Best places to buy vinyl in Seoul
By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
If you’re anything like us, perusing through piles of dusty records is a regular fixture of your weekend plans. But whether you're a newbie looking to stock up on childhood favourites or a seasoned vinyl junkie, it's not always easy to know where to find what you're looking for.
Welcome Records
Yongsan-gu, Seoul
welcomerecords.co.kr
Selection: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Condition: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
At the end of last year, Welcome Records moved their store over to Haebangchon. This has been a terrible move for us since Platform HQ is right next door, so now it is too tempting not to go there all the time.
Welcome Records is a little more specialist than other stores. While you'll still find the occasional Led Zeppelin record, this is not really the store for rock and pop fanatics. Instead, Welcome Records focuses on groove-centric music. You'll find absolutely tonnes of funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, EDM, and more. Welcome Records also has an impressive selection of 12" singles meaning it is a regular haunt for vinyl DJs.
There're a lot of other things to love about WR other than its impressive collection. For one, they have decks set up for customers to try before they buy. They also sell beer and coffee, making the atmosphere there feel more relaxed.
One of our favourite things about Welcome, though, is their in-house events. They do regular record release parties, DJ nights, and even art exhibitions in their two-floor store.
Gimbab Records
Mapo-gu, Seoul
gimbabrecords.com
Selection: 3.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Condition: 5/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
Many of you may know the name Gimbab Records for the live music shows they produce. They bring some of the coolest bands and artists on the planet to play over here. Some of their shows have featured Mac DeMarco, Japanese Breakfast, Mount Eerie, Yo La Tengo, Perfume Genius, to name a few.
You'll find the same focus on the hipper end of music in their record store. In some ways, what Welcome Records is to funk and hip-hop, Gimbab Records is to indie.
Gimbab Records does have lots of big names but what makes them stand out is that you'll find Queen's Night at the Opera sitting next to obscure Arthur Russell compilations.
It is a very forward-focused collection too. In fact, Gimbab is probably the best place in Seoul to get brand new releases from your favourite bands.
Gimbab is, in many ways, Seoul's answer to Rough Trade records. If you're looking to bolster your collection with some quality indie choices, there's nowhere better in Seoul.
Dope Records
Mapo-gu, Seoul
doperecords.com
Selection: 4.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Condition: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Dope Records is a bastion of the local vinyl scene. They have a massive collection with a great range of genres represented. One area they specialise in is East-Asian releases with a vast mix of classic pop from Korea, Japan, and China. If that's not your thing, though, don't worry; Western pop is well represented too!
On top of that, they have tonnes of merchandise for the biggest artists in musical history. T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, absolutely everything you could want for the discerning music fan.
Dope Records is an excellent introduction to vinyl shopping in Seoul. They have a range in both selection and pricing that makes them the perfect visit for both newbies and more experienced collectors.
Dongmyo Market
Jongno-gu, Seoul
Selection: 4.5/5
Price: 5/5
Condition: 1.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Dongmyo Market is a colossal flea market where you're always surprised by what you find. Down one alleyway, you'll see piles of cheap clothes on the floor; down another, you'll see literal Nazi-Party paraphernalia. It is also one of the best places in Seoul to find affordable, pre-owned LPs.
There are two kinds of places to find records in Dongmyo: dedicated stores (such as Dol Recors and Oldies But Goodies) and general bric-a-brac stores. Because the stores have no curational philosophy to speak of, the range of music is incredibly vast. You'll find every genre from the 50s to the 90s buried in the mountains of used records here. As you might expect, the odds of finding anything recent here are low-to-none. Also, because of the nature of flea markets, there's no filter for quality. Anything and everything tends to wash up on Dongmyo's shores, and you will have to dig deep to find the real gems here.
But there are gems here, and best of all, they're cheap. You may end up finding one of your favourite albums covered in dust, in a box, under a table, in the corner of a store for under 15,000.
If your musical tastes are focused on vintage sounds and you're not afraid of records that are a little worn around the edges, Dongmyo is the place for you.
Hoehyeon Underground Market
Jung-gu
Selection: 5/5
Price: 2.5/5
Condition: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Despite both being markets and both featuring mostly second-hand stuff, Heoyeon and Dongmyo are very different cats.
Heoyeon is no flea market, and the store owners there really know their stuff. This has its positives and negatives. On the one hand, you're unlikely to find many bargains here. The sellers are well aware of the value of their LPs, and almost nothing will be underpriced. On the other hand, you will find an incredible range of titles here. Heoyeon is easily the best collection of vinyl under one roof in Seoul. There're tens of thousands of titles here, ranging from household names to obscure artists.
Heoyon is not really for the casual collector. The prices are often high, and the massive amount of titles can be a little daunting. Still, if you're a serious vinyl hound with entire days to flick through records, you will love it here.
Clique Records
Jung-gu, Seoul
cliquerecords.kr
Selection: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Condition: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Clique Records is another incredible place to pick up new and used vinyl that treads outside the mainstream.
Clique's speciality is underground dance music. You can find a whole range of floor-filling 12-inch records; here from rare-groove soul to Italo disco and, of course, tonnes of electronic music.
The selection isn't as vast as some places, and you won't find many ultra well-known titles here. That's not their style. What you will find is a gorgeously curated collection of groove-focused jams from every corner of the Earth.
Clique also host their own in-house events. They’re regularly joined by some top names from the underground dance scene - both local and abroad.
The owners of Clique have also opened a bar in the same building. The name of the bar is The Edge, and it sells food, organic wine and craft beer.
Nullpan
Mapo-gu
Selection: 2/5
Price: 3.5/5
Condition: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Calling Nullpan a "record store" doesn't really reflect what this venue is. What we love about Nullpan is that it's basically a bar that also sells records.
This small basement pub is the perfect place to pick up a few albums, have a pint, and talk about your purchases. The friendly owners of the bar will even play your new LPs on their sound system.
Nullpan doesn't boast an especially large collection, but their rock and metal LP selection is substantial. If bands like Kiss and Alice Cooper are your thing, you will absolutely love Nullpan.
Peter Pan Vinyl
Mapo-gu
Selection: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Condition: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
One of the first things you know notice about Peter Pan Records is the decoration. Lots of vintage east-Asian paraphernalia give the place an attractive, kitsch quality.
In the cozy basement store, there's a good selection of Korean and Japanese releases. They also have a decent amount of jazz and movie soundtracks.
Popspitel
Mapo-Gu
Selection: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Condition: 5/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Popsipetel's vinyl selection is small, comprised of just two shelving units. Inside this modestly sized collection, though, is a deceptively great range of genre-spanning music. Lots of varied and eclectic titles, some old and some more recent.
Popsipetel doesn't sell used records; all of their albums are brand-new. Despite this, the prices are actually pretty good, and it's one of the more inexpensive places to pick up unused LPs.
