Downtown Sound – The joy of discovering a record shop
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The sun was beating on my back, was it really August in the Tirolean Alps? The 35 plus temperatures were doing their best to convince me otherwise but here I was standing outside Downtown Sound in Innsbruck flicking through crate after crate of vinyl, sweat dripping off my forehead, yet I can leave one record untouched.
Passing Downtown Sound for five days straight before I finally had the time to stop was hard, yet here I am going on a crate digging session.
I was in Innsbruck for the second Travel Bloggers Unite conference and my ‘discovery’ of Downtown Sound was the cherry on top of the proverbal cake.
Downtown Sound only opened in its current form in March this year after 19 years as Soundstations. The previous owner, one Stefan Egger, was a well-known local DJ who specialised in Afro/Cosmic/Techno/Hip-Hop.
The new owners Justin and Connie Barwick wanted to create a record store which appealed to fans of all different styles of music.
Justin is also the owner of The Weekender Club in Innsbruck (I had the pleasure of visiting this establishment for a night’s debauchery with my good friends Adventurous Kate, Travel Dudes and Pia.
Back to Downtown Sound, the music found in the store is predominantly anything you won’t find in the generic chain stores (the ones which will be out of business in a few years’ time). Vinyl is the format Downtown Sound excel in but they also stock old school posters, clothing, DVDs, saw-on-patches, badges, DJ supplies and second-hand turntables.
As I entered the store, little did I know I would not only spend a good hour digging through the crates but I would also find myself chatting to a fellow Spurs fan in Welshman Leon. Chatting all things football and music transformed a dull transfer day.
Austria and Innsbruck is not renowned for being a particularly musical country unless you are a fan of classic music (who can forget Mozart and Strauss hail from Austria), but the scene in Innsbruck, as I was to discover, is thriving. This is thanks to a 30,000 strong student population (out of a total of 120,000).
There are a number of small clubs and cafes supporting live music and various DJ styles. The Weekender (now six-years-old) attracts international touring bands and has hosted live shows by ASH, The Sugarhill Gang ft Grandmaster Flash, The Wombats, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Delinquent Habits, The Pigeon Detectives, Blood Red Shoes, Peter Doherty and Teenage Fanclub to name just a few.
The crate digging sess capped off a perfect week in the Tirolean Alps. Innsbruck and Downtown Sound I will return.
About The Author: Mike Cotton
Mike is a writer and wannabe mountain man, if he could grow a big bushy beard he would, but he will settle for writing about all things adventure. A history buff and keen sportsman, Mike can be found at the local footy ground, shredding on the mountain, jamming at a gig or with his nose in a book at the bar, notepad always on hand.
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Sounds like quite the find! I love uncovering those hole in the wall shops that have gold mines for merchandise.
Yeah I’m the same, record shops are my weakness. And thanks for including me in your stumble, much appriciated.
Sweet! We noticed some cool shops when we were there recently as well – always great to discover new music stores…so few indie ones around these days.
Innsbruck is a great city, I heard there are a few more records in the town but Downtown Sound was the only I had the chance to visit.