Record Store Day Shops - Day 25 - Sounds of the Universe - London


Sounds Of The Universe                        *The home of the Soul Jazz label*

7 Broadwick Street, London W1F 0DA
0207 734 3430
soundsoftheuniverse.com; queries@soundsoftheuniverse.com: @SOTUSOHO
Monday-Saturday 11am-5.30pm
Sunday 11.30am-5.30pm
Established 1993
Stock: Vinyl, CD, Pre-owned, Books, Clothing, Merchandise
Nearest station - Tottenham Court Road

The first thing you notice is the washing line hanging above the racks displaying the  iconic T-shirts of Sounds Of The Universe. The shop is owned by Stuart Baker who also owns the London reissue label Soul Jazz Records. Starting off from a market stall 25 years ago, SOTU is now one of the must-visit record stores in the capital. The shop is particularly strong on grime, reggae, African, dubstep, funk and soul, Brazilian and hip hop. Upstairs you will find new product with plenty of listening posts to test out potential purchases. You will also find Soul Jazz bags for sale in 7-inch and 12-inch sizes, and a unique line in old-school vintage tracksuits.



Downstairs the basement is packed full of pre-owned vinyl, including some extremely rare albums and surprises. You would never expect to pick up a copy of The Best of Lynn Anderson, but I noticed a copy in the well-stocked pre-owned country section. Do make the effort to look in the boxes under the racking as plenty of well-priced stock is located there. 



You will normally find the shop’s main buyer Jonathan Burnip sitting in the corner behind the counter downstairs. He has a wealth of experience and is always pleased to recommend releases. The shop also has one of the finest selections of new and used music-related books I have come across. Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and Martin Freeman are among the regular customers, but a big highlight for the shop was the day Prince walked in.


Over 220 independent record shops featured in The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen
Available at your local record shop or online at http://smarturl.it/vinylrevival

Look out for the film based on the book. The Vinyl Revival'  which is released on Record Store Day  April 13th. The film comes free with the album The Vinyl Revival. Only available in independent record shops on RSD






Check out the trailer


https://youtu.be/dDYrd0N2cIA




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