With vinyl stores and listening rooms making a daring comeback and all generations at the centre of the resurgence, Kolkata is subtly recovering its analogue heartbeat. Young listeners are choosing the deliberate, tactile process of dropping a needle over algorithm-driven playlists in a city that already views music as culture. These places, which range from Free School Street to obscure nooks in south Kolkata, provide more than just records; they also provide community, pause, and a calmer frequency to live in. Kolkata's vinyl scene is becoming a haven where sound returns in a purposeful melody once more for a youth overtaken by noise. And these 10 spots do it the best.
9 Vinyl Stores & Listening Rooms Keeping Kolkata’s Analogue Heart Beating
Here Are The Best Listening Rooms & Vinyl Stores In Kolkata
Skinny Mo's Jaaz Club
They hold vinyl listening sessions from time to time, which you should definitely not miss. Keep tabs on their social media handles for the details. A tribute to the city's passion for jazz, Skinny Mo's pays homage to both the past and the future. With carefully chosen classic songs from the 1930s to the present, the club has been honouring the genre with a vinyl listening session ever since. The jazz bar takes you on a journey through jazz's development, showcasing classic tunes and rhythms that have shaped the course of music. The club is housed in a remarkable matte-black, 1920s Art Deco-style building on the 3rd floor, above the European café Omo. A large stage and brick walls characterise the small room.
Timing: 4 PM - 11 PM
Price: INR 1,000 for two
Google Rating: 4.7/5
Instagram: @skinnymosjazzclub
LBB Tip: You can follow their events, which feature anything from indie band performances to vibrant jazz nights and Indian classical baithaks, on Instagram
Vibrations
If you are a fan of classic rock, then you will be quite happy to see vinyl records of The Beatles’ Revolver and Abbey Road. Albums of Pink Floyd and Queen are also a part of the stock, which start from INR 1,500. The collection also includes Bob Marley, Nirvana, Beethoven, Mozart, Jim Reeves and so on. Records of Indian classics such as Mohammed Rafi, Ravi Shankar, K.L. Saigal, Pandit Dulal Roy and many more are also available. Some of the vinyl records are priced at INR 150 and above. The store also stocks action figures such as Flash, Captain America, Hulk, Naruto and a lot more, which start at INR 300.
Timing: 11 AM - 9:30 PM
Price: INR 300 - INR 1,500
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Facebook: Vibrations
Trincas
Trincas remains a long-standing moniker that has only recently returned to honouring its jazz past. From singer Pam Craine to saxophonists Braz Gonsalves and Benny Rozario, pianist Louiz Banks, and subsequently Usha Uthup, to today's experimentalists such as the Bodhisattwa Trio, Shonai, Srinjoy Ghatak, and others, Kolkata has served as a proving ground for many. Trincas' Weekend Jazz Lunches, with their unique cushioned-velvet stage backdrop, are reintroducing jazz culture, according to the venue's third-generation owner, Anand Puri. By 1969, it had been gradually transformed into a restaurant and a club, showcasing jazz music at a period when the genre was gaining popularity in the United States. Even now, Trincas is always booked out when jazz music reverberates within the walls of this iconic bar.
Timing: 11:30 AM - 11:45 PM
Price: INR 1,600 for two
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Instagram: @trincasrestaurant
LBB Tip: If you're lucky, you might even see Usha Uthup perform live!
Braganzas
One of Kolkata’s prestigious music stores, Braganzas, is every music lover’s haven for instruments. This pre-Independence music store, located just a few yards down from Tung Fong, was once frequented by the likes of SD Burman, RD Burman and Satyajit Ray. Known to be the first store to have introduced imported musical instruments in Kolkata, Braganzas stocks everything from drum kits to pianos and guitars.
Timing: 11 AM - 7 PM
Facebook: Braganza & Co
Instagram: @braganzamusicals
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Chaitown Community
Chaitown Community is a smaller, more private community. It doesn't have the most expensive sound system or dazzling lighting, but what makes it unique is the ambience they create, which will make you feel as though you're at a live music performance on your friend's patio. Additionally, they occasionally highlight some of the city's rare gems in the music scene, which include pop, jazz, blues, rock, and folk performers. In addition to hosting live music events, Chaitown Community often hosts music and fitness courses, holds workshops, and generally promotes creativity as a community. Attend their upcoming performance to become a part of the Chaitown community.
Timing: 10 AM - 5 PM. Closed on Sundays.
Event Ticket Price: INR 250 onwards
Google Rating: 4.6/5
Instagram: @chaitowncommunity
Zee's Coffee Shop
Whether you're a vinyl collector or simply a musichead, head to Zee's Coffeeshop on Sundays to enjoy a musical evening with their vinyl sessions, featuring some of the city's best musicians. If the rock, jazz and hip hop of the 70s, 80s and 90s still enrapture you just as much as the mellow sound of vinyls, then head over to Zee's as Zareen (also affectionately called 'Zee') and her music producer and DJ husband Varun Desai set you up for a musical evening on Sundays. With two rare Technic 1200 turntables in the house and several rare vinyl records in Varun's collection, drop by on Sundays to catch popular city musicians like Reevu Wangdi, Saptarshi' Sammy' Bhattacharya, Josh Mukherjee and others bring in their music of rock, funk, jazz and hip hop and spinning the vinyls. Interestingly, if you've got a few (or maybe more) vinyls, you can bring them along with a needle and can be a part of the session, too.
Timing: 11 AM - 9 PM
Price: INR 700 for two
Instagram: @zeescoffeeshop
Facebook: Zee's Coffee Shop
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Danish Prince Record Shop:
Antique pieces from the rarest vinyl collection! Prince Bhai, the owner, will assist you in selecting and acquiring the best sounds from the collection. Located on Mirza Ghalib Street, it is one of the oldest and best stores for all of your antique vinyl music needs. His father was a well-known figure in the vinyl music industry. He has a huge collection of LPs and EPs from several genres and eras. They also renovate and sell ancient gramophones, record players, and turntables. A good selection of Indian classical instrumentals by Ravisankar Ji, Bilayat Khan, Shivkumar Sharma, and others.
Timing: 10:30 AM - 8:30 PM
Price: NA
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Instagram: NA
Vinyl Record Western Pop Store
This vinyl store has a small selection of records and an incredibly nice staff. You will be able to browse their assortment at your leisure, unlike in most businesses around here. A must-see for record aficionados. This record shop reflects Kolkata's love for music and is an integral part of the city's identity. It is among the best places in the city to buy old vinyl albums.
Timing: 10 AM - 8:30 PM
Price: NA
Google Rating: 5/5
Instagram: NA
Miss Ginko
With its emerald green, white, and wood décor, this lovely glasshouse venue, tucked away in a South Kolkata street, is a 150-seat refuge for hip-hop nerds, house aficionados, and Asian foodies. The atmosphere, the DJ console's fire, and the bar's appearance are all spotless. Beats and culture collide there, from live performances to R&B and DJ seminars, and I promise it's worth the trip.
Timing: 12 PM - 12 AM
Price: INR 1,500 for two
Instagram: @iammissginko
Google Rating: 4.1/5
