Berlin record store Hard Wax to relocate to Kraftwerk

Hard Wax has announced that it will be leaving its home at Paul-Lincke-Ufer after 27 years, and moving to a space within the Kraftwerk building.

The beloved Berlin-based record shop announced the news via X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram:

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The store will be open in its new location in Mitte, sitting between Tresor and OHM at the Köpenicker Strasse complex, on October 30.

After 27 years of service at its current venue, Hard Wax are moving due to plans for the Kreuzberg building to be redeveloped. Resident Advisor has reported that the entire building, also home to the 28-year-old cutting house and mastering studio Dubplates & Mastering (D&M), is set to be turned into luxury flats.

Rhythm & Sound member Enestus opened up Hard Wax in 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The store originally specialised in soul, funk and reggae, but over time it became the de-facto destination for house and techno records in Berlin. Hard Wax established an American connection through Enestus' periodic visits to its warehouses full of sought-after records that didn't show up on any distribution lists, with the imported stock growing the Kreuzberg-based vinyl shop's legend.

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This was emboldened by Boris Dolinski, a record collector who had resided in New York for five years prior to his stint at Hard Wax. Dolinski's encyclopaedic knowledge of house music informed Enestus' dealings with labels, producers and distributors and the spot started stocking records that had only been known by word of mouth. Mark Enestus told 032c that this "enabled a whole generation of DJs who were already waiting in the wings to start playing when the right clubs opened within the following year."

Since then the store has gone from strength-to-strength and is set to continue its legend alongside another pantheon of the Berlin scene, Tresor.

[via: RA & 032c]

Tibor Heskett is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter.