THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater Bristol footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
THE 36 RECORD SHOPS
Bristol still presses the UK's heaviest bass records.
Bristol's record scene is a direct descendant of its sound-system culture. Idle Hands on Stokes Croft is the current global reference for UK dub, techno and dubstep. Rough Trade Bristol handles the wider indie/rock lane; Wanted, Payback and Plastic Wax cover second-hand, funk and soul.
The city is compact enough to cover on foot in a day, but the depth is unusual for a city its size — sound-system heritage means labels and pressing plants (Sound Performance's Bristol operations, historically) keep quality tight. The listening scene runs through Cosies and the Lakota complex.
THE FIVE ROOMS
74 Stokes Croft. The current global reference for UK dub, techno, dubstep and leftfield electronic. Chris Farrell's counter still sets the tone.
In-stores, new releases, curated indie — the shop that keeps Bristol's chart honest.
The market's second-hand institution — soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop. Heavy stock, fair prices.
Soul, funk, rare 45s, jazz — the collector counter for Bristol DJs and diggers.
Bristol's biggest second-hand generalist — decades of stock, everything from prog to reggae.