The world’s best record shops #032: Oye Records, Berlin

Summer in Berlin.

Every week, we pick out one must-visit spot from a different city around the world with photos and a little bit of history. Think of it as a kind of 1000 places to see before you die but for record shops.

Back in January we started this journey in the German Capital at techno mecca Hard Wax. But that was over thirty weeks ago, so it’s high time we returned.

This time we enter the vibrant world of Oye Records, with a pair of shops that have practically built a local and international community around them.

Oye Records

Location: Oderberger Str. 4, 10435 Berlin (pictured) & Friedelstraße 49, 12047 Berlin, Germany

Contact: +49 30 66647821

Go for: The full dance music spectrum

What’s the story? Run by Delfonic, Berlin’s hardest working DJ, and disco head Tinko, Oye began life nestled in the basement of a house in the heart of Prenzlauerberg has since spread its wing to Kreuzkölln where an outpost flies the flag south of the river.

In recent years, the store has become central to the city’s new analogue house scene; something of a community centre for upstart producers like Max Graef and Glenn Astro with a hand in burgeoning label Money $ex that’s making waves all the way to Japan.

The first port for imports from the US and UK underground, and a desirable line in local exclusives from the likes of Eddie C and Disco Halal’s Moscoman, Oye stocks ‘dance music’ in the broadest possible sense, from jazz and afro, to house, techno, and a fine selection of hip hop and beats. For those new to the shop, their excellent selection of reissues is also worth a dig.

In-stores that regularly spill out onto the street keep friends and visitors close, and mark Oye as one of the city’s most active record shops, a place to meet and discover new music like every proper record shop should be.