10 Essential European Reissue Labels to Keep on Your Radar in 2026 [ENG]

As I’m writing these lines, I’m listening to a compilation of Japanese singer Hitomi “Penny” Tohyama, reissued by the French label Wewantsounds.

Reissues now make up a huge chunk of the current vinyl market. It’s a shame for brand-new releases, sure, but for music lovers it’s an incredible opportunity. There’s an overwhelming abundance of reissues out there — from timeless classics to fascinating obscurities that most people have never even heard of.

Anglophone articles quite understandably tend to focus on North American or British labels. Here, we’ve decided to go against the grain and shine a light on Europe — continental Europe in particular — even though we couldn’t resist slipping in one British label! There’s more to life than just the United States, and plenty of labels right here in the European Union are doing truly remarkable work.

Not all of them operate the same way. Some specialize in carefully curated compilations, while others faithfully reissue cult classics. It’s vital that certain records remain regularly available to enthusiasts at reasonable prices. Far from the gatekeeping and snobbery of certain purists who systematically look down on reissues, these projects sometimes perform a genuine public service. This list doesn’t claim to be exhaustive — it simply aims to highlight labels with an interesting and distinctive approach to reissuing. And you — what are your favorites?

01 – Replica (France)

Replica Records is based in Metz, in eastern France. It’s the reissue arm of the record shop La Face Cachée (which also runs several other labels, including Specific). Over the past few years, they’ve been doing truly fascinating work uncovering French musical heritage, all at very reasonable prices. It’s a great way to pick up underground classics (including the fantastic Obsolete by Dashiell Hedayat) without having to raid your savings account. They have a soft spot for progressive rock, as shown by their recent reissues of Dragon (a New Zealand band) and Atlas (Swedish).

A few standout releases from their catalog worth digging into:

• Joël Fajerman, Jan Yrssen Racines Synthétiques 
• Dashiell Hedayat Obsolete 
• Morgen, Morgen.

02 – Born Bad Records (France)

Do we even need to introduce the label from Romainville (a Paris suburb) founded by JB Guillot? Born Bad Records is one of the crown jewels of the French underground scene, both for new releases (Forever Pavot, Pleasure Principle, Bryan’s Magic Tears, etc.) and reissues. In the reissue department, the label has specialized in high-quality compilations like the legendary Wizzz series or the famous Bippp. Born Bad just released the fifth volume of Wizzz — an exceptional compilation if you’re into underground yé-yé from the 60s. The catalog is incredibly rich, and Born Bad makes a point of regularly repressing their most sought-after titles. When it comes to reissues, the selection is highly eclectic. In 2022, the label put out a notable reissue of the complete catalog of Les Calamités, a French girl group blending indie-pop and powerpop. In 2025, they made a radical style shift with the superb Dolores compilation dedicated to salsa music from the French Antilles.

• Les Calamités Encore! (2022)
• V/A Dirty French Psychedelics (2009)
• Les Olivensteins, Les Olivensteins (2011)
• Ruth, Polaroïd/Roman Photo (1985)
• Rob Jo Star Band, Rob Jo Star Band (1975).

03 – Favorite Recordings (France)

Founded by Pascal Rioux (aka Charles Maurice, also a member of Pascal & Mister Day), Favorite is one of my current absolute favorite reissue labels. The French imprint’s catalog beautifully balances new releases (Lucas Arruda, Voilaaa) with reissues. The boss himself gets hands-on, curating excellent compilation series like AOR Global Sounds or the legendary French Disco Boogie Sounds. Favorite is hands-down one of the best European labels for fans of disco, AOR, yacht rock, boogie, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, and everything in between. Their editions are always top-notch, with tip-on sleeves that evoke classic North American records from the 60s and 70s.

• Dwight Druick, Tanger (1980)
• Byrne and Barnes, An Eye for an Eye (1981)
• Googie and Tom Coppola, Shine the Light of Love (1980).

04 – Munster/Vampi Soul (Spain)

The Madrid-based Munster has, almost by accident, become an essential player in European reissues, boasting a fantastic catalog. Under the umbrella of Distrolux SL, it’s a whole galaxy of imprints including Vampi Soul and Vinilissimo. Together they cover a huge range of music, with a few clear specialties: plenty of sounds from Spanish-speaking countries (Spain, of course, but also Argentina, Peru, Colombia, etc.), Brazil, and underground rock classics from the 80s (Stiv Bators, Gun Club, DMZ, Alex Chilton). We owe them several outstanding compilation series, including the amazing Algo Salvaje (I’ve reviewed two volumes right here and on Section 26). In 2025, Munster didn’t rest on its laurels and delivered a bunch of exceptional records, like Pau Riba’s Electroccid Àccid Alquimístic Xoc or the gorgeous Joropop compilation dedicated to the Venezuelan scene of the 60s and 70s.

