This section provides information on record shops in Medellin that sell Salsa Clasica. Included are lists of LPs I've purchased to give you a sense of the type of salsa available at these shops. If you would like to include information on record shops not listed in this section, please email me at salsasession.blogspot@gmail.com.
Disco Archivo
Location: Centro Comercial La Playa Local 260
Address: Calle 52 No. 46-22, Medellin, Colombia
Tel: 512-6437
Email: discoarchivojavier@yahoo.es
Disco Archivo so far is my favorite place to record shop in Medellin. It's by far the most expensive location I've found but no other place so far has beat their selection. Disco Archivo is owned by Javier and Johanna Jaramillo and occupies two small shops on the 2nd floor of C.C. La Playa, which is located on the corner of Avenida Oriental with Avenida La Playa in Medellin’s Centro. One shop is run by Javier and the other is run by his daughter Johanna. Unlike other shops, Javier and Johanna keep their records well organized, which is a huge benefit over other shops in Medellin where you’ll find yourself in cramped corners searching through stacks of LPs. I haven’t dealt much with Johanna but Javier definitely knows his salsa and is the only place I’ve been to that has a record player for you to listen to your purchases, a plus when you’ve got your eye on an LP that you’re not quite sure about. Disco Archivo only sells salsa clasica and latin jazz and LPs run anywhere from 10,000 pesos to 100,000 pesos (approx. $5 to $50 USD). I highly recommended Disco Archivo.
Sample of LPs Purchased:
Sexteto Juventud - La Magia del Sexteto
Orquesta Olivieri - A Swingin' Combination
Tommy Olivencia - Plante Bandera
Hector Rivera - The Return of Hector Rivera y Su Orquesta
Los Satelites - Siempre en Orbita y... a baliar con Los Satelites de CheChe Mendoza
Orquesta La Moderna - Self Titled
Joe Cuba - El Pirata del Caribe
Joey Pastrana - Let's Ball
Tony Pabon - Tony Pabon and his All-Stars
Orquesta La Solución - Orquesta La Solución Canta Frankie Ruiz
Centro del Libro Pasaje la Bastilla
Location: Centro del Libro Pasaje La Bastilla Local 22 & 11
Address: Carrera 48 No. 49-14, Medellin, Colombia
Tel: Rincón Musical 511-5780
Tel: Musicales la Bastilla 310-394-9210
El Centro del Libro is located a little over a block away from El Exito de San Antonio and a few yards from the corner of Carrera 48 (also known as EL Pasaje la Bastilla) and Calle 49 (also kown as Avenida Ayacucho) of Medellin’s Centro. This commercial center resembles more of a flea market than a mall. You’ll know you’re close when random street vendors ask what books you need and you’ve found the place when you see a bunch of small book shops. Musicales la Bastilla is located at the front of the first floor with Rincón Musical situated in the back. The two shops are independently owned and are the cheapest salsa clasica locations I’ve been able to find. Musicales la Bastilla sells all records at 2,000 pesos (approx. $1USD) and Rincón Musical at 3,000 pesos (approx. $1.50USD). I’ve been able to find 2 copies of Orquesta Narvaez and 5 copies of Orquesta Dicupe for this amazingly cheap price. You can also negotiate discounts if you buy a large number of records. However, these shops are only for the patient. I’ve heard of a third record shop on the second floor but I’m always far too exhausted to venture upstairs from sifting through the large number of Fania compilations and Richie Ray and El Gran Combo albums from the ‘80s. These shops truly represent the art of diggin’ in the crates without the crates, as they are extremely small with approx. 3 ft by 5 ft of actual space for you to dig through unorganized stacks of LPs spilling onto the center’s hallway. Unlike Disco Archivo, these shops sell a wide variety of genres so you might find tango, cumbia or baladas mixed in with the salsa section. Also, don’t wear nice clothes or a white shirt when shopping at El Pasaje la Bastilla as you’re guaranteed to leave the place filthy if you spend any significant time searching for that hidden gem. Neither shop owner knows much about salsa clasica nor do they take as good care of the LPs as Disco Archivo. So you may find that gem but it’s in such poor condition that you’re lucky to pay 3,000 pesos for a good cover. Lastly, they don’t have a record player so you’re on your own when risk taking. El Pasaje la Bastilla is worth at least a visit as you never know what album you might stumble across and you certainly can't beat the price.
Sample of LPs Purchased
Orquesta Narvaez - Reincarnation
Orquesta Dicupe - Self Titled
La Conspiracion - Self Titled
Orquesta el Sabor de Nacho - Su Estilo y Sus Hijos
Sexteto Juventud - El Sonido Actual del Sexteto Juventud
Rey Roig y Su Orquesta - A Touch of Class (Por La Maceta)
Librería Antillana
Location: Medellin Centro: Colombia con El Palo
Address: Calle 50 No. 43-128, Medellin, Colombia
Librería Antillana is located two stores away from the corner of Calle 50 (also known as Avenida Colombia) with Carrera 45 (also known as Avenida El Palo). This place is also a used book store run by an older man with one arm. It’s a cross between Disco Archivo and Pasaje La Bastilla. The selection is not as good as Disco Archivo but you’re more likely to find a hidden gem at this place than La Bastilla. However, similar to La Bastilla, patience is your key to success at Librería Antillana. My initial thought when stepping into Librería Antillana was “Ugh! Not another cluttered attic impersonation requiring hours of my time.” There must be at least a few thousand records in this store from a wide variety of genres, which makes your experience that much more similar to a large scale La Bastilla. The dirty and exhausting search is the annoying yet fun part of LP shopping at Librería Antillana. Just when you’re back is about to give out from bending over mountain stacks of LPs, you come across the “oooo… look what I found” moment that makes the stress you’ve just endured so worth it! As was the case with the discovery of a Velvet Records pressing of Dos Sets con Federico y Su Combo that I literally stumbled across. There are two salsa sections in the store. The first and most obvious is at the front end of the store where the records are placed in a position resembling a dominos arrangement. If you’re not careful when flipping through records, you can cause a chain reaction resulting in the tumbling down of the entire front end of the store. There are some decent selections here but the real finds worth your money are stashed away in a back room. The LPs I had put aside must have compelled the one armed man to direct me towards the back area where he claimed to hold the “Best of the Best.” However, don’t be fooled: The one arm man doesn’t know as much about salsa clasica as he claims. Also, one piece of advice is not to get swept away by a discovery. Carefully check that the LP matches the cover. I was super excited to find an original copy of Mucho Nelson by Nelson y Sus Estrellas and later found out it was just compilation. Luckily I only paid 7,000 pesos (approx. $3.50USD) for a cool cover I plan to frame and proudly hang on my office wall. Records at Librería Antillana generally range from 7,000 pesos to 20,000 pesos (approx. $10USD). I’ve seen records from other genres at 80,000 pesos (approx. $40USD), so I imagine there may be some salsa LPs that cost more than 20,000 pesos. I just haven’t come across them.
Sample of LPs Purchased
Louie Ramirez - Vibes Galore
Fruko y Sus Tesos - El Violento
Fruko y Sus Tesos - El Caminante
Federico y Su Combo Latino - Dos Sets con Federico y Su Combo
Mon Rivera - Mon y Sus Trombones
Willie Colon - El Malo
