Aktrecords
Aktrecords wouldn’t feel out of place in London’s Shoreditch, a hip, urban boutique half dedicated to DJ vinyl, half to streetwear by still-fashionable Detroit brand Carhartt, and tops and caps from other desirable clothes labels. ‘Sleek’ is probably the word that springs to mind as you step into the store from a gray stretch of Ó utca, finding to your left a modest row of bins categorized ‘Deephouse’, ‘Scratch/Battle’ and ‘Breakcore/Hard Jungle’. Any vinyl purveyor with a section of records marked ‘Berghain’ is obviously appealing to a particularly discerning market. Also awaiting visitors are two DJ decks and a table by the window, where you can sit down and compare purchases with your equally hip shopping companion.
Address: 1066 Budapest, Ó utca 35
Phone: +36 1 607 1341
Open: Mon-Fri noon-7pm, Sat noon-4pm
Deep
Deep is another DJ store but feels wonderfully illicit, a dark trove filled wall-to-wall with vinyl, hidden behind shutters of arty urban graffiti, tucked the other side of the House of Terror. The uninitiate enters like Howard Carter discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun. Yes, wonderful things are within, the selection of labels on the tip of the iceberg available online – suffice to say that the dedicated Deep team offers releases by 225 labels beginning with the letter ‘d’ alone. The Budapest branch of a business instigated by enthusiasts in Sopron, Deep lays out its stock in logical fashion, with an area for rarer rock and indie albums. All is shrinkwrapped, but it looks like they may well have a Diamond Dogs gatefold currently begging to be snapped up.
Address: 1062 Budapest, Aradi utca 22
Phone: +36 1 301 0591
Open: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat noon-4pm
Lemezkuckó
Lemezkuckó, the ‘Record Nook’, feels like a classic secondhand vinyl store, manned by earnest staff of a certain age, busy cataloguing and cleaning platters as you browse the extensive premises. Clearly advertised on the Grand Boulevard by the Király utca tram stop, Lemezkuckó drags in a lot of passing trade, drawn by the promise of David Gilmour Live At Pompeii in the display window. This is very much a mainstream outlet for the pre-punk, pre-techno generation, whose popularity has risen with the rediscovery of vinyl. As owner István Bánházi puts it, ‘every day we sell something, Floyd, the Beatles…’ Apart from an encyclopaedic range of Hungarian pop and rock albums, and varied one of UK and American releases, Lemezkuckó stocks an enticing pile of 45s by the main counter, chunky vinyl treasure on Qualiton, Pepita, and so on. It also distributes concert tickets.
Address: 1077 Budapest, Király utca 67
Phone: +36 1 351 1218
Open: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-1pm
Rock In’ Box Records
Don’t be put off by the somewhat discordant name. Rock In’ Box is a treat to behold. Holding out against ever-gentrifying Paulay Ede utca, psychedelic images of the Beatles providing a little street color alongside minimalist contemporary boutiques specializing in interior décor, Rock In’ Box Records is accessed by pressing a little doorbell. A friendly, shuffling curator welcomes you in, gesturing to long lines of rockabilly, doo-wop and ’50s’ joy. Forage a little further and you find improbably obscure releases from behind the Iron Curtain, Gomułka-era Polish records a-plenty and boxed concertinas of Czechoslovak Supraphon singles that should be individually labeled in a museum. Sadly closed at weekends, when key stock may travel to record fairs and flea markets.
Address: 1061 Budapest, Paulay Ede utca 8
Phone: +36 1 268 9559
Open: Mon noon-6pm, Tue-Fri 10am-6pm
Wave
It’s been here forever, Wave, lurking down a sidestreet behind the Hungarian State Opera, its black color scheme reflecting a lifetime of dedication to indie thrash. It doesn’t look like it when you enter – you’ll be awkwardly moving around enthusiasts eagerly rifling through album covers – but there’s also plenty of room offered to rap, jazz and folk, too. There’s even a whole section dedicated to Soviet Melodiya albums – Moscow-issued Leo Sayer, anyone? Your go-to store for Hungarian punk compilations (all hail Csermanek Lakótelep!), Wave also stocks T-shirts in uniform black and CDs. Staff happy to inform and advise.
Address: 1065 Budapest, Révay köz 1
Phone: +36 1 269 0754
Open: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-3pm
