WHERE TO FIND VINYL IN KENYA

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rowing up in  a music family; I used to  see my dad play old records on his vinyl player and they would soothe him in the evening. Then technology and compact discs; DVDS and discs took over.

But a man in Nairobi still holds to the rarities and forgotten gems called vinyl. Located in a narrow aisle in Kenyatta Market; is an unmarked stall; famous for playing songs from the bygone eras.

Welcome to the cool retro shop located at stall 570. Despite having no name; the repute and fame of stall 570 is bigger that any name. The man behind the counter is the youthful-looking 50 year old James Murugami who also doubles up as the shop owner; and has been pushing vinyl for half his life, starting in 1988.

He’s surrounded by stacks of dusty records whose covers reflect the age of some of his clientele. Though the stall is modest in its size; its many crates full of great hits from the likes of Franco and Tabu ley; and even the soundtrack to “Out of Africa.”

To maintain the vintage shop; James sources old records from people’s home- a task that could be slowly on its way to extinctions.

Prices of records at the shop vary between KSH 150 to KSH 300 and more; depending on their rarity and the cost James incurred while acquiring them. He also repairs vinyl record players; turntables and replaces styluses at the shop, charging KES 500 to convert an LP into a digital format.

For more info on where to find vinyl records in Nairobi, facebook page Nairobi Vinyl record collectors or call james-0721 528797

This piece was an inspiration from Nairobi UP Magazine. and Nairobi Vinyl Record Collectors page

By Embukane Vincent Libosso.