Background / History
Dorking gained a proper independent record shop again in 2024, when Lee Mayne opened Spin Sounds on South Street. The fit-out very nearly finished the project before it began: drilling into a cavity wall set the timber inside alight, and the blaze had to be reached with a buzz saw and doused with buckets of water, meaning the premises had suffered both fire and flood before a single sleeve reached the racks. The shop opened regardless and built a following across the Mole Valley within its first year. Lee is joined behind the counter by manager Dale, a seven-inch singles specialist whose own collection runs past 8,000 records and who can price almost any single put in front of him. Demand for new releases has grown steadily, and the brand-new side of the business has since expanded into a second outlet in nearby Reigate.
What You’ll Find
The shop works on two fronts. New and reissued titles are displayed face-out along wall-mounted shelves, covering current releases alongside the reissued classics that keep turning over, while the floor racks and browser bins hold a deep second-hand selection divided into indie, punk, psychedelic, prog rock, blues rock, hard rock and metal, new wave, and decade sections for the eighties, nineties and two thousands. Soul, funk, jazz, dance and electronic are all represented, and heavily collected names such as Blondie, Madness and Madonna have dividers of their own. Pricing on used stock is refreshingly plain: quality second-hand vinyl at three for £10, with most pre-owned CDs at £3. Seven-inch singles are a genuine strength, as are the crates of CDs that many shops have quietly given up on. Hardware is stocked too, with Audio-Technica turntables from the LP60 and LP70X ranges, Edifier speakers, headphones and turntable and speaker bundles, plus special orders for models not on the shelf. Cleaning fluids, brushes and protective sleeves complete the picture. Spin Sounds also buys, taking in LPs, twelve and seven-inch singles, picture discs, promos and box sets, paying by cash, bank transfer or store credit, with collection available for larger hauls.
Experience / Atmosphere
Inside, the shop is bright and unfussy: white walls, warm strip lighting under the shelves, a wooden floor and a bold orange counter, with gold and silver discs and framed sleeves filling the space above the racks. A listening station with a turntable and headphones lets you audition before committing, which is exactly what the three-for-£10 racks invite. Fixed to the front of the counter is a piece of genuine pop history, the original Deceptive Bends road sign from the Mickleham Bends stretch of the A24, which gave 10cc the title of their 1977 album, recorded at Strawberry Studios South here in Dorking. The band visited the shop for an album signing on the day the blue plaque marking the studio was unveiled, and the sign has since become a small pilgrimage for 10cc followers. Live acoustic sessions fill the shop floor from time to time, and Record Store Day is treated as a proper event, with exclusives available in store only and an early queue well worth joining.
Why Visit
- Second-hand vinyl at three for £10 and most used CDs at £3, priced honestly and turned over quickly
- Strong seven-inch singles section overseen by a specialist who knows the market inside out
- New and reissued releases displayed face-out alongside the second-hand racks
- Audio-Technica turntables, Edifier speakers, headphones and record-care supplies under one roof
- A listening station for trying before buying
- Fair, straightforward buying and part-exchange, with collections considered and collected
- The original Deceptive Bends sign behind the counter, tying the shop to Dorking’s recording history
- Record Store Day exclusives and occasional in-store live performances
Summary
Spin Sounds packs a great deal into a single South Street unit: current releases, a properly organised second-hand hunt, singles for collectors, kit to play it all on and a counter that will buy your records as readily as sell you theirs. Add a landmark piece of 10cc memorabilia and a shopkeeping style built on fair prices and real knowledge, and it becomes an easy detour for anyone within reach of Dorking. Whether you arrive with a want list or just an hour to spare, this is a shop that rewards a slow flick through the racks.
