I wasn’t home for Record Store Day this year. Instead, I was in Holland visiting extended family—my mother’s brother and sister. Coincidentally, the big vinyl celebration fell on the very day I wrapped up those family visits and kicked off three solo days in Amsterdam. Record Store Day 2025… in Amsterdam? Damn Right.
Record Store Day usually finds me lining up outside Blackbyrd in Calgary for the 11:00 a.m. opening, eager for a first crack at the special releases. From there, I make the rounds to other shops—Melodiya, Old Retro, Recordland, Sloth, and Hot Wax—to see what’s left and take advantage of the discounts on non-RSD stock.
This year RSD saw me travelling by train from Groningen in the north (where my uncle lives) to Amsterdam, leaving just after lunch and arriving mid-afternoon, so I missed out on early morning shenanigans and line ups. After checking in to my hotel and getting my bearings, it was off to hit at least one store and get my hit (not that kind of hit) of the RSD 2025 Amsterdam experience.
RSD Concerto Style
Got to Concerto (reputedly one of the best record stores in Amsterdam) at around 5:00. A DJ set had just wrapped up so there were still a lot of people about. I’ve not experienced DJs or performances in any Calgary stores before, and it was cool to see how this element of the day can keep the customers coming and staying deep into the afternoon. Back home store traffic is typically down to a trickle by early afternoon.
Concerto is quite the store, taking up the main floors and basements of five adjacent buildings. Half the store is devoted to CDs, and the other half vinyl, with both used and new sections. Selection is huge and runs the gamut from pop and rock to classical to jazz to world to urban and club. I was quite impressed.
All the RSD releases were in the basement of the central building. My top targets are usually the Zev Feldman jazz releases on Resonance and Elemental, along with the Craft Recordings jazz reissues.
I spotted a few of those titles still available—though only a single copy of each—but I was lucky this year to receive promos ahead of time, so there was no pressure on my end.
My one remaining target was the Blue Note outtakes disk, Alts ‘n Outs, which I was overjoyed to find lurking at the very back of the “Various Artists” section. Was glad to add that to the purchase pile!
Interlude
I left Concerto feeling rather satisfied with myself, but the evening was still young, and I still had one more goal for the day. If you follow me on Instagram or have read some of my previous eCoustics articles, you’ll know of my love for jazz bars and clubs, and Jazz Cafe Alto was a priority on my Amsterdam itinerary.
With a couple of hours to kill before Alto opened, I copied the masses and hit an outdoor patio to bask in the late afternoon sun over a bite and a beer. There’s something about the first patio-friendly days of spring, with people emerging en masse like the first blooms of the season.
Apres-RSD at Alto
With an Amstel, a Heineken, and a shrimp croquette sandwich behind me, I made my way to Alto as night began to fall. Alto hosts live performances most evenings, and I arrived just minutes before the night’s band—a five-piece with a vocalist, names unknown—took the stage. I paid the €10 cover and stepped inside.
Alto was packed. The café is long and narrow inside with seating up by the stage, an open area in the middle for standing customers, and a bar with some additional seating at the back by the entrance. I found a single empty seat (last one) near the bar, ordered a drink, and settled in.
Unlike the Japanese kissas I’ve experienced, crowd noise and conversation were on the loud side and the music hard to hear from the back, so I gave up my seat after the first couple of numbers and shuffled forward to the standing area where conditions were more optimal for listening.
The music on this evening was an interesting blend of styles and eras, with ‘70s instrumentation (electric bass and electric piano along with sax and drums), songs mostly standards from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, and vocal interpretation quite modern with R&B and soul influences. Everything came together nicely though, and I rather enjoyed the whole vibe.
Sadly after the first set ended jet lag (still suffering) began to take a toll. That combined with tired feet from a 12,000-step day meant it was time to retire, and back to the hotel I strolled.
A different kind of Record Store Day experience—but a good one. More to come soon…
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