On Wick Lane in Hackney Wick, Rook Records feels like the sort of place built for proper musical wandering: you arrive with a vague idea, then leave with an armful of leftfield finds and a few new names scribbled in your notes app.
Background / History
Rook Records began life as an online venture in 2016, steadily building a following for well-chosen second-hand stock and a clear point of view. In 2023, it made the jump into a public-facing shop space in Hackney Wick, giving London diggers a physical home for what had already become a trusted name among collectors and DJs.
The wider Rook universe has grown alongside the shop. There’s a strong emphasis on DJ culture and community, with regular in-store sessions, and a filmed mix platform launched in 2018 that leans into open-minded, genre-connecting selections.
What You’ll Find
Rook’s shelves are rooted in vinyl, spanning both new and used records, with LPs sitting alongside 12″s and 7″s. The shop is known for second-hand imports, including plenty of US and Japanese pressings, which gives the racks an edge: familiar classics turn up, but often in versions you don’t see every day.
Genre-wise, the core runs through jazz, soul and disco into house and other dancefloor-minded cuts, with reggae and hip hop well represented too. The best bit is the overlap: the shop’s selections tend to sit in that satisfying middle ground where dancers, collectors and deep listeners can all find something that makes sense.
Experience / Atmosphere
Browsing at Rook is refreshingly unpretentious. The space encourages slow, attentive digging rather than rushing through “best sellers”, and it rewards curiosity: pull one record out, and you’ll often spot three more nearby that share a label, a producer, or a particular feel. It’s the kind of shop where a quick question can turn into a friendly recommendation, and where your own tastes can be nudged in a new direction without anyone trying to steer you into a strict genre box. That spirit of discovery is baked into how Rook talks about record shopping, too: it’s not just about completing a list, it’s about the journey.
Why Visit
Strong, DJ-aware selection across jazz, soul, disco, house, reggae and hip hop
Second-hand import focus, with notable US and Japanese pressings
Mix of new and used vinyl, including 7″s and 12″s
Regular in-store happenings that keep the shop feeling active
Buys records too, so it’s useful whether you’re building shelves or thinning them
Summary
Rook Records is a smart addition to London’s independent record map: specialist enough to satisfy serious diggers, broad enough to keep things surprising, and grounded in a culture of listening rather than hype. If you’re after imports, dancefloor crossovers, or simply a record shop that treats browsing as an art in itself, it’s an East London stop that repays the time you give it.
