Monkey Music Emporium

I was hot footing it down Baker street today to get some more shoes repaired at Brogues and as I was walking back to my bike I caught sight of a vinyl player. I looked up to see a whole new shop that I was hitherto completely unaware of. The shop was of course Monkey Music. Despite being in a rush to get home I popped in for a quick nose and was immediately greeted with the wonderful and musty smell of old records. The next thing to accost my senses was the sounds of 1970s prog-​rock and the sight of a man at the counter with long greying hair and a bit of a Bill Baily-​esque beard. At first I thought I had just stumbled on another great vintage record dealership but as I cast my eyes to the back of the shop I noticed the back room selection of old HIFI gear as well. Being a bit of a jazz freak (and having recently inherited my parents gargantuan record collection) this was extremely exciting for me. Sadly I had to bust a groove myself so left without collecting a new pair of Mission 770s and more vinyl then I could ever hope to carry one my motorbike.
I did have time enough to speak to the dude behind the counter though and leant that they had been in business for three months. I think anyone with a good solid interest in old records should take a bit of time out of the North Laines and come and give this place a session while the stock’s still hot.

I’m definitely a fan of this gem of a record store. If you have an interest in vinyl or alternative music, this is unquestionably the place to go visit.
When you step inside you quickly become aware of how small the store is; there are records along every wall, with an island of CD’s in the middle of the living room sized shop.
In terms of selection, I was massively surprised by what was on offer. I found 3 Pixies 12′ vinyls, all in top condition, all costing £6 each. Obscure bands of the 90’s like Sonic Youth, or dead musicians from the 60’s like James Brown are all immortalised in record form within the emporium.
I don’t think there is a thing that could be said against Monkey music emporium, certainly not from a music lover’s perspective. The range of records on offer makes it so easy just to waste time flicking through row after row, waiting to see what you’ll discover.

This is a supremely awesome shop that lives just a little way off of London Road, and stocks a wide range of good quality records in prime condition at extremely reasonable prices. There’s a collection of CDs to peruse too, but the real focus is the wealth of records to flick through. I found a fair few rarities here, and although I don’t have a Vinyl player at uni, picked them up to display on my wall. Joy Division’s «Love Will Tear us Apart» and Kitchens of Distinction’s «Quick as Rainbows» both tempted me, and I raked the last few pence out of my wallet so that I could take ‘em home with me for a meagre £6.50. Seeing that it was all the money that I had left, the cashier was nice enough to let me off the 50p in case I needed it in an emergency!
Now I’m no lightning calculator, but I could see I was already getting a deal as it was, and to get a considerable percentage off on top from the kindness of a strangers heart just sweetened the deal. From now on, I have two music shops in my life. Resident for CD’s, and Monkey Music for Vinyl. Simple as