Play De Record

Play De Record's history runs through Toronto's DJs. Eugene Tam started the business in 1990 in the back of his father's drugstore, and the shop became a source for dance records that were otherwise difficult to buy locally. It now operates on Spadina, where the connection between records and equipment is still visible in its catalogue. House, drum and bass, hip-hop and reggae sit alongside turntables, cartridges and other DJ supplies. This makes it a different kind of stop from a shop organized mainly around rock albums and deluxe reissues. Go with a style or a set in mind, or use the genre sections to follow a sound beyond the records you already know.

Vinyl albums and singles, including house, drum and bass, hip-hop and reggae, plus turntables, DJ equipment and accessories. Check the current catalogue for the formats and releases available before a specific purchase.

411 Spadina Avenue, on the east side of Spadina south of College. Combine the walk with the Spadina shopping strip; Sonic Boom is farther south on the same street.

Start here for DJ records, then walk south toward Invisible City and Sonic Boom. Those shops offer three different ways to browse within one Spadina route, so there is little reason to drive between them.