Philippe Giron owner of Upside Down Records in Deptford and former manager of Rat Records in Camberwell
Music has been the driving force of my life for over thirty years. My journey in the UK music scene truly took root over a fifteen-year tenure managing the legendary Rat Records in Camberwell. During those years, I handled the buying, curation, and day-to-day life of one of London’s busiest secondhand independent record shops, personally processing over a million vinyl records and CDs.
That decade and a half was an incredible masterclass in community, music history, and the art of crates filling. It allowed me to connect deeply with music collectors across the country, develop a sharp eye for rare pressings, and understand what truly makes a neighborhood record shop tick.
When Rat Records closed its physical shop doors, my dedication to vinyl didn’t stop. I launched Upside Down Records to carry that same independent spirit forward.
My philosophy on music has always been straightforward: it should be entirely unpretentious. I don’t believe in “guilty pleasures,” and I have never subscribed to the intimidating, elitist attitude that sometimes plagues record culture. Whether you are a lifelong collector chasing a rare jazz pressing or someone buying their very first soul record, music is meant to be shared, discussed, and enjoyed without judgment.
Beyond running the shop, I am still actively on the road buying vinyl, soul, reggae, jazz, and rock collections, bringing decades of fair, expert valuation experience directly to people’s homes.
“Philippe Giron was asked to leave France 25 years ago for liking the Cure a little bit too much. Naturally he ended up as the final and greatest manager of Rat Records.
His eclectic tastes and undiminished passion for new exciting sounds made him the perfect man for the job. Philippe’s in depth musical knowledge veers from ragtime blues all the way to techno via post rock, indie and electronica, reggae and jazz …Philippe took care of the smooth running of the business. Desperately trying to research and price the vast amount of records that Tom was constantly bringing in, Philippe was also known for driving seasoned record dealers to tears with his infamous ‘price challenge’….”
— Tom Fisher (Rat Records)