Sizzling Soul Fabulous Funk…read moreBrilliant Broken Beats Awesome Abstract Hip Hop Fantastic Free Jazz Dazzling Dubstep Sweeeeeet Lovers Rock Beautifully crooned Country Amazing Americana Classic Chicago House Tantalising Techno Pogo-ing Punk-Funk Perfect Pop Gorgeous Psyche-Folk Blistering Garage & lots of cool Rock & Roll Don't mean to get all High Fidelity on y'all but Piccadilly Records is the Northern equivalent of Rough Trade East. They have aisles of incredible vinyl on 7", 12" and long-players, tons of new and re-issued CDs and listening decks where you can check them all out. Even better, most of the staff are deejays so can give you the lowdown on the tracks that are the most fly. They also host in-store gigs from emerging and established artists. What more could you want?

A good mix of CDs and vinyl that also tailors to the more eclectic tastes. Friendly employees each…read moretime I've visited. Deals in new product mainly. If you have more eclectic tastes this is well worth your time.

A smaller shop but always has choice vinyl and CDs. A large selection of Manchester artists and a…read morelot of really cool artwork on the walls. All of the employees I've encountered are too guys who are there to make sure you find what you're looking for.

Whilst Vinyl Exchange and Piccadilly Records stock an incredible range of music from americana,…read morepsyche-folk and rock to blues, soul and punk-funk, Vinyl Revival is more of a specialist store that deals with everything related to Manchester's musical history. We're talking rare and hard to find posters from The Hacienda and Factory Records, limited edition 12"s and promo pressings of early Stone Roses, Smiths and New Order and every album by A Certain Ratio, Durutti Column, Buzzcocks and Magazine. If you're after something in particular - like Barry Adamson's* brilliant imaginary soundtrack album Moss Side Story - just ask and there's a chance they might have one or know someone that can get you one. It's that kind of store! * Who's Barry Adamson? The charismatic bass player in seminal post-punk band Magazine, early member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and now a full time solo artist and soundtrack composer of course!

I've lost count of the amount of time and money I've spent in Vinyl Exchange over the years…read more Suffice to say, it would probably mount to quite a lot! Housed in the heart of the Northern Quarter, it's a two storey building solely devoted to secondhand music from indie, power pop, psyche-rock and folk to electro, hip hop, rap, disco, funk, soul and nu wave. Upstairs is devoted to racks of nearly new, secondhand and promo CDs and DVDs whilst the basement is packed with all kinds of vinyl from rare 7" and 12" to albums and box-sets. Prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and passionate about music and you can trade and sell records and CDs. It was here I managed to track down copies of Mo' Wax Headz 1 and 2, Sonic Youth 'Beat On The Brat' 12" and Miles Davis's seminal Bitches Brew album one lucky afternoon!

Excellent selection and friendly employees that will help you find what you are looking for. Check…read moretheir website because it is updated daily with their current stock. They also have a handy pick up desk downstairs if you order online. It's a good mix of CDs and vinyl so give it a shot when you're in town.

Clampdown record is a well-organized shop with a solid selection of harder to find titles. As I…read morebrowsed through their indie and Manchester sections, I saw a lot of titles that are well sought after. Pricing was fair and the clerk (owner?) behind the counter let my partner and I browse without any of the bother you sometimes get in record shops. I would mark this as a must visit when visiting Manchester and hunting for vinyl.

Great record store right in the heart of Manchester city centre. Small store, but lots of vinyl to…read morechose from & reasonably priced. If you love Japanese or audophile pressings, this is a store you will love. I also found a section dedicated to bands from Manchester like Oasis, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays & New Order ect which is cool to see from a store based in the city centre. If you are after signed LP's you are in look as Clampdown Records features a nice little section dedicated to this type of collectible. Overall this is a great little store that I have visited every week I pop into Manchester & have bought quite a bit of stuff from here. The owner is friendly & very knowledgable about his stuff. I was asking one time I visited about Japanese vinyl as I had heard their pressings are superior when compared to American or UK pressings & pretty much gave me the full rundown of which periods this is true of + things to look out for. Great store with a very honest, helpful owner.