Electronica for audiophiles (Part 10 - Berlin record stores)

The Hof? Not David Hasselhof, Knight Rider, but the German word for ‘yard’. Put Hinter on the front – Hinterhof – and we have ourselves a backyard. Berlin’s most talked about record store, Hard Wax, asks its visitors to journey through one back yard, then another and then up six flights of dimly-lit stairs to reach its front door. But just as Hard Wax isn’t just about techno, Berlin’s electronic music vinyl scene isn’t only about Hard Wax. Record stores dealing in techno, ambient, trance, house and dub/step are sprinkled far and wide, some with unassuming street frontages and signage, others part of larger commercial operations.

In this video, I tell the story of ten of my favourite Berlin records stores through ten vinyl records, all featuring some form of electronic music. Think of this as the latest in the ‘Electronica for Audiophiles’ series. A few are what one mightly crudely call ‘club bangers’ but most are conducive to home listening.