Chiang Mai’s top 11 places to dig for vinyl

Chiang Mai’s premier vinyl listening bar has many moods. The eclectic LP collection of DJ Laurens and his artist partner and co-founder, Mum, is so vast that a night here could take you anywhere. Swing by on Thursday evenings for a chat over hip-hop, funk, indie and punk; Friday and Saturday nights for big beats and bigger dance moves; and Sunday afternoons for some down-tempo afro-jazz, reggae and a more mellow vibe. Keep your eyes on their insta page for guest DJs, specialist events like ‘tape night’ and some of our favourite regular parties in town.

36 Prapokklao Road. 7.30pm-midnight Thur-Sat. 2.30pm-6.30pm Sun.

Laid back cafe by day and cool cocktail bar by night, The Toys Club is a collectors’ heaven, packed full of retro games and consoles – mostly from Japan. Its owner DJ Bird’s vinyl collection we’re here for though. He recently moved his records from his former bar First Press, so expect lots of jazz, funk and city pop. He’s added hip-hop, house and more electro flavours to the shelves though (with a few select records you can buy), and hosts an eclectic lineup of travelling DJs that cover everything from funk to drum and bass. So any day you like, pull up a bar stool and come watch the DJs spin, almost every night. 

46/1 San Pa Koi Road.  10am-midnight. Closed Mon. 

Jed Yot’s coolest cafe by a mile was founded by DJ and record collector Khun OG, who opened this coffee and vinyl hotspot way ahead of the curve, eight years ago. Two baristas diligently serve up dripped brews, made from their own CNX roasted beans, next to shelves of OG’s hip-hop, soul and funk LPs, which he pops in to spin most mornings. He also hosts guest DJs in the dinky cafe, where street art lines the walls and punters often spill out onto the street outside. 

144/55 Yu Yen Road. Open daily 8am-5pm.

Just around the corner from Deaf Shop, this double decker for music lovers provides a two in one: Nuii Bar downstairs has an extensive food menu and solid selection of guest DJs (no turntables, just laptops) but if you potter up the wooden staircase of this lush traditional house conversion, Fung Record Bar is all analogue, all the time. Fung is more of a sit down and enjoy a Beatles-themed high-ball cocktail and a chat sort of place, but the speakers are good and the tunes rock.

46 Pra Pok Klao Road Soi 1. Open daily 6.30pm-midnight.

Freshly opened two months ago, Khun Pik’s love of music is ingrained in the very DNA of this bistro, where ‘Food! Drink! Vinyl!’ is the slogan. He’s moved his big LP collection into the lounge, where the records are attended to by his diligent serving staff, who also wait on diners in the garden. It’s mostly juicy burgers on the menu, and there’s no rush turning tables, come and graze, drink, select records and be merry. ‘Bring your own vinyl next time’, Pik offers. We definitely will.

33 Samlarn Road. Open daily 6pm-midnight.

Opened back in early 2023, Khun Munee’s Suthep spot is half record store, half soundsystem. He’s installed the most incredible hifi set up where audiophiles can lean back on a sofa and listen along. He’s keen to inspire a new gen of young collectors, so often has local uni students hanging out for a listening sesh. He offers a few boxes of three LPs for B100 (mostly of Japanese finds) to get newbie collectors started, plus he sells many Thai and Western artists on vinyl and cassette. 

40 Sanambin Kao 4 Alley. 11am-6pm. Closed Wed. 

Khun Ae has been selling records in the city for five years but opened this chic new outlet just two years ago on the second floor of boutique clothing store Lonewanderer, near the Ping River. Both secondhand and new releases are stocked across all genres - you’ll just as likely find rare bits here from the ’90s and ’00s as a brand new, purple wax Sabrina Carpenter LP. Ae has a small cafe and seating area in situ, where he brews a mean drip coffee so you can sit a while and enjoy the music while you dig.

62/6 Charoen Prathet Road. Open daily 2pm-7.30pm

Khun Wang opened Franc Haus on the second floor of the Nimman diner Potto in April 2023. His is a small but mighty record store with the biggest selection of new releases in town - Charli XCX fans rejoice - selling rock, pop, indie, rock and hip-hop by western artists, as well as stocking Thai and Japanese acts on the racks. There’s also pre-loved LPs up for grabs which you can listen to before you buy, using the in-house turn table which has the best slipmat we’ve ever seen, which reads‘NO VINYL, NO LIFE.’ Wang is also the vendor of a few pieces of local merch. Our personal favourite is a black baseball cap that reads ‘I’m not a DJ. I’m drunk.’ One for the heads.

2/F, 116 5 Siri Mangkalajarn Road. Open daily 11am-7pm.

Leaning into the US thrift store aesthetic, this extremely cool little basement store, tucked away under Nimman’s buzzy Think Park, sells secondhand sneakers, clothes and records. It’s a small but well-curated selection. Be sure to dig through the ‘Clearance Sale’ box of LPs for B100, there are always some worthy finds within. Don’t be surprised if you see folks tagging the walls during your visit - the owners are street artists as well as vintage vendors.

165 Huay Kaew Road. 11am-8pm. Closed Mon. 

On the corner of Wua Lai Road, as the name suggests, the store is Chiang Mai’s longest-serving record shop selling vinyl here for over 10 years. It’s also the city’s largest, with four long rows of hundreds and hundreds of carefully categorised LPs - a crate digger's delight. If you’re after Thai rarities though, check out the boxes on the floor to the left of the counter and don’t let the white sleeved releases deceive you – back in the day, records were sent to Thai radio stations in blank sleeves, so while they might not immediately strike you as the rare box, they’re absolutely the section to dig through if you’re mining for Thai bangers from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The store also sells turntables and speakers if you’re in the market for a new set up.

1, 6 Wua Lai Road. 11am-6pm

The city's annual event for vinyl heads, Poy Festival, will be held 12-14 December at the Chiang Mai Cultural Centre. Expect live sets from local bands, an exciting programme of talks and – of course – a huge record fair, with shops from across the city assembling to run stalls and sell their wares. If you can’t wait until then, keep your eyes on Poy Festival’s insta for updates on the imminent launch of ‘Poy Friends’, a regular social meet up for record collectors.