Paris and London spots

marumaru 1,450 Posts
edited January 2008 in Strut Central
I'll be going with my girl in March. I'm pretty excited as I haven't been out of the country in about 10 years. Anyone know what record shops are worth checking out? Also anything else in the way of food, bars, sites & sounds that are recommended??Thanks.

  Comments


  • london: hmmmmmmm, where to start...records, there's a couple flea markets, the game exchange in camden has a good array of records. i found my best dub dancehall joint there for a 5'er. some modestly priced, some crazy. the game exchange in notting hill (same franchise) has a really good hip-hop selection. when i was there i basically put a hold on everything except dancehall and rap. trust me, they got some good 12's there...but stay away from them horrible UK techo mixes they have. i got, got a few times goin through dollar bins comin up with some 12's i never seen then it turnin out to be the album release on one side, and some garbage on the other. both those game exchanges are on the high streets of the neighborhoods. brixton had a really dope swap meet i went to in the summer with ass loads of reggae.

    peep the whole city. it's a good place. truth be told, the whole damn city besides oxford circus/brick lane/picadilly is just like on giant ass fordham rd if you ever been to the bronx.

    somewhat expensive compared to the USD since we're weak & feeble.

    food, get them kebabs son! hahahaha. there's a dope kebab spot in camden town called woody grill. best veggie ones ever. red mango is a good lil chain they got out there too. worth checkin out. other than that, they got lots of tandori spots and some other stuff like nando's which has some alright curry. no west indi curry though, but cop that too.

    shit lemme know what else you thinkin about. i been all over that city.

  • Check out 12inch in paris. Their website is 12inch.fr
    My favorite area in Paris was around the intersection of Boulevard St. Michelle & St. Germain.
    I didn't go to a lot of clubs, but I had a blast at Favela Chic. There's one in London too, but I've only been to the one in paris. http://www.favelachic.com/index.php

  • pretty much what maru said, there are two record exchanges in camden (same franchise) theyre about 20m apart on opposite sides of the road. the hip hop in the notting hill one is decent. if you want some proper dusty crate digging head to cheapo cheapo records in soho its a green shop with bars on the window. Berwich street (off oxford street) has a load of record shops and some days a market best thing is just to wander. vinyl vulture used to have a guide to london i imagine it may still be somewhere on the interweb maybe someone on here can help you out with a url.

    for food, check out china town for chinese, beware though some places are just day old crap in a pot so youll have to use your instict, if youre vegi you check out tai (in same area) which is completely vegan, they do all sorts of stuff with tofu which is pretty impressive (on a oriental cuisine tip). If you want a kebab or any other turkish and greek food head to green lanes (get off at manor house tube - having a kebab on that road is one of the top 100 things to do in london). For curry head to brick lane but again there are some con artists so just use your insticts, there are some alright clubs and bars round there as well. be warned though you are entering scenestersville in those parts. If you are going drinking look for a Samuel Smiths pub (they are chain but don't look it, if you see what i mean) to start its CHEAP and means your evening in london won't cost you too much.

  • naw i'd stay away from the chinatown in london. too expensive for mediocre chinese food. you get about the same shit for dirt cheap at the bulletproof joint across the street back home. that one thai buffet chain they got out there is pretty dope. except they never had any mock meat for me [...]

    yeah there's loads of good spots to eat in london. ohh yo, what's that one crazy ass burger place a little north in the city off the northern line? i been there and had some veggie burger but from the looks of it they did up their meat ones too. mad dope.

    yo get me some lychee rubicon juice & winegums while you're out there!! hahahahahaha!

  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    thanks for the info. i found this: http://www.vinylvulture.co.uk/pages/digger-lond-cent-1.htm

    if anyone can speak to any of these spots that would be cool.

  • naw i'd stay away from the chinatown in london. too expensive for mediocre chinese food.

    theres a couple good bars or pubs or whatevers in london chinatown tho. and cosign on that brick lane indian food xmas light show.

    the swapmeets or fleas or markets or whatevers they call them shits out there are kinda cool. different from here cuz there actual yuppies and shit hit up the swaps and its like bougie artisans and such selling goods. mucho buskers too, tho i wasnt a huge fan of that.

  • Chez Youri in Paris is good. Cant remember the address though.

    Have a safe trip.

    Dress

  • records where mad expensive in Paris. I'd check Betino's but DEFINETLY hit up some fleas. It might be hard since you're with your girl but fuck records that START at 20.00.

  • records where mad expensive in Paris. I'd check Betino's but DEFINETLY hit up some fleas. It might be hard since you're with your girl but fuck records that START at 20.00.

    i dont know about frenchy but in london, ur girl would love the markets. light on the crust and almost everyone showers.

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    It seems like you could do real well if you brought a trades with you, American records that aren't too tough to find over here but will pull in double at a store in Europe.

  • Chez Youri in Paris is good. Cant remember the address though.

    Have a safe trip.

    Dress

    Uh, Youri closed his shop very recently. That was our best spot.


    12 INCH :
    19, rue de Palestro 75002 Paris
    Spinna likes it over there.

    Yeah it's quite cold in Paris right now, but not that bad...

    Lodon wise, the Vinyl Exchange shops are the ones you wanna hit like it's already been said (their website is not the freshest -> http://www.mveshops.co.uk/index.php )

  • not for nothen, but rap 7" pic sleeves, which i believe are in high demand right now, are plentiful in england. or at least they were...

  • paris and london are fantastic cities, just not for records unless you have some secret connections.

