Jaye Ward’s top 10 Soho Record Stores

Music

Soho was once a real Mecca for record diggers.

There’s still a few shops, the likes of SOTU and Reckless spring to mind at first, but back in the 80s the West End housed a plethora of record stores to get your fingers dirty in.

Jaye Ward was one of those dedicated perusers who spent many an hour getting stuck into the new arrivals and bargain bins, before landing herself jobs during the 90s and 00s at several of said shops as a “counter monkey” – her own words.

The DJ, PLU co-founder and Netil Radio resident certainly has the tunes to prove it. Nowadays you can find her helming PLU, a Bristol-based shindig alongside Ranks, as well as donning the airwaves week on week, sharing new finds and forgotten oddities that’ll have your finger rinsing that Shazam button.

You can hear her dipping into her never ending bag of musical delights this Friday (1st July) at our first ever Familiar Faces party down at Soho institution, The Social, alongside our residents Ally Tropical and Rosie Ama.

But before we descend on the much loved yet lesser travelled, bohemian haven of central London, we asked Jaye to get all nostalgic for us and share some of her favourite shops from the bygone days, the stories that went with them and the tunes that keep those memories flooding back…

‘Getting to play records in the west end is such a rarity these days as the whole area has been decimated by development and cultural destruction. Back in the day the west end, especially soho, was full of record shops from small concerns that had lasted for decades through to the big mega stores of Virgin and HMV. The 80s were great for digging through these palaces of joy and I spent most of the 90s and the early 00s as a record shop counter monkey too. Most of them have vanished, sadly caught up in rampant out of control economic decline and the rise of the digital formats of the future. Miss those times loads…’

Grab tickets for Familiar Faces with Jaye Ward.

Topics

Familiar faces Jaye ward Soho

LISTEN

TRAX

Trax was around well before I’d really got the record bug but when house hit everyone went here to see what the mighty OSCAR had to say. He was THE knowledge and was an important figure in that whole balearic acid house explosion. DEEEEEEEP ITALIAN HOUSE will always be my fave.

TRAX

Trax was around well before I’d really got the record bug but when house hit everyone went here to see what the mighty OSCAR had to say. He was THE knowledge and was an important figure in that whole balearic acid house explosion. DEEEEEEEP ITALIAN HOUSE will always be my fave.
QUAFF (Phil Asher)

Phil Asher worked here and roy the roach ran it. What a shop. Always buzzing. Always had the best records. Always sold out haha! This is Phil Asher’s first production on the mighty DIY. He will always be missed.
RECORD & TAPE EXCHANGE

Was going here from the 80s. Brilliant place to take 100 white labels and get a Mac 3% voucher in exchange.. haha! The brilliant brilliant Ben Williams (Gatto Fritto) worked here as well as many many other lovely amazing people. I never worked here because I rubbed the owner up the wrong way once and that was that 🙂 I remember getting this amazing record here for about 50p. Leo Young is still a total maverick.
VIRGIN

OK so I worked here with Simon (Phonica). I was a buyer so got to grab the goodies and the freebies. Fun place full of brilliant people wasting time. I’d seen Daft Punk play up in stoke (their second gig in the UK) and convinced them to come and do an interview for Virgin inshop radio. Turned up with carrier bags full of tourist junk and the lovely girlfriends. Teenagers eh?!
AMBIENT SOHO

Ran by rocket who I know from crusty things like club dog and that. Chantal also worked here – she was lovely. Mixmaster Morris was always in. This is like THE quintessential ambient soho tune for me.
RECKLESS RECORDS

I was in and out of this shop for years. Zaf (Love Vinyl) had been working there since he was a teenager. When koobla folded they took me on. Total jokes every single day. Maybe my all time favourite job ever. I heard this track here mainly because Zaf is a genius… but he already knows this haha!
VINYL JUNKIES

Another place I loved hard. JC the owner was a former hairdresser a totally mad bastard French guy but he had THE best taste. Always full of records you just couldn’t find anywhere… USTAR, the adjusts first label, was always found here. Amazing skills.
SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE

The lovely Abu Clarke was always a joy to see in this shop and Jon Turnip (capricara) still works in there. Always at the cutting edge of EVERYTHING. Always heavy… the early soul jazz label made this amazing LP. This cut is total genius.
KOOBLA RECORDS

Simon from Phonica ran this shop before Phonica opened. The owner was a prize pillock who ran the enterprise down so we had to shut. It was fun and I worked with a brilliant bunch of people: Heidi, Lou Wang, George Black Merlin, Joel Quiet Village and Will Saul from Aus. This track still seems to epitomise the things we were selling.
PHONICA

I always wanted to work there but was at odds with people so it never happened alas. Amazing shop ran by a pretty amazing fella Simon Rigg – totally obsessed with the music. I played for the launch party of Harvey’s first Pikes LP while he swanned around doing the meet and greet. Could think of hundreds of records that have that Phonica sound but this is on the compilation and still a total growler.