THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater Moscow footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
THE 6 RECORD SHOPS
Moscow trades on Melodiya pressings and modern selectors.
Moscow's record scene is smaller than its history deserves but sharper than outsiders assume. The Soviet-era Melodiya catalogue — classical, jazz, Estrada — was pressed here in tens of millions, and that second-hand supply is a global asset. DJ Records on Bolshaya Nikitskaya and Vinyl Market shops in the city centre handle the modern-day trade. Zvuk Records and Ptyu keep the club-facing end alive.
The city's edge is Soviet jazz, classical and library — records that still price fairly compared to Western equivalents. One active pressing plant (Ultra Production) presses Russian-language and international releases. Small map, dense enough for a full weekend, and the listening-bar culture is quietly serious — the Vinyl Cocktail bars, Powerhouse and its imitators mean an evening room is easy to find.
THE FIVE ROOMS
The city's essential dance-music counter — house, techno, disco, edits. Sharp curation, resident-run.
Long-running second-hand generalist — Melodiya jazz, classical, Soviet pop. The catalogue depth is unmatched here.
Compact indie / new-release shop — international reissues, contemporary jazz, ambient. The tastemaker room.
Club-oriented small shop — techno, minimal, Russian electronic. The current selector's counter.
Second-hand rare grooves — Soviet funk, disco, jazz. The digger's back room.
