If you're looking for anything resembling popular music, don't come here. You will be disappointed. If you're looking, however, for dance, electronic, or experimental music, this is the right place. The owner is, shall we say, a bit prickly. He sized me up the second I walked in. Because I've been going to record stores for years and have encountered music snobs more than once, this amused me more than anything. Once I pulled out a DJ Stingray (legendary techno DJ from Detroit) album, he knew I wasn't a noob. He got further confirmation when I asked about some Fennesz (amazing Austrian experimental guitarist) albums. Once you get him going about music, he warms up. Bent Crayon has very hard-to-find titles like Drexciya (iconic sci-fi techno duo from Detroit) reissues, the latest from Perlon (dance music label in Berlin), the Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, or other left-field music. Bent Crayon is mostly vinyl but also has a solid selection of CDs. Fair warning: The corner shelves of experimental music are alphabetized but the rest of the store follows a mysterious organizational logic. In other words, you have to dig, not scan. I bought reissues of Stingray's Aqua Team 2, Drexciya's Harnessed the Storm, and Cluster's Zuckerzeit (Cluster was an electronic music duo from Germany who worked a bunch with Brian Eno). Bent Crayon is not for everyone, but it's still pretty rad. read more

It's a bit different but not my cup of tea so that's why 3 stars :) if you like dance beat music from all of the world this is your place :) It's wayyyy in the back right corner of the art warehouse ... it's great to check out the building tho I just love art and it's a great collective to come and check out tho :) read more

Like others, I placed an order online. They couldn't be bothered to respond in any way to the order or subsequent emails, never actually sent anything or otherwise acknowledged that there is an online shop with their name on it. read more

Highly educated guy that gets moody when unnecessary personal business attracts to the shop. I could have mentioned any substantial band from the 90s and there would be a recommendation that was fresh and inspiring. Although most assume that this is strictly a techno themed music shop, my favorite section is the ambient & home listening. Three albums that I can think of purchased that are good is labradford, bowery electric, & seefeel. My first real dj live experience was hosted @ Touch club by this organization. read more

Bent Crayon is the best store in the country. It is also very much OPEN. He will have a million records you need to hear. read more

When I want to impress an indie loving, hipster dude I just mention that I buy stuff here. Mwahahahaha. read more

I visited the bent crayon over the weekend. I met the owner John and was completely floored by the vast collection vinyl records. He has just about anything you can imagine and is almost overwhelming. I asked him to give me some suggestions and dub and Afrobeat. the two records that he suggested suggested I couldn't be more happy with. the owner was fun to talk to and he really knows how to connect you with the music you're looking for. I don't think I've seen such a wide selection of music from around the world. In his knowledge of Music the spot on just tell him what you like if you could point you in the right direction. I highly highly recommend visiting his website are giving him a call. You will not be disappointed. read more

Bent Crayon - Music & DVDs Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Wish John opened the store in Boston instead of having to stumble on this rare gem 3 hours before my plane ride back. A Wonderful highlight to my trip to Ohio. A great frame of reference for any thirsty ear craving the fat of the land when it come to unconventional, substantive electronic music. Give it a go; you're in for a real treat. read more

Not sure who's saying this shop is closed. It is indeed OPEN! Best record store in the country, lucky to have such a gem in Cleveland. read more

If I was still 22, I would say that this place is "the shit." Now that I'm 30, I've moved on to more sophisticated ways of voicing my pleasure with businesses. This place is fucking awesome. The selection for both CDs and vinyl is fantastic. The places in this world that help feed my Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard addiction are few and far between, and this is one of them. read more

From what everyone's said, I would have to imagine that the store (if you live in Cleveland) is amazing. If you can walk in there and buy something, more power to you. HOWEVER, if you are an internet shopper, try again. I placed a very large order only to get absolutely no response, not even a simple cancellation. They haven't charged me, but they also will not answer my email (and I've tried 4 different bent crayon email addresses) nor even answer the phone. Their answering machine is even full! Their online inventory lead me to believe they were the greatest store ever...but really...how hard is it to just write me back and say "Sorry, we don't have anything in that order of yours." Oh, and it's been about a month and a half. read more

Do not order from them online. Totally unresponsive to a simple request for return authorization, all email correspondence ignored, no one answers the phone and no answering machine. read more

Before you lose your mind, it's inside 78th Street Studios. Being from out of town I wasn't sure what I was looking for, and the GPS went insane. It's on the 2nd floor, about as far back as you can go, so keep walking. It's a GEM of a place! This is not a place to buy the latest releases by who is hot now. This is a place to DIG. The Italian soundtrack section alone had me drooling. Leave time for yourself to flip through the selections, as there isn't much genre sorting and you never know what you'll find. It's places like this that make you proud of Ohio. I scope out the record shops in ever town I travel to, and I've never seen anything like this. read more

Already been stated, Bent Crayon is your home for electronic music and its subgenres in the Cleveland area. I haven't found anything else with this selection of electronic in the area yet. During my only visit there, its stock was nearly all electronic and its forms: acid, house, dubstep, drone, blip-hop, ambient, idm, techno [detroit], trip-hop, etc.. Their collection looked to be split between vinyl and CD. Most CDs were new, all priced at least $13, not cheap [and probably cheaper online], but some of these were imports to be sure and this stuff does have a relatively limited audience. [It was difficult for me to walk out of there empty-handed..] Alas, there wasn't a bargain bin either. Although since I've looked on the website and found it, I didn't find any hip-hop in the store during my only visit [however, I browsed only about half of their CD section]. The guy behind the counter was nice. He spoke up to a regular customer of something that they may like, he and some customers were having spirited conversations about some shows, same that I'd imagine High Fidelity had, both with a tad slice of pretension. If you're looking for something you heard on the radio, move along: you won't find here at Bent Crayon [unless you heard it on college radio]. Otherwise, come here and find something with the perfect beat. read more

Selection and personal service. The owner, John, seems to have listened to every single CD in the store and he has a great selection of non-mainstream stuff and will lead you to exactly what you want. read more

I lived in Cleveland for a year and this was one of my absolute favorite record stores anywhere in the country... There are some experiences you can only get at a record store--bouncing around "similar artists" on the internet is different from digging up the kinds of deep, deep tracks you're likely to find here. read more

On a trip to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, this shop was not open when they said they would be. The location was unusual and the other reviews looked promising but I was not able to find out for myself. read more

No doubt this guy has turned me on to some good quality music, but not without making me feel like an idiot. If you needed help at my work and didn't know anything I'd happily help you without asking for your money. Then again I don't worry about my image, I just figure I should be myself and do good work and that'll keep them coming back. I'll boycott your store until you change your personality which is unlikely! read more