Proton Records Is Closing — Here’s Where to Keep Digging in Copenhagen

This guide was written in October 2025 and updated in October 2026 with two newer shops, El Cuartito Records and ATM Records. Proton Records and 313 Vinyl Collective had both announced they would close at the end of 2025 (Resident Advisor on Proton, on 313). Shop details change, so check each shop’s Instagram before you go.

Proton Records has announced that it will close its doors at the end of the year. In their own words, “Even though Proton never made us a penny, it gave us something far more valuable”: a community, inspiration and a shared love for music.

Opened as a shop in 2020, but an active contributor to the Danish electronic scene since 2013, Proton was from day one more than a records shop. During the first wave of the pandemic it offered shelter to a whole community of people whose wellbeing depended on producing culture for the first places to shut down: clubs and nightlife venues.

Why it matters to us

Proton is one of the places where many of the conceptual foundations of Radio Panini timidly came to life, and we owe the Proton team a debt of gratitude, especially for how they made people feel welcome and showed that niche cultural work doesn’t need to hide from newcomers. Their Proton Monthly Pics shows are in our archive: Proton Monthly Pics and Proton December Pics.

Respectfully navigating ever-changing health restrictions, they hosted intimate get-togethers, concerts, live-streamed radio sessions and the occasional private party. They played a key role in showing what DIY could look like, during lockdown and in the recovery that followed.

It was a space for those chasing sounds off the beaten path: experimental, club and everything in between. It had that DIY energy that makes Nørrebro what it is: open, curious and quietly radical.

Its closure isn’t just a loss for the owners; it’s a loss for Copenhagen’s underground. A reminder that record shops aren’t only about vinyl: they’re about people, conversations and the culture that grows when those two things meet.

Yet at the end of the month, even DIY places have to pay rent and provide for the basic needs of the people running them. So here is a stark reminder: while we throw plenty of money out the window on futile things, buying even one record a month from your local pusher can make a real difference.

So yeah, here we are. Like 313 Vinyl Collective, which announced its closure in September, Proton Records will shut its doors, digital and physical, by the end of 2025. You have one last chance in November and December to get your hands on some adventurous music, with good bargains to be found just before the holidays.

Luckily, the spirit Proton represented is still alive. You just have to know where to look.

Some pics from a live streaming session with Merchant Radio in October 2021. Photos: Proton Records, via Instagram.

Here’s where to keep digging in Copenhagen: 10 record shops you need to know

The scene in Copenhagen is still alive — if, like us, your standard is getting through the end of the month, you might even say thriving. Here are a few independent shops that keep the spirit alive and are worth supporting, starting with two newer places:

ATM Records (Christiania)

ATM (at.the.moment.records) is a small second-hand vinyl shop and events project run by Ricardo Roessel: a Chicago staple, now a cherished Copenhagen and Jolene resident. It lives in the Delux Arkiv container store in Freetown Christiania, between Nemoland and the Moon Fisher café, across from Christiania Bikes. We’ve been, and it deserves a spot at the very top of this list.

It officially launched on 1 August 2026 with a free street party: house and dub on the decks, with Prince of Whales and Handless DJ, both regulars on our airwaves, on the lineup, plus food, and drinks sold to help fund the shop’s future café. Digging is by appointment: send them a message on Instagram.

Address: inside the Delux Arkiv container store, Freetown Christiania (near the Fabriksområdet). Find them: Instagram.

El Cuartito Records (Vesterbro)

A record store and creative space in a small room (el cuartito is Spanish for “the little room”), built around sound, culture and connection. The crates lean electronic, from house and techno to drum & bass, with an online catalogue of more than a thousand records. It’s more of a meeting point than a counter: come by, dig, have a chat.

You’ll find it at Dybbølsgade 14, the same address 313 Vinyl Collective had (see below). Opening hours at the time of writing are Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00–17:00, so check their Instagram before you head over.

Address: Dybbølsgade 14, 1721 København V. Find them: elcuartito.dk and Instagram.

