More than just a place to buy music, a great record shop functions as a neighbourhood hub. Sound Metaphors, a dance music shop on the border of Neukölln/Kreuzberg offers this local service. Along with fresh new sounds – I often walk out with white label test pressings – or freshly unearthed sounds – they have bins full of seriously rare 12”s – you will find welcoming community-minded people plotting parties, launching labels and enjoying the chill atmosphere. Somewhere between a bright and breezy nightclub, a barber shop and a scholarly symposium, it’s a pleasant place to spend time. There’s a lazy disco ball, quality sound (hand-built by Moritz von Oswald is the rumour) and a fridge full of drinks to keep you digging through the extensive though discerning music selection – all killer no filler must be the curatorial mantra here. Quality this consistent is hard to come by – it’s not often I walk into a shop and realise that, actually, I would like one of everything. Just make sure to get a copy of the in-house edits on H.A.N.D., an acronym for Have A Nice Day. Sums up the spot, nicely. (Text: Thomas Bullock / Photos: Anna Rose)
Sound Metaphors, Reichenberger Str.152, 10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg; map
Mon-Sat 13-20h
Thomas Bullock, a DJ and frequent wordsmith, has been record shopping in Berlin for 15 years and now, finally, calls it home.
