Le Silence de la Rue

Please tell us about Le Silence de la Rue

The store was founded in 1989 and we’re situated in between two slightly older Parisian landmarks: The Bastille and Père Lachaise Cemetery. For anyone planning a visit, the nearest Metro station is Charonne and we’re open Monday to Saturday 11:00-19:30.

What makes Paris an interesting place to have a record shop?

Our customers here have a particular relationship with music, an essential one. It’s a way of life for them.

What kind of music do you specialise in?

We’re an eclectic record store, open minded with a lot of different musical expressions in both CD and vinyl formats. 

Who are your customers? Any famous regulars you can tell us about?

We have different kinds of customers. Usually seniors come for jazz and blues, while the youngsters go for the new titles as well as the back catalogue reissues.

People talk about the 'resurgence of vinyl' - have you seen an influx in the number of younger vinyl collectors?

Oh yes! Definitely. We’re fortunate in that regard. There are a lot of new customers, who are about 18-25 years old, who come to the store looking for the classics of rock, pop soul, jazz, following the advice of their dad, uncle or brother.

As an independent record shop, do you feel like you need to offer supplementary activities for La Silence de la Rue to work – events and live music for instance?

Not really.

What is your favourite song of all time?

‘Suffragette City’ - David Bowie and ‘Rainy night in Georgia’ - Tony Joe White

What album or song do you play most frequently in your shop?

It’s always changing here.

What are you current favourite Ace releases?

The “Take Me To The River” box set

Which record do you play to clear people out at the end of the day?

Joe Henry’s “Reverie”.