Megadisc is an independent record shop in Warsaw, Poland, located at Nowogrodzka 44 in the city centre. Established in 1991 by owner Jacek Leśniewski, it is one of Warsaw’s longer-running specialist record shops. Megadisc concentrates primarily on rock music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with a particularly large representation of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock and less widely distributed releases. Vinyl and CDs make up the core of the collection, alongside smaller selections of cassettes, books, posters and other music-related items.
The shop has moved several times during its history. From 1993 until August 2012, Megadisc operated from a small shop behind Nowy Świat, before spending around a year and a half at another location on Nowogrodzka. In 2014 it moved to Długa 44/50, where it remained until relocating to its present premises at Nowogrodzka 44 in June 2018. The current shop is considerably larger than some of its earlier locations, with long rows of vinyl bins and walls and shelves filled with CDs and records.
Dedicated sections include hard rock and heavy metal, New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash metal, alongside progressive rock, krautrock, psychedelic rock, punk, alternative rock and numerous other genres. Black Sabbath is among the classic British bands particularly associated with the shop’s catalogue, while the metal selection extends from well-known releases to more obscure and collectible titles. Megadisc is also known for carrying unusual imports, reissues and recordings by lesser-known bands from countries whose releases can be difficult to find through mainstream record shops.
Owner Jacek Leśniewski is himself a long-time record collector and specialist in rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. He has written about music for the Polish magazine Tylko Rock and is the author of the book Brytyjski Rock w latach 1961–1979. This specialist interest is reflected in Megadisc’s emphasis on complete discographies, uncommon pressings and older rock that falls outside the standard catalogue of larger music retailers. After more than three decades in business, the shop remains particularly associated with classic, progressive and obscure rock, while retaining enough hard rock and metal material to make it relevant to collectors of heavier music.
ADDRESS:
Nowogrodzka 44, 00-695 Warsaw, Poland
Photos from Jan-Erik Johansen.
Back to Warsaw.