    Parisian records stores are depressingly overpriced, very spread out, and with very ho hum selections. chez youri used to be the spot but i guess it went the way of all good things. jazz record corner of the world is kind of a neat shop because its all jazz (with an interesting euro section) but the prices are offensive.

    London is a bit better. as mentioned, the vinyl exchange at nottingham and in camden are definitely worth checking out. massive turnover, they reduce the prices weekly on everything and i have come up there more than a few times. a lot of the places in that vinyl vulture digging guide are kaput.

    cosign on bringing some vinyl to trade in if you can. 10 dollar common soul/jazz/fusion records like charles earland, cti, etc often go for the equivalent of about 25-50 bucks.

    have a great trip

  • I had a lot of luck in Paris in Pawn/Hock shops...seemed to always have a shit ton of records in them...try the Pigalle for these types of shops...also at the foot of Mounmarte/Sacre Couer area there are a lot of little antique shops..just ask for records, it was raer that a dude didnt go in the back and come out with at least one box of 45s...but yeah shops arent cheap...one near the Bastille had a Jacques Tati "Traffic" OST on the wall, but when I wanted to buy the guy just looked at the record, scratched his chin and said, "uh, no"...but he did sell me a "Polnareffs" for 10 euro, so he redeemed himself a tad...

  • You should definitely pass by Flashback Records and Haggle Vinyl in Islington (Angel on the Northern line). It's a nice neighborhood, plus there's a good French restaurant nearby, Le Petit Auberge

  • djsheepdjsheep 3,620 Posts
    Damn... chez youri closed. SAD. that was my favorite shop in France by far. Affordable records, lots of stock, nothing was really collector priced, no popsike... very nice store... i'm not sure where else to dig good now aside from private dealers....





    peace.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    For curry head to Tooting Bec[/b]



    The Kastoori on Upper Tooting Road is one of the best curry houses in London. Strictly vegetarian, but the food's so good, even the meat-eaters I know rave about it.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    You should definitely pass by Flashback Records and Haggle Vinyl in Islington (Angel on the Northern line). It's a nice neighborhood, plus there's a good French restaurant nearby, Le Petit Auberge

    Good advice - Flashbook has decent prices and really good staff, Haggle has a whole mess of unsorted, unpriced stock under the racks and an eccentric owner (glasses, moustache, air of paranoia b/w detached contempt). The shops are about a hundred yards apart. Alan's Records up in Finchley (15 minutes Tube ride from Islington) is my favourite spot but there is nothing for your girl to do up there if she isn't into digging. Haven't been to Le Petit Auberge but for an evening meal Ottolenghi is Islington is fantastic and not too expensive.

    A lot of the spots in the Vinyl Vulture guide have closed but Camden still has two record exchanges almost opposite each other - the big one has high prices but some nice records while the other one is a real bargain bin pick and mix full of shite but which sometimes yields impossibly nice records for ridiculously low prices. Probably best for Latin and jazz. Tony in the Lock Market has a stall 50 yards further on over the bridge in the little courtyard - lovely bloke with a small but tasty selection. Have lunch at Wagamama in Camden.

    Soho still has a couple of spots on Berwick Street (just south of Oxford Street)...Portobello road in west London also has a few shops like Intoxica as well as some tiny stalls on market days.

    Have fun.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    For curry head to Tooting Bec[/b]



    The Kastoori on Upper Tooting Road is one of the best curry houses in London. Strictly vegetarian, but the food's so good, even the meat-eaters I know rave about it.

    Tooting's got fantastic food. Quite far to go, though. Brick Lane also has some excellent Bangladeshi spots. The New Himalayan on Eversholt St near Euston Station is a good Nepali restaurant.

  • chimachima 33 Posts
    lodon is expensive id only go to the notting hill record exchange!

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Thanks for sharing.

  • London is a bit better. as mentioned, the vinyl exchange at nottingham and in camden are definitely worth checking out.


    ... you sound american

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    'nahdding - HAYum'

    b/w

    'nahdding HEEyull'

  • nottingham= city in the midlands near my neck of the woods, notting hill= upscale district in london that drains my wallet whenever i am in london.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Nottingham - land of Jimster

    Notting Hill - land of trustafarians and Hugh Grant

    nuff said

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,947 Posts
    Funky Monkey is the spot for vinyl in Nottingham, if not the only one left doing those round black things that don't work on an ipod. Dudes know their stuff in there; tracked me down some Kaidi a long time ago when I'd heard some DJ on an in-plane radio channel of all places, play the last minute or so of "Betcha".

    "Got any Kai De Tatum, ar kid?"

    How we all laughed.

  • d'oh--- i lived only a few miles from nottingham----- yes notting hill road record exchange is the spot.


    if you are near leicester, uk (near nottingham)- make sure you go to ultima thule

  • coolchriscoolchris 301 Posts
    That's a bummer Youri closed. That was my top French dude for a minute. He always came with insane trades. Nicest dude ever. I used to joke he looked like Joey from Friends.

  • Funky Monkey is the spot for vinyl in Nottingham, if not the only one left doing those round black things that don't work on an ipod.
    yeah...damn shame bout selectadisc, but i hear rumours its going to re-open, you know anything about this? also what do you think of robs records in nottingham- diggers paradise or full of charity shop chud? Funky monkey is still a good spot, there used to be that place mushimushi in town near it but they moved out- apparently the owner of that store has 8 (!) shops in japan! i gotta check his new store.
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