Name: digital killaz.
Comment: Probably the most important shop in Oxford for specialist black, dance and urban music during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Began life in that alley between Gloucester Green and Magdalen Street (Friars Entry, I think). It was very well presented and neatly organised with racks of records positioned according to style and genre with a long counter with decks facing the door. Flyers everywhere. It was staffed at that time by Alex "Mouly" who had a couple of D&B releases on Timeless Records, Joanna "Massive" (both these guys had crazy hair) and a very tall guy with pierced eyebrow who was a typical nonchalant and sometimes bad-tempered record shop dude.
They mainly supplied vinyl but also a limited selection of CDs and tape packs. I picked up so much classic material here. Much of my now prized and treasured vinyl was sourced at this venue and I would have been a regular face both during the week and on a Saturday around 1994/95.
I was digging for mainly Hip Hop and D&B. This is where I picked up all my Legend Records 12"s, V Recordings, Moving Shadow, Good Looking, Metalheads, and loads of classic American import hip hop 12"s. NAS Illmatic, ATCQ Midnight Marauders, Biggy Smalls, Domino, Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Pharcyde, all on vinyl and mostly still in my possession. They did a great job of sourcing and supplying during a golden era for music and vinyl.
They later moved to Gloucester Green in the corner under the arch. Online sales put them out of business at some point around 2006 or 2007 I think. RIP Massive Records. There must be a lot of people with a soft spot for this shop.
(24 January 2016)
Name: Soo Woodeson
Comment: I used to go to the shop regularly and knew Jo fairly well. She was a lovely person and stocked some fantastic tracks. I moved away from the area in 2004 and was very sad to hear the shop had closed. Wonder what happened to Jo?
(2019)
Name: Colin Nutley
Comment: Remember the place well, used to buy white label trance and house from there. Shame to see its demise. Still own a Massive Records bomber jacket to this day.
(2020)
Name: Andrew Smith
Comment: Similar memories. I was more into the House. On one occasion, Jo went out the back and gave me Acid Trax that she'd found from time back. The best shop and lots of top records and memories.
(2021)
Name: boldi lox
Comment: Shopped here for Jungle records late 1993 to 1995. Was here most Saturdays. Bought tracks on labels such as Good Looking, V Recordings, Rude and Deadly, and countless white labels and promos. The backbone of my Jungle collection.
(2021)
Name: Kevin Moore
Comment: Used to frequent this place in the early nineties for my fix of German Techno and Swedish House. My goodness, what an absolute pleasure it was to flick through the racks on a Saturday and leave with a bag full of wax! Happy times. Pretty sure Jo was a Tewkesbury girl and she was so so helpful in sourcing the tunes that I would listen to on Colin Faver's slot on Kiss FM from that week! Was never an issue in getting hold of them! She knew me as Steve, even though that's not my name!, as she must have associated me with the bloke from the distributor Intergroove that dealt with the Le Petit Prince label which I hounded her for! Anyway wherever you may be Joanna Massive... I salute you. X
(2022)
Name: Graeme Stoker
Comment: I was a regular in Massive Records from 1995-1998 whilst living in Oxford for my first job after uni. Dread to think how much I must have spent! At the time I was buying European techno & trance, labels like Noom, Time Unlimited, Harem and so on, and the guy who always used to sort me out had a right ear for exactly what I was looking for. My collection these days is all the richer for this shop.
(2022)
Pretty Fly To Dj Chapter 11 Record Selection 1 Massive Records Oxford - video
Comments
Gallery
