Aware Records
Joburg's favourite one-stop record shop would be Aware on Juta Street in Braamfontein. The store is stacked with everything from The National's Trouble Will Find Me to '70s dub from Jamaica. Aware sells both second hand and new LPs. If you're into old school rock then this is the spot you should go blow your wages at.
Where: 82 Juta Street, Braamfontein, Joburg
Record Mad
In Linden there's a little shop filled with rock 'n roll and soul so deep that even Adel is rolling in it. Record Mad has been going for quite some time now and has built itself a neat little cult following: from hipsters dressed in their grannie's pants to DJs still spinning vinyl, they all prefer Record Mad.
Where: Shop 4, Linden Place, 59 4th Avenue, Linden, Joburg
Jazz Avenue
Situated in Brightwater Commons, Jazz Avenue specialises in its namesake - jazz. But don't let that put you off from visiting the shop. Besides what is cooler than listening to an original pressing of Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool while drinking good Scotch? Try it - some say it's the closest we'll get to reaching Nirvana.
Where: Stall A08, Brightwater Commons, Republic Road, Randburg, Joburg
Just CDs
In Braamfontein Centre there's a shop with a misleading name. Just CDs doesn't just sell CDs, but stocks vinyl records from the roof to the ceiling. It's the gem you shouldn't tell people about just to make sure you stay one step ahead of the trend - a trend we most certainly hope sticks around for a very long time.
Where: Braamfontein Centre, corner De Korte and Jan Smuts streets, Joburg
Multi-Racial Records
Yeah, yeah, Pretoria is NOT Jozi, but we need to include this because Multi-Racial has a huge part to play in the vinyl revival. The MRR started out as an events company in 1999 and soon evolved into a record store and recording studio. What makes Multi-Racial a fighter for the cause is the fact that all the records the studio released were first printed on vinyl - and this was during a time when CDs were booming. Besides, the shop is literally a Gautrain outing from Joburg. We should start holding hands with P-Town anyway.
Where: Duncan Yard Centre, 1204 Prospect Street, Hatfield, Tshwane
