the reviews and maybe listen to a small sample online, then may decide to buy it. I guess they want to stop you from checking the prices on competitive online shops, but that's just bad customer service. On the corner of Rue de Grands Armes and Rue de Midi, you'll find Evasions, a two-story antique bookshop that also carries CD's and a few LP's. You might find an a CD you were searching for as low as €4-5. Nearby, on Steenstraat 37 there's Elektrocution. It's orientated towards the harder end of the music spectrum - mostly, but not exclusively, Metal, Punk and Goth. For the most part second hand stuff, CD's cost € 2-10 (mostly €5) and LP's €10-15 (some offers €3). On the whole, Rue de Midi is full of antique shops, including record shops. For example, 72 Records on Rue de Midi 72, which only sells vinyl. Great selection of garage and psychedelia, as well as jazz, rock and punk from the 70's and 80's. Most albums around €10-20, but some below €8 or above €20, depending on collectability. On the other side at no.67, Hors-Serie is another store that merges books and music - and, of course, BD (Bande dessiné - comics) which are taken very seriously in Belgium and officially considered to constitute the ninth art. A really big variation of used CD's (€5-10) and some LP's (€10-20), it's worth spending some time here as careful searching may yield interesting finds, if not rare treasures. UPDATE 2022:A new record shop at Rue du Midi 129 is called The Collector, just like the now defunct shop in Bourse, but appears to have nothing to do with it. Here you'll find soundtracks, French music, rock, and country LP's, usually for €15-25 - as well as DVD's and other 2nd hand items. 

UPDATE 2022:This time a made a detour to visit a cluster of record shops on or near Rue Haute. My first stop was Sono Ventura (Rue Haute 153). I didn't stay long because it mostly has electronic music (also disco and afro-beat). Most LP's cost €10-30. A nice feature is that there are 3 vinyl listening stations.  A few meters further (Rue Saint-Ghislain 55) one can find Balades Sonores. 4 rooms of vinyl, including rock/indie, world music from Brazil to Africa to Japan, jazz etc. Some offers starting from €5, mostly €20+ for new LPs. Crevette Records (Rue Blaes 146) focuses on dance music (electronic, funk, world music, LPs €20+), while Tropicall Records (Rue Haute 235) caters for wider tastes: classic rock, garage/psychedelia/prog, jazz and funk, French and Belgian records etc. Used LP's €15+, new LPs €25+, CD's mostly €5-10. Also, this area is full of antique shops, many of which also sell vinyl. The last record shop I visited this time was called Le Gymnase. It's not in the same neighborhood with the ones I've mentioned above - rather, it's at Kolenmarkt 57, close to Ancienne Belgique. A shop that also sells beer and wine, it has adopted a different approach to pricing: all LP's cost €5, all CDs €2, and all DVDs €5. Another new shop is Kozmic Music (Rue des Pierres 35). Some interesting stuff (€12-35), a few random offers and CDs. The drawback here is that the records aren't well ordered at all. Lastly, there's a shop in the nice Sainte Catherine area, which I've never visited but gets good reviews:⁩ ⁦Seymoure Kassel Records⁩⁦ (Rue de Flandre 93) isn't cheap, but it's supposedly the place for rare vinyl.

That's it for now. I hope that visitors to Brussels will remember there's more to the city except EU institutions, chocolate, and the baroque facades on Grand Place, and think of it also as a city of culture and music, as well as home of good vinyl.