Here's the long overdue diggin guide for Paris, France. Part one.
For diggers in Paris, the compulsory stop is Saint-Michel, aka the Latin quarter, where the Sorbonne University is located. In this quarter, there are a few record stores which are worth a stop, and sometimes a purchase.
First of all, the messy Boulinier. Not really a record store, but it's a second-hand shop that sells books, records etc. But, when diggin at Boulinier, you need two things : time and luck. Time, because nothing is in order, it's kinda crowdy, and most of all, and still, it's not a record store. Which means there is no selection. They put everything they buy from needy sellers in crates, without any further care. So, you could say there is no soul at Boulinier. Anyway, once in a while, you'll find a cool piece, sometimes for a cheap rate. How's that ? I guess they're ignorant and they hurry too much, as they don't really evaluate the value of a record. But once again, a soulless place.
Then, a few buildings beside Boulinier, there is Démocratie. Which is not a record store. Either. On ground floor, it's like a hype shop, selling a bunch of fashion stuff. But underground, there is a record store. Obviously run by a cool dude who loves it, it's a bit disappointing. Prices are a bit high. And the selection is quite poor. I don't know, maybe I'm too picky, but in my opinion, the main function of a record shop is to present a selection. That's what gives a soul to a store. But, in too many occasions, second-hand record stores don't dig, they only buy what comes to the counter, and then sell it with a margin. And I'm not dissing the margin. I'm dissing the lack of selection. Anyway, back to Démocratie. If you're into electro music, you could find your happiness there. Same thing for diggers of 45's, especially in French music.
When you go up the Boulevard Saint-Michel, you can't miss Gibert Jeune. Originally a second-hand bookstore, the shop expanded to selling records in a dedicated store. To be frank, this must be one of my favorite places, even if it's not a "real" record store. First of all, back in the days, I started buying my rarest CD's at Gibert, because they had the coolest and most uncommon CD's you could find. The Japanese edition of the the "Ghost Dog" soundtrack ? Got it there (for a awful sum but still, I got it !). That was a long time ago. Since then, I switched to LP's, and I'm still pretty satisfied with their services. They have both new and used LP's. They sleeve in everything they sell, and they don't sell damaged stuff. So you can be confident when you buy used stuff from Gibert. But the main thing about Gibert is that they are much cheaper than "real" record stores. The "WITCH" box from Now-Again ? 10 euros cheaper (or more) than from your local record dealer. To me, that's a deal. A real and fair deal. It may be a good thing to support and feed your local dealer, but the crisis affects everyone and I obviously need to fill my need of record-buying when my dealer doesn't (clearly, they sometimes speak of records without any passion ; don't get upset, I said "sometimes"). You would think Gibert sell the more obvious stuff, but once again, you would be wrong. I found the Ethiopian "Wedding Songs" there, a few Asian cuts also... That's the closest deal you'll get to the best eBay bids. And if you are still into CD's, you can get a whole lot over there as well.
In the same area, there is the reference store Crocodisc-Crocojazz. The two stores are separated by a wall, but it's the same spirit. The guys are pretty nice and chatty, you can get good advices and they really know their stock and crates, even if they are numerous. This is a place for reggae diggers as the section is quite big compared to the total space. I recall the soundtrack section is pretty interesting, as well as the soul space. Like most French record stores, they're also deep into pop and rock. This is one of the only stores that has a real "dollar bin". It may not be the American kind of "dollar bin" (by "American" I mean that only in the US you could find really interesting thing with a "1 dollar" tag, in Europe it's mainly damaged LP's and corny stuff), but it's still good to know they have one. Being a quite old store, it's always worth a visit. They also sell CD's. I don't remember seeing new LP's so there must only be used ones there. Good place.
Closer to the Chatelet-Les Halles area, you have Monster Melodies. A really messy place, so I guess that's what you could call a "real" record store. The ground floor is dedicated to gear, so you can replace your old turntable with another old turntable. The first floor is filled with tons of LP's. Tons. You litterally have to walk over and on boxes of records to get access to the furthest crates. It's an impressive place. But you will need a loooooot of time to get into all the boxes. Or you know precisely what you're looking for. Monster Melodies is about rock. All kinds of rock music. There's a jazz section also, a French section, a teeny-tiny hip hop section, a fair reggae/dub section, a cool afro section. I didn't see other kinds of global groove, but it could be my mistake. Anyway, true diggers will be happy in this place. Rock diggers. But be ready to spend a few more bucks than usual on some pieces. I saw a "Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Serge Gainsbourg sporting a "60€" label, which freaked me out. Same with other Gainsbourg album, marked "30€", which is kind of unusual as well. In a world where eBay and Discogs have become the first tools of a record digger, it's embarassing to see such price tags. But Monster Melodies is the place to find rarities, so pay them a visit, and be careful of where you put your feet and hands, it's a dangerous place. And pay the guys a smile, as it seems they've lived in the dark so long that they sport sad faces. Once again, passion, guys, passion. Stop talking business, talk passion. I didn't notice the presence of a "dollar bin", but I could be wrong.
I also had a chance to shop at Superfly Records, which is located in a whole different area. Advertised as a shopping place for Gilles Peterson and DJ Spinna, it's a very decent place. Once again, smiling seems to be a forgotten thing, but I guess it's a thing among record dealers. Is it getting a "serious" job or something ? Frowning ain't better. Anyway, I guess they know their stuff and that's the most important thing. The selection is tight. Their new arrival bin is impressive, with lots of afro stuff. Expensive, but not so much compared to the rarity of some of the LP's you can find there. One thing I didn't get is why pretend you have a "dollar bin" (or a discount bin to be more accurate) when the discount stuff is actually labelled "5€" or "10€". I guess the "dollar bin" spirit is definitely dead. RIP. Superfly Records is nonetheless worth the publicity it gets from a lot of diggers (they have ads - yes I know they pay for it, but still - in Wax Poetics and such) and the store has an accurate newsletter.
Last advice for this part one : don't expect to dig before 1 or 2pm. That's usually the time the record store open. That's another reason why I go to Gibert so much as they have normal business hours.
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