Garth Cartwright
Author
Garth Cartwright is a New Zealand-born, London-based journalist, author, DJ, and music promoter. He has written extensively on music and culture for various publications, including The Guardian. He is the author of several books including London’s Record Shops and Going for a Song: A Chronicle of the UK Record Shop.
Contributor & Researcher
Sean Dudley
Sean is a freelance historical researcher and heritage practitioner based in Leicester, who previously worked with 2Funky Arts on the Exploring Leicester’s Hidden Nightlife project.
“It has been an absolute privilege to be involved with this project, and something I am very proud of. Exploring the history of record shops specialising in Black music in England has offered a fascinating insight into an important part of the social history of this country.”
This book explores the vibrant history of England’s independent record stores that specialised in Black music. It features insights from those who worked and shopped in them, including Mr Scruff, DJ Swerve, Ronnie Herel, David Rodigan, Carol Leeming MBE, Claudia Wilson, Ammo Talwar MBE and David Nathan. From fifties jazz to nineties club culture, these iconic record stores served as vital hubs of community and creativity, playing a key role in shaping the landscape of Black music.
Featured Record Stores
Punch Records (1997 - 2005)
Between 1997 and 2005, Punch Records was the go-to store for reggae, soul, grime, jazz funk and dubstep garage in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham.
The store was owned by Ammo Talwar. Following its closure, he continued the Punch legacy through a music and arts agency that still operates today.
“Ultimately, we’re a modern day music store. We just don’t sell records, but we still do Black music. We still coordinate talent development, which we did before. We still work with the community, we’re still tastemakers, we’re still very diverse. The only difference is we just don’t have a shopfront.”
– Ammo Talwar MBE
Eastern Bloc (1986 - Present)
Afflecks Palace in Manchester has been the place where many institutions of the city have established, and the Eastern Bloc record shop fits this description to a tee.
Established in 1985, Eastern Bloc started life at Afflecks Palace before moving to Oldham Street and then 5a Stevenson Square, where it still operates today.
Eastern Bloc’s owners John Berry and Martin Price have created a store specialising in drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, dubstep, house, techno and electronica.
“In the biggest shops like Eastern Bloc, they’d put bags aside for all the big DJs in advance, you know, so they’d get all the hot, fresh stuff put aside”
DJ Paulette
Pure Vinyl (2017 - Present)
Situated at 246 Ferndale Rd in Brixton, Pure Vinyl is owned by Claudia Wilson. The store specialises in reggae, hip hop and soul, and has a strong community presence.
“The shop is now a community. I sell reggae, I sell soul, I sell stuff that people around here will identify with. It wasn’t all about headphones in your ears when I was younger. It was about sharing the music, and that’s what records are about.”
– Claudia Wilson
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