313 Vinyl Collective (Vesterbro)

A sharp-focused store on the diggers’ turf, 313 Vinyl Collective was built around underground electronic music: techno, house, electro, drum & bass, jungle and more from Detroit, Chicago, Berlin and beyond. Their specialty is the classic sound of Detroit, primarily techno and electro, with some serious dub-techno gems too.

However, owner Morten announced the shop would close at the end of the year, because balancing it with a full-time job had become increasingly hard. If you’re after rare electronic wax or want to support the niche scene before it disappears, this one is worth a visit.

Address: Dybbølsgade 14, 1721 København V. Announced closing date: 31 December 2025.

Paname City Records (Nørrebro)

Tucked into Nørrebro, Paname City Records is a tiny shop with serious character. The owner, French DJ and collector Adrien Pastor, curates a selection heavy on hip-hop, jazz, funk, Latin, soul and world sounds, and the vibe is laid-back and authentic. For crate-diggers in the know, Paname is the go-to for global grooves you won’t easily find elsewhere. Update: Adrien played at Radio Panini on 19 September 2026. Listen back to Paname City Records w/ Adrien Pastor.

Address: Søllerødgade 46, 2200 København N. Find them: Instagram.

Palmspree Records (Nørrebro)

Hidden in a semi-basement on Stefansgade, Palmspree feels more like a friend’s living room than a shop. The focus is timeless sounds from around the world: jazz, hip-hop, funk, Afro, ambient, house and the occasional oddball record you didn’t know you needed. It’s small, well curated and run by people who genuinely care about music. Go when you have time to browse slowly and talk.

Address: Stefansgade 10 kld th, 2200 København N. Find them: palmspree.com.

Dorma 21 (Vesterbro)

Down a few steps on the street with the impossible name, Oehlenschlægersgade, Dorma 21 is where you go for timeless dancefloor electronic music. With a focus on house, minimal, techno and dub, the selection is tight, the prices are fair and, on a good day, Jacob will welcome you with a cup of filtered coffee.

The shop is tiny and stripped of anything unnecessary, to make room for crates of dance music from the past three decades. It’s a space for people who really dig records, not just buy them. Dorma opens by appointment only, and sometimes when they feel like it, so keep an eye on their Instagram stories and be ready to try your luck a few times. Our resident DJs swear you can find true gems hidden around the shop.

Address: Oehlenschlægersgade 70, 1663 København V. Find them: Instagram.

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl (Vesterbro)

Part café, part record shop: black coffee, good vinyl, no pretence. It’s a reliable spot for browsing classics, newer releases and second-hand finds, especially if you like to mix your crate digging with caffeine and conversation.

Address: Skydebanegade 4, 1709 København V. Find them: Instagram.

CAN Records (Vesterbro)

A quieter, more boutique-style shop with deep selections of soul, disco, house, world and electronic, open since 2004 and run by a married couple. The range is small but carefully chosen: the kind of place where every record on the wall deserves a listen.

Address: Flensborggade 11, 1669 København V. Find them: Instagram.

Ooh Aah Records (Østerbro)

We have never been to this one, but judging by how many of our friends follow them, we’re taking the risk and assuming it’s a good one. Second-hand heaven with deep, unpredictable crates: soul, punk, garage, psych, reggae, indie, LPs and 45s in proper condition. A quick browse turns into an hour, because there’s always one more oddball pressing you’ve never seen. Expect a small room, a helpful owner who knows his stock very well, and crates that turn over enough to reward repeat digs.

Address: Ryesgade 77, 2100 København Ø. Find them: Instagram.

Rekords (Nørrebro)

We have never been to this one either, but we’ve heard good things. Rekords is Copenhagen’s hip-hop specialist: new and used vinyl, tapes and CDs, plus its own label activity. Expect 12-inch records, classics, reissues, local drops and imports, all firmly rooted in rap culture. If you’re hunting boom-bap, 90s and 00s era, modern underground or cassette releases, this is the spot.

Address: Bragesgade 1, 2200 København N. Find them: rekords.net and Instagram.

Do you have other tips for us?

We’d love to hear them and add them to the list. Email radio@radiopanini.com or message us on Instagram. And digging is better with a soundtrack: tune in to our live shows from Jolene every Friday and Saturday in the schedule.