Ghent has seen some extraordinary record shops, but this was one of the most iconic businesses.

Steendam 72, Ghent

In its heyday, Music Man used to sell ten thousand vinyl records a week. But even more remarkably, that was not in the 1970s or ‘80s, but in the ‘90s – when CDs had already become the norm. The record shop mostly sold to DJs and had its finger on the pulse of nightlife, with its fame extending well beyond Belgium.

From Renaat Vandepapeliere (R&S) to Stefaan Vandenberghe (NEWS), the list of producers and DJs who started their career at Music Man is almost endless. Renowned DJ David ‘Benoelie’ Fouquaert, who worked as a shop assistant at Music Man for seven years, came up with the legendary (and accurate) slogan “ often imitated, never duplicated”.

Façade of record shop Music Man in Ghent