• Marcos Valle, Vontade de Rever Você (1981)
• Elia y Elizabeth, Elia Y Elizabeth (1971)
• We All Together, Volumen II (1974)
• Travesia, Ni Un Minuta Mas de Dolor (1983)
• V/A, Interferencias Vol. 1 (2017)
• Pau Riba, Electroccid Àccid Alquimístic Xoc (1975)
• V/A, Joropop (2025).

05 – Guerssen (Spain)

If Guerssen doesn’t operate at the same pace as Munster, it’s another Spanish reissue label that I absolutely love. The Catalan label has expanded its expertise with excellent sub-labels like Sommor and Pharaway Sounds. Guerssen has a real knack for putting out truly interesting records. When it comes to sound quality, the main label seems to take good care of things, though the sources can sometimes be a bit less solid on Pharaway Sounds, depending on the release. Personally, I think their price-to-quality ratio is pretty satisfying. I also love how their catalog really ventures off the beaten path.

• Claude Lombard, Chante (1969)
• Forever Amber, Love Cycle (1969)
• Eden Rose, On The Way To Eden (1970)
• San Ul Him, Vol 1, 2 & 3 (1977-1978)
• Truck, Surprise! Surprise! (1974).

06 – Mr Bongo (UK)

Like many of the labels in this selection, Mr Bongo started out as a record shop and is now based in Brighton. The label alternates between new releases (Ana Frango Eléctrico, Soyuz, Kit Sebastian, MLDE) and reissues. It has a strong focus on Brazilian music and offers plenty of stunning releases in that vein. Being a British label, the prices are a little higher than those from European outfits, but overall they’re still quite reasonable.

• Arturo Verocai Arturo Verocai (1972)
• Os Brazões, Os Brazões (1969)
• Sandra Sà, Vale Tudo (1983)
• Doris, Did You Give The World some Love Today, Baby (1970)
• Skull Snaps, Skull Snaps (1973).

07 – Altercat (Germany)

Altercat is perhaps the most modest label in this selection, but certainly not the least deserving! Based in Germany and run by a single person (whom I suspect is Catalan), the label offers a wealth of jazz, jazz-funk, and Latin American bossa albums, often from Spanish-speaking countries (Argentina, Chile). The work is meticulous, both in terms of packaging and content! A true labor of love that stands in sharp contrast to some of the more opportunistic approaches you sometimes see elsewhere.

• Werther, Werther (1970)
• The Paragons, Abba (1966)
• Matias Pizarro, Pelo De Rata (1975)

08 – SouffleContinu Records (France)

As its name suggests, SouffleContinu Records is an offshoot of the record shop of the same name located in Paris, France. For the past ten years, the label has been releasing demanding, high-quality reissues, drawing heavily from the catalog of Saravah, the label founded by Pierre Barouh. That said, it would be a mistake to reduce the label to just that connection. The Parisian outfit is a real trailblazer, digging into the hidden corners of free jazz and French electronic music—including many records from Richard Pinhas’s projects. If you love being surprised and gently pushed out of your comfort zone, SouffleContinu’s catalog is bound to ring a bell with you!

• Baroque Jazz Trio, Baroque Jazz Trio (1970)
• Malagasy / Jef Gilson, Malagasy (1972)
• Heldon, Un Rêve Sans Conséquences Spéciales (1976)
• Jean Cohen-Solal, Flûtes Libres (1972)
• Mahjun, Mahjun (1973)

09 – Wewantsounds (France)

France is definitely well-represented in this list, as evidenced by Wewantsounds, a label founded by Matt Robin, formerly of Charly Records. Elegant reissues (a bit on the pricey side), with sharply curated selections! Wewantsounds is a label for true aesthetes. Its specialties: soul/funk, soundtracks, and especially a wealth of Japanese releases, particularly hard-to-find city pop gems. DJ Nick Luscombe curates excellent compilations for the label, like the one on Hitomi Tohyama that I mentioned in my introduction.

• Ryuichi Sakamoto Thousand Knives of (1978)
• Hiroshi Sato, Orient (1979)
• Lalo Schifrin, Man On A Swing (2023)
• V/A, Sharayet El Disco (2022)
• Ennio Morricone, Sans Mobile Apparent (2022)

10 – Habibi Funk (Germany)

Let’s finish our trip into the European reissue labels by stoping in Germany. Habibi Funk is a label founded by Jannis Stürtz in the mid-2010s, following a trip to Casablanca. Like Humphrey Bogart, the DJ was deeply marked by his time in Morocco. He set out to track down a local musician, Fadoul, who had his own take on James Brown’s style. The search took time, and the label’s very first release ended up being a 45 of Dalton, a Tunisian band. Since then, Habibi Funk has ventured far and wide, including to Lebanon. What also makes Habibi Funk unique is its business model: it splits profits 50/50 with the rights holders.

• Ahmed Malek, Musique originale de films 1 & 2 (2016 & 2024)
• Fadoul, Al Zman Saib (2015)
• V/A, Habibi Funk – An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World, Part 1 & 2 (2017 & 2021)

This article is a translation (slightly reworked and updated) of that article.