Introduction:
This wasn’t a planned trip to Barranquilla. The original dates for this year’s Carnaval didn’t fit my schedule, but when the updated dates did, I took that as a sign and booked my trip down to La Arenosa for a week. The last time I had been was in February 2018, and I fell in love with the whole experience.
All neon colors, that any other week of the year would be obnoxious, fit perfectly with the hyper-saturated Costeño culture that occurs during Carnavales. The family parties, with their Picós or SoundSystems, blasting music all day long, and babies don’t have any issues falling asleep while the noise monsters destroy everyone's ears for the night.
I spoke to some friends who had been to Barranquilla and told them I was planning to go digging for records while down there. The general tip was you can find stuff in el Centro, the city’s downtown/commercial area.
I landed Thursday afternoon and got to my hotel. Hotel Marcari in el Centro, the area I would be exploring the next day, as after 6 PM, the area is dead and actually dangerous to be strolling around. That night I met up with some friends who gave me some general tips of places to check out.
Day 1:
El Centro
On Friday morning, I decided to explore El Centro, the downtown/merchant area of Barranquilla. I had heard that this was the place to find vinyl records, so I set off with no particular destination in mind. The hot, windy Caribbean day made my beard and hair stand out from the crowd of clean-shaven locals. As I walked down Simon Bolivar street, I let the music blasting from different stores guide me.
That's when I stumbled upon a small kiosk selling books and newspapers.
Alvaro Iglesias
I approached the owner, Mr. Alvaro Iglesias, and asked if he knew where I could find vinyl records. I specified that I was looking for tropical, bailable, cumbia, champeta, and African music, organized in order of difficulty of finding.
To my surprise, Mr. Iglesias climbed on top of his chair and started reaching into the top storage of his kiosk. "It's book season, so I don't keep much music these days," he explained. Nonetheless, he brought out a nice variety of music, some in better condition than others, but all in vinyl records, or "vinilos" in Spanish.
I spent the next hour flipping through records, chatting with Mr. Iglesias about music, and even learning a little bit about the history of Barranquilla. He recommended a few other stores in the area where I might find more vinyl records, and I left feeling excited and ready to continue my search.
Fabian Discos y Libros
I kept my route, now with a small stack of records inside a plastic bag under my arm. This usually helps me when looking for more vinyl vendors, as people understand you are looking for vinyl records, and in Barranquilla everyone knows someone that knows someone who sells vinyl records.
I walked the area a bit and stopped to take a picture of a hand lettered sign. When I put my phone away and turned around, I saw another book vendor so I asked.
“Do you know where I can find some music records”
They usual question is what type of music are you looking for. I like to mention Colombian music first since its what I am mostly interested in, but i was also interested in Champeta and other stuff that represents the sound of Barranquilla.
“I have all that stuff but we have to go to my storage unit.” We walked for 10 minutes till we were at his vault. “It’s book season so I don’t keep much records on the stalls these days”.
I brought out box after box of records. Lots of stuff. I ended going through almost everything and made a nice selection. How much for the records, $10,000 for most, some $25,000 and the rare stuff I usually sell for $200,000 but if you buy enough I can drop it to $100,000. I had selected more records than I could pay for. I gave him all the money I had left in my wallet and set aside a dozen records.
“I’ll come back for these later this week.”
I never did, but i did arrange to purchase the records and have them sent to my dad’s place in Cali.
Day 2:
I woke up feeling a bit groggy from the previous night's party, but excited to explore more of Barranquilla's vinyl scene. I remembered Harold's recommendation to check out Aldair's store, so I made that my guide for the day.
Looking For Aldair:
As I was walking down la carrera Simon Bolivar in Barranquilla, the sidewalks were packed with vendors selling all sorts of things. From tennis ringlets to haircuts, it was like a bustling market. But what caught my eye was a vendor with a stack of records. I just had to take a look.
After browsing through the records, I made a selection and asked the vendor, "Ok, how much do you want for the records?"
