A Blast from the Past: 9 Shops Selling the Coolest Cassettes and Vinyls in Beirut

Before playlists, streaming apps, and skipping a song with one tap, there was something special about actually owning your music. You had to flip through records, rewind a cassette, and sometimes hunt down that one album you’d been looking for.

If you’re still into the charm of physical music, Beirut has plenty of spots where you can browse endless shelves of cassettes and vinyls.

1. Super Out, Mar Mikhael

Open since 1979, this Mar Mikhael staple is packed with vinyl, CDs, and cassettes across genres, with plenty of old-school finds to dig through.

2. Liban Cassettes & Vinyls, Ain El Remmaneh

A music shop where collectors can browse cassettes and vinyls, including plenty of older Lebanese and Arabic music.

3. Chico Records, Hamra

A Hamra institution since 1964, Chico has more than 10,000 records spanning rock, jazz, soul, disco, and hard-to-find Arabic titles.

4. Deep Music, Hamra

This tiny Hamra shop is a proper nostalgia trip, with cassette-covered walls and tapes from old Lebanese and Arabic singers.

5. The Groovy Owl, Hamra

Hidden away on Makhoul Street, this record shop carries everything from classic rock and Arabic music to alternative artists, with LPs and 45s for serious crate diggers.

6. Beirut Vinyl Records, Furn El Shebbek

Tucked away in Furn El Shebbek, this record dealer has a wide selection of vintage Arabic, Lebanese and Middle Eastern records alongside international pressings.

7. Darsko Records, Bourj Hammoud

Housed in a former shoe factory in Bourj Hammoud, Darsko is a crate-digger’s dream, with funk, soul, jazz, psychedelic, krautrock, Arabic and other obscure 60s and 70s records.

8. Tweeter Music Shop, Geitawi

This music shop stocks a mix of vinyl, with new releases and collectible LPs regularly making their way onto its shelves.

9. King Music Vinyl Records, Bourj Hammoud

A Bourj Hammoud favorite with a huge mix of vintage and modern vinyl, CDs, cassettes and even phonographs, making it a good stop for both collectors and nostalgia hunters.

Where do you shop for cassettes and vinyls in Beirut? Let us know!

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