Three Places to Find Records in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence might be known more for Cézanne and café terraces than for crate-digging, but it surprised me with a few gems. These aren’t traditional record stores, yet between them I came away with some of the most interesting finds I’ve had in years.
1. The Market Record Stall
On market days – Tuesday and Thursday a record stall appears as part of the street market stretching up from Cours Mirabeau. Most of the stock is vintage vinyl with a lot of unique French pressings and bootlegs, the kind you rarely see anymore. A French pressing of Queen’s Jazz album (a classic album recorded here in the South of France) caught my eye but I was too slow to grab it.
I did, however, pick up a French pressing of the Zabriskie Point soundtrack (an early Pink Floyd feature) and, even better, a Rolling Stones Desert Trip bootleg on CD that I didn’t even know existed. No shop name, no fuss, just great digging.
2. Music & Movies
36 Rue des Cordeliers, 13100 Aix-en-Provence This shop was an absolute treasure trove. My heart sank at first when I saw the modern vinyl reissues stacked in the middle, but then I started to explore. The walls were lined with a delightfully eclectic collection of CDs and DVDs, collated by someone who clearly loves music.
Pink Floyd sat next to Roger Waters and David Gilmour, with Live at Pompeii on DVD nestled right there alongside the albums.Among the stacks, I unearthed another Desert Trip bootleg – this time Roger Waters’ concert, which I’d been to – plus a Tom Stoppard Radio 4 play set to Dark Side of the Moon. Probably not legit, but irresistible.
The owner told me he once had bootlegs of all the Desert Trip acts; we rummaged, but they’d gone. Still, the shop rewarded every minute of digging, and I could have spent far more time (and money) there.
3. Fnac
160 Av. Giuseppe Verdi, 13100 Aix-en-Provence
Fnac is the French modern-day equivalent of an HMV or Virgin Megastore, though these days it’s more electronics than music. The records are mostly new pressings and generic global stock, so there’s little for collectors. But if you’re nearby, it’s still worth a quick look.
Finding two Desert Trip bootlegs in the same city was something I didn’t expect. Aix-en-Provence may not be a record shopping destination, but these spots made it a very welcome surprise.