Stockholm Record Shopping

Record Mania — Free Jazz New Arrivals, December 2016 (Photo: Record Mania)

A few recommendations for out-of-town visitors — this is by no means comprehensive, just the ones I go to most often…

Stockholm is not a big city and most of the shops are clustered in two areas — Södermalm and St Eriksplan — which are handily connected on the green tunnelbana line between Slussen/Medborgplatsen and St Eriksplan.

Andra Jazz — Rödabergsgatan 9
This is the legendary shop of Harald Hult that was once Blue Tower Records (where Mats Gustafsson cut his discaholic teeth) and then Andra Böcker och Skivor. Harald sold off the book part and moved it to its current location around 10 years ago. It is open for just three hours a day 3—6 on weekdays and 12—3 on Saturday. Cash only. Make sure to check the little side room for crazy rare free jazz and don’t be shocked by the prices — this is the cream of the crop.

Nostalgiepalatset — Sankt Eriksgatan 101
This is easily the largest shop on the list and covers pretty much everything from motoracing novelty records to swedish progg — usually a healthy selection of jazz in the new arrivals bin including a bunch of fine looking FMP originals when I was there last week.

Runt Runt — Odengatan 90
Small shop with pretty healthy rotation of stock and decent prices. Have regularly found stuff here that I’ve not seen at any of the other shops.

Record Mania —Östgötagatan 2
Tiny shop, packed tight with rock-related things to the left and jazz-related stuff on the right hand side and hip hop in the centre boxes. Turnover is pretty good — as they say “A New Store Every Friday” — and the attention to detail there is super. (A new batch of European jazz LPs due to go out on 3/2/17)

An Ideal For Living — Södermannagatan 19
A few blocks down from Record Mania and also crammed with records — often more than can fit in the racks and sometimes outwardly shambolic in appearance but full of super interesting stuff — mostly secondhand but also with some of the weirder new titles that you won’t see anywhere else in Stockholm.  The basement is where its at.

Pet Sounds — Skånegatan 53
I guess this is like Stockholm’s Rough Trade?  It’s just around the corner from An Ideal for Living and I mostly visit for the often decent selection of Ethnographic (Folkways/Ocora etc) records, but it’s also a very good spot to find Swedish releases.

Fylkingen — Torkel Knutssonsgatan 2
The smallest outlet here, but perhaps the most curious — in part due to its mysterious opening hours! — Lots of electronic / electro-acoustic / avant-garde records both from Fylkingen’s in-house imprint but also other allies across Europe. Mostly new records, but with some pre-loved weirdness in the racks, too. update: just got word that the shop at Fylkingen is now permanently closed! sorry.

+ some more:
Larry’s Corner, Grindsgatan 35;
Stadsmission Secondhand, Hagagatan 3;
Mickes, Långholmsgatan 13/20;
Bromma Records, Bävervägen 53;
Skivhögen, Högbergsgatan 32A;
Snickars, Hökens gata 11.