DESTINATION: NORTH BERWICK

There’s a record shop making waves on the East Lothian coast, nurturing tomorrow’s DJ talent today. Simon Berkovitch hits the decks and digs the crates

It’s been a wild ride, but if our journey so far is anything to go by, the best is yet to come,” says DJ Becca Ferrier Baker, founder of Orange Moon Records, North Berwick. A beautiful coastal town in East Lothian, 30 minutes by train from Edinburgh, North Berwick may boast dramatic scenery, but until recently it couldn’t stake a claim to a great vinyl hang-out. All that changed in December 2021, when a small community-based record store with big ideas opened above speciality coffee roasters Steampunk Coffee, a stone’s throw from the sea.

Cool, stripped-back and industrial but supremely welcoming, Orange Moon is a fantastic mix of retro and modern – which reflects the music in the racks; the accessories on the wall; the decks crying out to be used; and the comfy furniture to sink into to soak up the music. Open Friday to Sunday, the shop may be small, but it’s perfectly formed and a singular vision is at work.

Visit on a Sunday and you’ll fi nd a treat for the senses – the aroma of roasting beans and the sound of saxophones in the air. It’s part of Becca’s weekend ritual: “Every Sunday when I open the shop, I start my day with jazz vinyl and a coffee. It is one of my favourite parts of my week… I am at my most content with a good coffee, listening to some great music. I think maybe a part of it for me is how much the combination engages your senses; the scent and flavours of the coffee mixed with the richness of sound from vinyl on a great sound system!”