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

The end of an era, Proton to close down by year end.

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 active contributors to the Danish electronic scene since 2013 — Proton was from the first day more than a records shop. During the first way of the pandemic, it offered shelter to a whole community of people which based their psychological wellbeing on producing cultural outputs for and within the first places that were shut down: clubs and nightlife venues.

Why it matters to us.

Proton is one of those places, where many of the conceptual foundations of Radio Panini timidly came to life, and we owe the Proton team a debt of gratitude for the inspiration the provided us, especially in how they made people feel welcome and showed that niche cultural work doesn’t need to hide from newcomers.

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 these DIY places have to pay rent, and realistically provide for the basic needs of the people operating them. So this is a stark reminder that while we throw plenty of money out the window in futile things, sometimes just buying as little as one record a month from your local pusher can make a real difference for them.

So yeah, here we are. Similarly to what announced earlier in September by 313 Records collective, Proton records will shut its doors, both digital and physical, by end of 2025.

You have one last chance in November and December to get your hands on some adventurous music, with some good bargains to be made just before the holidays.

Luckily, the spirit that 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.

Here’s Where to Keep Digging in Copenhagen:

8 record shops that you need to know.

The scene in Copenhagen is still alive - if like us your standard is to get 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:

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 however is the classic sound of Detroit, primarily techno and electro, with some serious dub techno gems to be found as well.

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

Paname City Records (Norrebro)

Tucked into in Nørrebro, Paname City Records is a tiny shop with serious character. The owner, French DJ/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 a go-to for global grooves you won’t easily find elsewhere.

📍Søllerødgade 46, 2200 kbh N

🌐 Paname City Records

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 on timeless sounds from around the world — jazz, hip-hop, funk, Afro, ambient, house, and the occasional oddball record that 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.

📍 Stefansgade 10 kld th, 2200 København N

🌐 palmspree.com

Dorma 21 (Vesterbro)

Down a few steps on the street with the impossible name, Oehlenschlægersgade, Dorma 21 is where you go if you’re into timeless dancefloor electronic music —

With a focus on house, minimal, techno and dub, the selection is tight, the prices fair and on a good day Jacob will welcome you with a cub of filtered coffee.

The shop is tiny and stripped down from the unnecessary to accomodate for all the crates filled with dance music from the past 3 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 you have to keep an eye out on their instagram stories and you might need to try your luck a few times, but our resident DJs swear you can find true gems hidden around the shop.

📍 Oehlenschlægersgade 70, 1663 København V

🌐 Dorma 21

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl (Vesterbro)

Part café, part record shop — black coffee, good vinyl, no pretense. 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.

📍 Skydebanegade 4, 1709 København V

🌐 https://www.instagram.com/sortkaffeogvinyl/?hl=en

CAN Records (Vesterbro)

A quieter, more boutique-style shop with deep selections in soul, disco, house, world, and electronic, opened in 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.

📍 Flensborggade 11, 1669 København V

🌐 https://www.instagram.com/can_family/

Ooh Aah Records (Østerbro)

We have never been to this one, but judging by the many friends following them, we take the risk and assume it's a good one.

Second-hand heaven with deep, unpredictable crates — soul, punk, garage, psych, reggae, indie, LPs and 45s in proper condition. It’s the kind of place where 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 that knows his stock very well, and crates that turns over enough to reward repeat digs.

📍 Ryesgade 77, 2100 København Ø

🌐 https://www.instagram.com/ooh_aah_records/?hl=en

Rekords (Nørrebro)

We have never been to this one either, but we heard good things.

Rekords is Copenhagen’s hip-hop specialist — new and used vinyl, tapes and CDs, plus its own label activity. Expect 12"s, classics, reissues, local drops and imports, all firmly rooted in rap culture. If you’re hunting boom-bap, 90s/00s era, modern underground, or cassette releases, this is the spot.

📍 Bragesgade 1, 2200 København N

🌐 rekords.net • instagram.com/rekords_cph

Do you have other tips for us?

We will be super happy to check them out, and add them to the list. You can reach at radio@radiopanini.com , or leave their name in the comments section!