If there’s one thing I really enjoying doing on vacation, it’s record shopping. You get to see a bit of the music culture in another place, pick up some interesting local tunes, and even meet a cool person or two. So before we headed out to Vienna for the first time, I made a list of local shops as well as a few artists to look out for. While I didn’t bring home anything on my “want list”, such it was, I still returned with over 20 records in my suitcase.1
While we arrived in Vienna on a Saturday afternoon, we didn’t hit the streets in search of vinyl until Monday. This is because basically every retail store in the city is closed on Sunday. And even Monday was a bit challenging as the opening hours vary pretty wildly – most of the shops didn’t open until at least Noon, and one didn’t begin greeting customers until 2PM, which is pretty wild if you’re an American like me.
All that being said, with a little planning we were able to figure out a fairly logical route that got us to most of the shops on my list. So despite the 40 degree temps and light rain/snow mix, we hit the streets and made it to five (and a sixth on Wednesday…) record stores, buying at least one thing in each.
Rave Up
Hofmühlgasse 1, 1060 Wien
Rave Up is comprised of two fairly small rooms, both of which are full of records. Not full in the “I can’t find anything” way, but as in everything is well organized and curated. That being said there is not a lot of room to spare for squeezing by your fellow diggers. The front room is primarily rock, pop, and hip hop, with the back given over to various kinds of electronica, soundtracks, and other stuff.
The shop was pleasant and the quality of items in the bins was quite good – a combo of new and used, and everything in decent condition. Since this was our first stop, I mostly stuck to, and struck out on, my waitlist, but I did grab my first local artist of the trip, grabbing a copy of O.L.F.’s 2009 double-album Black Peppermint.
Record Shack
Reinprechtsdorfer Str. 60, 1050 Wien
I originally didn’t plan on visiting Record Shack – it was the farthest afield of those I picked out and didn’t sound like it had much in the way of rock or electronica. However, we were waiting for our lunch spot to open up, so with a few minutes to kill we wandered over.
Record Shack is a relatively small space and fairly full of mostly used records. The organization seemed… generalized. Yes, there were broad sections, but this is the kind of place where you just have to roll up your sleeves and dig, and time a luxury I didn’t have. However, they did have a small Austrian section and it yielded a few items of interest. But here is where I had a bit of a pet peeve – none of the records I picked out were priced. So I had to take them up front, wait for the guy to look them up (probably on Discogs), then let me know the prices so I could decide if I wanted them or not. At the end of the day I did, and walked out with the self-released stoner rock Temple Without Walls by Mothers of the Land, Freigang’s Fuck That Shit Politics!, and a third record I have not as of yet identified that I bought primarily for the cover.
Substance
Westbahnstrasse 16, 107 Wien
Substance was my favorite of all the shops we visited on the trip. Well-organized, it was easy to navigate and comfortable for digging. The electronic section was well-stocked and organized – much by genre and artist, but then also with some separate sub-sections for various labels and even sub-genres. As an example, there was a Noise section, but also a separate one for Japanoise and another specifically for Merzbow. And if you’re a noise head, you’ll understand why that’s important.
I bought a number of items here, including something from the Japanoise section – Violent Onsen Geisha’s 1991 Shocks! Shocks! Shocks! Also returning home with me were records by Carter Tutti Void, Austrian punks Röar, post-punks Rolltreppe, and even a surprising unofficial re-release from last year of one of the very first OG Seattle comps, Deep Six.
If I only had time to hit up one shop on a visit to Vienna, it would be Substance.
Moses Records
Lerchenfelder Str. 33, 1070 Wien
After Substance I was riding high, so we grabbed ice cream cones despite the cold temps and walked a few minuets up the road to Moses Records, a spot that probably more closely resembles an American shop than any other we visited. The front room is very rock and pop focused, though with a healthy bit of jazz as well, while the back had punk, hip hop, 12” singles, folk, and yes, even more rock. Rock rock ’til you drop, rock rock never stop.
The coolest thing about Moses, at least for me, was all the European 12” pop and rock records, which are often different than their American counterparts. I grabbed a pair of early Madonna dance singles as well as an A-Ha 12” that included the original poster. I almost broke down and bought the NIN Ghosts I-IV CD/DVD/Blu-Ray box set, but in the end common sense won out – the price was reasonable, but this just isn’t something I “need”.
I definitely could have spent some more time at Moses, and if you’re into rock it’s a good one-two punch when combined with Substance.
Totem Records
Zollergasse 18-20, 1070 Wien
Totem focuses primarily on metal and horror flics. But even if you’re into neither of those things, there still might be something here for you – there certainly was for me, particularly in the used bins where you might see some extreme metal followed immediately by a Soft Cell 12”. In fact the first thing I grabbed was a Depeche Mode People Are People 12″ with some On-U remixes. I also came across, of all things, a 12” by the duo Gum (20 Years In Blue Movies And Yet To Fake An Orgasm) as well as a few other nuggets. Definitely a worthwhile stop, at least for this guy.
Das Market
Zieglergasse 40, 1070 Wien
One shop I really wanted to visit was the electronica specialty joint Das Market. Alas, they were closed on Monday, which was the day I had set aside for digging. However… I had some time on Wednesday afternoon and got to make my way over there. As soon as I walked in, dude said “We don’t have any rock or pop or metal or jazz.” Me: “Great, then I’m in the right place.”
I asked about local artists, specifically people who aren’t very established yet, and he pulled a stack of about 20 records for me to check out at the listening station, which included opening some sealed copies. At this point in the trip I was legit not sure how I was going to be able to get everything I’d already bought into my luggage, but that didn’t stop me from picking out a half dozen cool records across some different styles. I also had a great conversation with the owner, who is a cool guy.
This is definitely a must-visit if you are into electronica. The shop isn’t huge, but the selection is well-curated and the owner knows his stuff, so don’t be afraid to ask for some recommendations.
Quick Tip: As of the time of this writing, Das Market is cash-only. There are some cash machines nearby, but just something to keep in mind.
There were still a number of stores in Vienna I didn’t get to, but at some point you have to face reality and realize you have no way to get any more records home with you. My top three faves, in no particular order, were Substance, Moses, and Das Market – which one is best for you will depend on your interests.
- Pro tip: I almost always pack a box big enough for a dozen or so records in my hard-sided suitcase. I used to pack everything in a carry-on DJ bag, but then I spent the whole flight paranoid about them any time another passenger was doing something with a bag in the same overhead bin, or whenever I head anything shifting in flight. Plus I would legit come home and have brusing on my shoulder from carrying all that weight. To date the combo of box and hard case luggage has worked perfectly. ↩︎