On the corner of Broadwick Street and Duck Lane, Sounds of the Universe is one of London’s most iconic record buying destinations, with superbly racked selections of Reggae, Dubstep, House, Disco, Funk, Soul, Brazilian, Latin, African and world beats. The shop is owned by the prestigious Soul Jazz Records, who operate out of the second floor of the building. We took an afternoon out to capture some of the sights of the shop and to speak to founder Stuart Baker about the label, the shop and the people who make it all worthwhile.

This feature originally ran in issue nine of Deluxe, printed in February 2016.

Deluxe: Broadly speaking, what is the definition between Soul Jazz and Sounds of the Universe?

Stuart Baker: Soul Jazz Records started out of record shop 20 years ago. At this time the shop (which up until this point had been called Soul Jazz Records) became known as Sounds of the Universe. These two entities have separate identities (which are nevertheless connected!).

D: What do you have planned for 2016 ... for the label specifically?

SB: No idea. New records we are doing are Punk 45 Los Angeles, Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Hieroglyphic Being album (as Africans With Mainframes), Skatalites and New Orleans Funk 7” box set (both for record store day), a new 2016 New York Noise (with Arthur Russell etc), Boombox (early rap) and Venezuela 70 (Venezuelan rock). Otherwise, I haven’t got a clue.

D: I shouldn’t really print that bit about Record Store Day... I guess that was technically an exclusive! If you were writing a book about Soul Jazz Records... what would be the mantra or code that you try and follow?
SB: Hmmm not sure I would do that. There is an ethos behind all
our releases - unfortunately it’s a musical non-literal idea that makes it indescribable (sorry about that).

D: I read that ‘Soul Jazz’ was a sign right? What’s the story?

SB: Soul Jazz Records was initially a record shop when it first started, on account of a sign we made outside the shop with black letraset type that said ‘SOUL JAZZ’. When the label started the shop changed it’s name to Sounds of the Universe, currently based in Soho, London. Come along and say hello!

D: What has been your proudest moment over the last Twenty two and half years of running the label?

SB: Hmm it’s nice being able to release music that people respond to positively.

D: You worked closely with Clement Dodd... do you recall your first meeting with him?

SB: I first met Clement Dodd in
his studio/shop at Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York. I went there
to interview him - we were both very shy but he was very warm and we went on to work with Studio One for the next 15 or so years, visiting him again in Jamaica, making a documentary about him and more. Since his death we continue to work with Studio One which is now coordinated through his daughter Carol. We are very proud of the relationship.

D: What was your favourite experience in speaking to and working with Coxsone?

SB: In Jamaica - my baby daughter Bridget climbing all over his barefoot while I was talking with him. Also walking around Trenchtown with him, King Stitt and others, while filming the documentary Studio One Story.

D: In the last few years with The No Seattle compilation and especially
the Punk 45 series, have you been consciously broadening your output or did something just catch your attention and you wanted to investigate it?

SB: No - the second explanation.

I’m in the very privileged position of just being able to go with whatever music interests me at any moment and following that instinct through.

D: Which areas, artists and genres have you most enjoyed investigating?

SB: Hmm I like them all. Chicago acid house, Haitian Voodoo, LA punk. Quite into everything!

D: How is Jon Savage to work with? It feels like you’re hit a rich vein with the Punk 45 series (and book) - are they fun to compile?

SB: Jon Savage is a complete nightmare to work with. This is a joke - he is
very, very easy and good fun to work with. Our connection is that when punk happened he was writing for the music press (Sounds newspaper) - I was a teenager reading them in my bedroom in South London. Yes great fun.

D: Maybe a good point to talk about album artwork. How important to you are sleeves?

SB: I like record sleeves. All Soul Jazz Records sleeves (more than 350 over 20 years) are designed with my friend, me sitting over his shoulder and winding him up.

D: Do you have a favourite(s)?

SB: No. I like them all. Conversations are funny when you are making them. ‘It’s a bit too designer-y’ or can we make it more ‘iconic’?

D: Topical as we approach it I guess, what are your feelings both good and bad about Record Store Day?

SB: I like it both as a record label and as a record store

D: As a strong set of independent shops in the UK, we can reinvigorate Record Store Day can’t we?

SB: It’s good fun. I’ve visited many stores in the USA around Record Store Days too. Whilst there are no chain stores left in the USA, independent record stores are mushrooming. It’s quite surreal how many there are and how into music they all are.

D: Talking specifically about SOTU - When did you move to Broadwick Street?

SB: We started the shop in a lock-
up shop in Camden Market (above Dingwalls) 25 years ago. The rent was £60 a week, no phone, no fax (remember those?), no computers, one lightbulb, a record player and some records. We first moved to Soho 20 years ago (12 Ingestre Place). We moved to 7 Broadwick Street about 12 years ago (I think!).

D: Tell us something about your shop that we might not know?

SB: Unless you have been on the 20
or so guided tours that go past our shop each day and stop and stare at us, you may not know that the building is where the Rolling Stones first rehearsed together (when it was a pub called The Bricklayers Arms).

D: I read awhile back that Prince was a big fan of the shop... do you remember him calling past?

SB: He’s been in once if that’s what you mean? As we are in Soho we get very famous people coming in often. Jimmy Page bought some record cleaning fluid the other day and admired our Led Zeppelin section (yes we sell Led Zeppelin).  In the old days we used to say to well-known musicians who came in
the store they could have any record
in the shop that they played on. After Airto Moreira (& Flora Purim) came in and on another occasion Roy Ayers, they pretty much cleared us out - Airto Moreira has played on more records than I’ve had proverbial hot dinners, from Miles Davis and beyond - we decided to knock that idea on the head.
D: Any other notable patrons or great experiences in running the store?

SB: Aside from music people, Soho means we also seem to have had lots of actors - Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Jude Law. Hugh Laurie came in the other day buying Professor Longhair.

D: How about your own experiences with record shops... which ones did you grow up with?

SB: Bonaparte Records, Bromley. Stiff Records, Notting Hill - this was a house where they sold Stiff Records music out of the front room. If you hung around you might see Ian Dury or The Damned or Elvis Costello also hanging around. I never actually saw them(!) but the aurora was very exciting to a 13 year old. In the USA (where I have travelled a lot) Jerrys in Pittsburgh, Long in the Tooth in Philadelphia, Jazz Record Mart in Chicago, Car City Sounds in Detroit (this one is now closed).

D: Do you remember your first shop as a customer? What did you buy? Do you still own it?

SB: Bonaparte in Bromley. I think I bought The Ramones ‘Beat on the Brat/Rockaway Beach’ on a 12” on Sire Records for £1.25. I also queued up outside of their sister store in Croydon at 8 in the morning to claim a free copy of The Adverts album Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts!

D: Which other record stores inspire you?

SB: All the ones above

D: What is the best advice you have been given as both a label and a shop?

SB: I don’t think I’ve been given any advice!

D:. and what would be the best advice you would give to someone just starting out on that journey?

SB: It’s good fun!

Two floors of music, open seven days a week.
7 Broadwick Street
Soho, London, W1F 0DA
soundsoftheuniverse.com