James O’Connell takes a trip to some of Beijing’s best record stores.
Beijing’s music scenes are tight-knit and dedicated. From futuristic club-heads to gutter punks and everything in between, Beijing’s tune fanatics often have to deal with a variety of societal roadblocks, bringing those with a true passion together to create its unique interconnected web of sound. Live venues, restaurants, cafes, bars, and clothing shops are often shifting and expanding their definitions, open to hosting events and collaborating with each other.
The amorphous nature of these spaces is best shown in the city’s record shops, great places to meet the weirdos of the city, importing bizarre Cambodian metal or putting up a poster for a gallery event-cum-acid techno rave. Below is an introduction to some of Beijing’s best places to pick up a record, give it a spin, have a cup of coffee–or a gourmet hot dog–and delve into the myriad sounds of this megalopolis.
Address: 5th Alley, Xingfusancun, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District
朝阳区幸福三村五巷菜店隔壁
Decked out in quirky, elaborate mushroom-themed decorations, postpost is a gem in the heart of Beijing’s bustling Sanlitun shopping district, serving gourmet coffee from around the world and bespoke cocktails infused with Chinese characteristics.
Starting as a small café in the western area of Xisi, postpost has long been a hub of experimental music in Beijing, having hosted collaborations and workshops with the likes of Mexico’s N.A.A.F.I collective and maintaining a strong connection to the underground club scene. postpost’s newest location is an upgrade both in size and scope. Alongside zines about gender, art books from Berlin and Japanese fashion magazines, there is a dedicated, curated vinyl and cassette collection, closely watched by the café’s resident greyhound. Strange electronic sounds pulse out of the speakers and similarly line the shelves.
Aside from techno, house and breakbeat records, there are some auditory curiosities, such as an album of field recordings and traditional music from Southern Laos and offerings from China’s best and brightest oddball producers. There are headphones and some decks to test out the collection, as well as some of postpost’s favourite cassettes to pick up alongside your choice of vinyl, reading material and bespoke clothing.
postpost truly is a hub for all things weird in Beijing. A dedicated record shop, but one that has even more to offer.
Address: 24-3 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街24-3
The rusted sign outside this Gulou stalwart adds to the aesthetic of Indie Music as a longstanding institution of Beijing music, intentional or otherwise. Located in one of Beijing’s cultural centres, with innumerable cafes and craft beer joints in the adjoining labyrinthine hutong alleys, Indie Music stocks a wealth of CDs, vinyl records and cassettes to spend hours getting lost in.
With little room to manoeuvre because of the boxes full of newly delivered treasures taking up so much floor space, the clientele is often shoulder-to-shoulder, flipping through the wares. The choice of tunes is impressive, with local electronic compilations sandwiched between the FRIENDS soundtrack and the latest Taylor Swift offering. Chinese artists both old and new dominate the cassette selection, as well as the sizeable heavy metal CD section. Gig posters cover the walls and a blackboard behind the till has this month’s newest and best arrivals scrawled on it in chalk, giving Indie a cosy, personal touch.
Address: fRUITYSPACE
13 Meishuguan Dongjie, Dongcheng District
东城区美术馆东街13号
Address: fRUITYSHOP
18-119 Tian’ewan South Zone, Ganluyuan Zhongjie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区甘露园中街天鹅湾南区㡳商18-119号
fRUITYSPACE and fRUITYSHOP are interconnected spaces with quite different offerings. While fRUITYSPACE is located near Beijing’s famous Meishuguan art museum, with art supply shops and chic cafes in abundance in the locale, fRUITYSHOP is way out in the suburbs of Chaoyang. The two affiliates are as different as they come, with fRUITYSPACE a small, underground (literally) café, hosting gigs and live screenings of obscure documentaries from around the world. fRUITYSHOP, on the other hand, is a dedicated digger’s dream, a large, open space filled to the brim with vinyl records.
If you want a small, curated, boutique selection of records, cassettes, merch, and zines, fRUITYSPACE is where to go. It’s a place to chill out, have a coffee, and maybe check out an intimate gig.
Where fRUITYSHOP excels is in its dedication to the worlds of funk, soul, hip-hop and jazz. It’s worth the trek out to Ganluyuan to explore its meticulously catalogued selection. Sections for blue note, minimal wave and library music make fRUITYSHOP stand out amongst its peers in the ‘Jing, and the stacks of record players and vintage amplifiers scattered around the shop make for a genuinely lovely atmosphere to shop in.
Address: 103, Building 4, Gongren Tiyuchang East Road B2, Chaoyang
朝阳区工人体育场东路乙2号中国红街4号楼103
FunkyDogg is a unique proposition in the city–an established hot dog restaurant, serving up a plethora of permutations of sausage and bun. Beers in the fridge, sleek décor, situated among burger shops and pizza places, it seems like a fairly normal, modern, Western-style joint. Go upstairs, however, and it becomes a truly special record shop and venue.
Record store manager Darius Pleasant tells us that the ethos of FunkyDogg is just as much about the music as about the munch. He speaks of young Beijing kids wandering over to the music collection, featuring the likes of J Dilla, Armand Hammer and stacks of second-hand soulful records, and marvelling at the look and feel of the vinyl, the state-of-the-art turntables, and the mixer. Darius takes pride in the fact that those who simply come for a hot dog can leave intrigued by Beijing’s burgeoning scene of multi-disciplinary musical venues.
Owner Kelly Hao explains that it’s difficult in Beijing to fuse these ideas, with the northern city being more reticent to accept new artistic ideas, especially in the food and beverage industry, and points to the aforementioned postpost as a great example of the melding of F&B and music. She envisions the record shop as an experience, key to the success of the interconnected Beijing music scene.
FunkyDogg plans on expanding its scope, having hosted an all-day-long DJ gig at the beginning of 2024. With its welcoming vibes and strong dedication to a coherent vision, FunkyDogg’s future as a Beijing music hub is looking bright. The hot dogs are banging, too.
Words and photos by James O’Connell.
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