Record Store Vintage Voudou
Posted on: April 30, 2015
The Best Hidden Record Store in Amsterdam
Record Store vintage Voudou is a super cute place in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. This hidden gem has a great variety of second hand tropical and funky records: Caribbean, Salsa, Reggae, Funk, Bollywood, Oriental, Surinam, Belly Dance, Brazil, African, Psych and all kind of weird music.
Record Store Vintage Voudou used to be a brothel
Yeah, that’s right. Some years ago this used to be a brothel. Actually, there used to be a couple of hidden brothels on this square. But the government closed down many brothels throughout the years. Some, like these ones, were replaced by shops owned by creative entrepreneurs. Now, we are not a fan of closing down all these brothels, but we do think that having these record stores here is pretty awesome. Some window brothels which were closed down, have been empty for years and are still empty today. Such a shame!
Vintage Voudou is the store at the right.
Record store Vintage Voudou is very narrow, but this is what makes this shop so special! Most likely there can only fit something like 6 persons in here. Obviously, this space was meant for just two people; a prostitute and a customer. Here’s what Record Store Vintage Voudou looks like from the inside:
The record that you hear on the background is the record we bought when we were here: Toots and the Maytals. Up until last year, we weren’t familiar with this Jamaican group for some reason. We heard their tracks for the first time in the movie This is England. This is when we found out how good and famous they actually are. Great reggae music! Would definitely recommend to buy some of their albums.
Vinyl Record Market in Amsterdam
The personal at record store Vintage Voudou is very friendly as well. The employee on the pics above, played the record of the Toots, so we could hear the quality of the record. Also, he told us that every last Thursday of the month, there is a vinyl record market on New Market Square. Usually it’s from 10 am till 6 pm, he said. We’ve never heard of this record market before. So we decided to check it out… When we got there, we were positively surprised. There were many stands and lots of great records!
Go find this hidden gem in the Red Light District
Are you a music fan and do you like hidden gem’s? Then you should definitely go here! You’ll love it. You can go here by yourself or we can take you here during our tours. Our local guides know all the best, hidden places in the area. Including this one. Please note that this shop is opened till 7 pm, which means we can only show it during our tours in the afternoon.
If you wanna go here by yourself, then you have know a couple of things, because this is the best kept secret of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. It’s not that easy to find this hidden gem. This is what you should do:
- Go to Amsterdam’s Old Church Square
- Walk to the corner where the prostitutes from Latin-America work.
- Find a blue gate.
- Press the bell which is tagged as “records”.
- The gate will be opened by the personal of Vintage Voudou Records.
- Walk through the narrow alley.
- You have arrived.
See you in Amsterdam… See you in the Red Light District!
BOOK A TOUR >Have you been to record store Vintage Voudou before? Let the world know how it was by posting your review in the comment section below.
Combine your visit with a coffee boost at De Koffieschenkerij, also located at the Old Church square!
