Discoveries

Clone Records Shop

From dub to techno

If there's one place to go in Rotterdam as a vinyl fan, it's Clone Records, a vinyl store located in the city center that will amaze you with its unique setting and musical offerings.

It's easy to understand the shop's structure: selections on the sides, new releases in the center and second hands just below. In terms of styles, you'll find ambient, electronica, techno with a clear Detroit influence, house, but also dub, reggae and funk.

Personally, being open to many styles, I bought vinyls from the following labels: Exit Strategy (Berlin), Kompakt (Cologne), Dirty House Recordings (Australia), Compost Blacklabel (Munich), Primate Endangered Species (UK), Metroplex Recordings (Detroit), Intec Recordings (London), Output (UK), Token (Belgium), Tresor (Berlin), Teknotika (US).

For more info on the available genres, there's a full list here.

Over 30 years in business

The boutique is just the tip of the iceberg. In parallel, Clone is also Clone Records, a music label that celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022. Given its age, Clone Records can be seen as one of the pillars of electronic music that have helped shape and cultivate it.

In 2023, the Clone Records label released Sonic Transmutations / 31 years of Clone Records, a limited edition boxed set of 8 vinyls, or 33 tracks. It features artists such as Aleksi Perala, Antony Rother, Dexter, Detroit In Effect, DJ Sotofett, The Exaltics, Legowelt and Ryan James Ford.

Clone Records sub-labels include Repetitive Rhythm Research and Royal Oak, offering a selection of their own sounds.

For more info on the labels offered in the store, there's a full list here. And if you don't find what you're looking for in the physical store, don't hesitate to take a look at their Discogs page where there's sure to be one or two nuggets to unearth.

A moment out of time

I discovered the shop by chance. In fact, I was visiting friends in Noordwijk. On my way out, I thought a little detour to Rotterdam would be nice. And that's when I got the idea of looking for a record shop. After a few searches on the net, I found Clone.nl and the music on offer seemed more than tempting.

The Clone Records store is nestled in a long building divided into several alcoves. From the outside, wood and glass form the façade. Once inside, I was delighted by the raw look of the smoothed concrete and the pure, minimalist ambience of the place. I immediately felt at ease, and it was off to a diggin' party, which was originally supposed to be about buying one or two vinyls for fun, but in fact ended up with a batch of 12 vinyls and about 2 hours spent discovering the musical gem.