Electronic, Techno & House Record Shops in London
The club 12-inch: from Soho to Peckham, where to buy electronic vinyl
Electronic vinyl is bought differently from everything else. You're not after the album, you're after the right 12-inch — the cut that works on a floor, often pressed in small numbers, sometimes with nothing on the label at all. In London that means two poles: the Soho institution that has held the club end for two decades, and the new wave rising to the south, around Peckham. This guide points you to the right racks for whatever you play.
Electronic in London: from the 12-inch to the club
Club music has its own rules at the counter too. The format isn't the LP but the 12-inch — the maxi-single carrying a track, a remix, a dub — and it's the DJ's currency. White labels, promos, limited runs: the value often sits not in a famous name but in the scarcity of the press and the weight of the record on a floor.
London is one of Europe's capitals for the genre, and its electronic map keeps moving. For years Soho was the centre of gravity; today the liveliest scene is shifting south, into the neighbourhoods where the new clubs and shops are opening. Following that drift is part of the game.
And there's a reason London weighs so heavily in electronic music: this city generated genres. Jungle and drum and bass were born here in the early 1990s, dubstep broke out of Croydon and south London in the early 2000s, grime came up out of the east end. Buying electronic in London means digging into a history the city wrote first-hand rather than imported — and the right shops still keep it on the shelves.
Club music has its own rules at the counter too. The format isn't the LP but the 12-inch — the maxi-single carrying a track, a remix, a dub — and it's the DJ's currency. White labels, promos, limited runs: the value often sits not in a famous name but in the scarcity of the press and the weight of the record on a floor.
London is one of Europe's capitals for the genre, and its electronic map keeps moving. For years Soho was the centre of gravity; today the liveliest scene is shifting south, into the neighbourhoods where the new clubs and shops are opening. Following that drift is part of the game.
And there's a reason London weighs so heavily in electronic music: this city generated genres. Jungle and drum and bass were born here in the early 1990s, dubstep broke out of Croydon and south London in the early 2000s, grime came up out of the east end. Buying electronic in London means digging into a history the city wrote first-hand rather than imported — and the right shops still keep it on the shelves.
Phonica: the Soho institution
Phonica Records (51 Poland Street, Soho) is the fixed point: one of the strongest club and electronic selections in Europe, from house through techno to the outer edges, with in-store events and staff who live the scene. It's not unusual to find front-rank producers digging the racks. If you buy electronic in London and have time for one stop, this is it.
A short walk away, also in Soho, the electronic side of Sounds of the Universe (7 Broadwick Street) is worth remembering: the Soul Jazz Records shop isn't only soul and jazz, and the downstairs electronic and leftfield section rewards anyone after something curated and less obvious.
Phonica Records (51 Poland Street, Soho) is the fixed point: one of the strongest club and electronic selections in Europe, from house through techno to the outer edges, with in-store events and staff who live the scene. It's not unusual to find front-rank producers digging the racks. If you buy electronic in London and have time for one stop, this is it.
A short walk away, also in Soho, the electronic side of Sounds of the Universe (7 Broadwick Street) is worth remembering: the Soul Jazz Records shop isn't only soul and jazz, and the downstairs electronic and leftfield section rewards anyone after something curated and less obvious.
Beyond Soho: the new Peckham wave
South London is now the most interesting ground for electronic. Inverted Audio Record Store (Rye Lane, Peckham), opened in 2023, is the most carefully curated arrival of the recent scene: electronic, dance and experimental, a small space and a precise selection, grown out of a publication that has covered the music for years. Check the hours before you go — it's the kind of shop that keeps its own rhythm.
Around it, Peckham and the southern neighbourhoods are growing the ecosystem Soho already has: clubs, labels, shops. It's the place to get ahead of the scene rather than just follow it.
South London is now the most interesting ground for electronic. Inverted Audio Record Store (Rye Lane, Peckham), opened in 2023, is the most carefully curated arrival of the recent scene: electronic, dance and experimental, a small space and a precise selection, grown out of a publication that has covered the music for years. Check the hours before you go — it's the kind of shop that keeps its own rhythm.
Around it, Peckham and the southern neighbourhoods are growing the ecosystem Soho already has: clubs, labels, shops. It's the place to get ahead of the scene rather than just follow it.
What to look for, how to move
For electronic, freshness counts as much as rarity: many club releases are pressed in small runs and vanish fast, so the physical shop — where you hear before you buy — is a real edge over digital. Hunt the promos and white labels, but trust your ear on the headphones at the counter above all.
Practically, the axis is clear: Soho for depth and settled used stock, Peckham for discovery. Phonica is five minutes from Oxford Circus; Inverted Audio is by Peckham Rye on the Overground. A single day can hold both, if you'll take the north-to-south crossing.
For electronic, freshness counts as much as rarity: many club releases are pressed in small runs and vanish fast, so the physical shop — where you hear before you buy — is a real edge over digital. Hunt the promos and white labels, but trust your ear on the headphones at the counter above all.
Practically, the axis is clear: Soho for depth and settled used stock, Peckham for discovery. Phonica is five minutes from Oxford Circus; Inverted Audio is by Peckham Rye on the Overground. A single day can hold both, if you'll take the north-to-south crossing.
Who this page is for
Anyone in London after house, techno, electronic or club music on vinyl: DJs, selectors, collectors of 12-inches and the experimental. If you'd rather have the whole city mapped, start with our [London record shops guide](/en/groove/vinyl-cities/02-london/).
Anyone in London after house, techno, electronic or club music on vinyl: DJs, selectors, collectors of 12-inches and the experimental. If you'd rather have the whole city mapped, start with our [London record shops guide](/en/groove/vinyl-cities/02-london/).
For electronic, start at Phonica in Soho, the fixed point; then head south to Peckham and Inverted Audio for the new wave. Soho for depth, Peckham for discovery.
Where can I buy techno and house vinyl in London?
Phonica Records in Soho, on Poland Street, has one of Europe's strongest club and electronic selections, from house to techno. For curated leftfield there's the basement at Sounds of the Universe, and for the new scene, Inverted Audio in Peckham.
What's the best electronic record shop in London?
Phonica is the central reference and the most complete for club music. It depends on the dig, though: for the experimental and the emerging scene, Inverted Audio in Peckham is currently the more interesting address.
Where's London's new electronic scene?
It's concentrating to the south, around Peckham, where clubs, labels and shops like Inverted Audio (since 2023) are opening. Soho remains the historic pole with Phonica, but the movement is southward.