"Give me $10,000 for each record," he replied, sizing up my budget.
I thought the price was a bit high for the condition the records were in, so I decided to lowball him. "Nah, that’s a little too high."
He then asked, “What do you think is fair?”
I took my shot and lowballed him again. “$5,000”
He replied, "No, that’s too low. You are taking some nice records, they might not be in perfect condition, but they all play fine." This was true.
The vendor then offered, "What about $70,000 COP for the lot?"
I agreed and gave him 70,000 for 10 records. I had done enough digging the day before to understand the price range for records in Barranquilla. However, I also want to make sure the vendors I am dealing with feel we are both doing a good deal, as I might come back for more.
It was quite an experience walking down the street, seeing so many different vendors, and finding some hidden gems in the form of records. It's moments like these that make my trips to Barranquilla so unique and enjoyable.
John Escorcia
I continued walking towards Aldair’s on Calle 38, resisting the temptation to take out my phone and check for directions. Suddenly, I spotted another vendor selling music. Even though I knew this wasn't the place, I decided to check it out anyway. The vendor's name was Jhon Escorcia, and he had set up his street kiosk in a very specific spot in the Barranquilla centro. His setup was very DIY, with hand-rigged units that each vendor customized to their liking.
We started chatting, and he began pulling out stack after stack of music. "Some of this stuff is from Venezuela," he said. "I go back and forth pretty often." I found a lot of interesting records from labels I was not familiar with, and Jhon was happy to tell me a bit about each one. He also had a small but sweet selection of 45s, including rare stuff that he was selling for $200k ($50 USD).
I made my selection, but I realized I was short on cash. Jhon offered to take me to an ATM in the nearby mall, assuring me that it was safe and quick. And he was right. I withdrew the amount I needed to pay him, and we exchanged contacts before parting ways.
Before leaving, John mentioned that he is interested in exchanging music in the future. “I am usually on the lookout for Afro Antillan stuff, Jibaro music, African tunes with fast guitars”
“Like stuff on the Makossa record label?” I asked with a grin
“Exactly!”
“I can help you with that” we shook hands and parted ways. I knew I had found a new friend and a great source for music in the heart of Barranquilla.
Discos Aldair
Eventually, I made it to Julio Padilla's music store, where I found everything I was not looking for but kinda needed in my life. From All over print t-shirts featuring all the famous Salseros, instruments, mugs with everyones favorite tropical music labels, mouse pads, sculptures and more. But the main feature of the store is without a doubt the record selection, all in top-notch condition.
Julio was managing the store that day and asked me what I was looking for. Same deal.
He began retrieving records from all over the store like a sorcerer brewing potions,
A lot of vintage Costeño sound stuff i was looking for, Cumbia, Anibal Velasquez, Carnaval compilations, Chico Cervantes, and stuff on the Machuca label. Nothing here is cheap, but everything is worth it. The store is the most comfortable in Barranquilla with the most extensive and organized selection. I was struck by the care and attention he gave to maintaining the quality of the records. Even those with minor damage, such as scratches or cracks, were handled with the utmost care.
Unfortunately, I had depleted my cash and was unable to pay with a credit card after my previous purchase. So, I picked out twelve records and instructed him to keep them on hold for me as I planned to return to collect them.
Conclusion
Barranquilla is a city that holds a special place for vinyl records, where they are still sought after and remain an integral part of the music scene for both the old and the young. If you know where to look, you can find vinyl sellers on any corner of El Centro. Music lovers are plentiful and you can often find them gathered around a speaker on any random street corner, enjoying a wide variety of genres ranging from verbena to africano and jibaros. And what better way to wash down the heat than with an "fría"(beer)?
Leaving Barranquilla, I felt extremely content with yet another bag full of music that helped me to better understand El Sonido Tropical, the sounds that continue to inspire me to explore further. These are the sounds that keep me hungry for more and I'm looking forward to my next visit to this vibrant city to discover more music and meet more music lovers.