A short history of Listening Bars 🔊🥃

Japanese-style Listening Bars are a new way to experience music

Apr 24, 2020

👋 Hi everyone!

I’m happy to be collaborating on a new project: Savory Sounds Radio was created for innovative musicians, crate-digging DJs, and open-minded fans from across the world. Weekly Radio shows, hosted by Rahmi Halaby, highlights some of the best DJs and musicians from all over the Philadelphia area. Below, I’ve linked my first article with SSR, our SoundCloud, Spotify, and other pages. We’re just getting started.

Phil Nicolo is a veteran audio engineer and producer from Philadelphia who recently worked on a project with Universal Music Group. The project is called Motown Unreleased ‘69, featuring 60 newly mixed and mastered, unreleased gems from 1969. The A&R from UMG told Nicolo, who sold his record label Ruffhouse Records to Sony Music, not to worry so much about his production choices for finer details, reminding him, “Subtlety is lost on the masses.”

It’s half-joking, half-serious, yet this is a sad reality of much of the music we listen to. Many pop songs are indistinct from one another; streaming companies today are playing compressed versions of songs for their millions of subscribers to hear; most methods of listening fail to provide the quality of a fully mastered recording. This isn’t always the case. There are new pieces of equipment that elevate the sound quality for everyday listeners, which can expose us to elements of production we never knew were in our favorite songs. Think premium speaker monitors, like the reissued Yamaha NS-10, or new headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3. And not long ago, a music scene has emerged to provide a new and improved means of hearing quality sound... the Japanese-style listening bar.

The concept of listening bars, like many things, has its origins in Japanese culture. Commonly referred to as HiFi bars in the U.S., listening bars are a “subset of the kissaten, the small and idiosyncratic coffeehouses dotting the side streets in Tokyo (Ben Ratliff, New York Times),” and stem back to the 1950s.

The original idea is simple: talk less, listen more. The sound is given first priority, not the floor plan nor what's on the menu. Acoustics of the space are designed in such a way that one can fully appreciate the music that’s playing. It’s a great way to experience music; not only are the picks usually playing from vinyl but the sound system is optimized to hear details we otherwise couldn’t get at a regular venue.

What characteristics define a listening bar? Speakers tend to have a revealing sound quality for everyone in attendance. The general vibe amounts to an atmosphere that supports enjoyment and relaxation, rather than one of coffee-fueled productivity or a night club. Owners sought to do something they’re passionate about and tend to be collectors of records with a deeper appreciation for the technology behind great sounding music. It’s a unique place that provides a means to relax, concentrate on the music, and come together as a community.

Although the spaces vary from city to city, they each pay homage to Japan’s listening bars where it all began. It’s an exciting time for this new way to hear music. More venues have begun popping up in other countries including the United States only in the last few years.

The founder and owner of an early listening bar called SHeLTeR pays deep attention to everything and is particularly mindful of the guest experience.

SHeLTeR, in Hachioji, Japan

“It doesn’t feel like a bar to me, more like a room in my home. It’s not a ‘SHeLTeR’ in the sense of a bomb shelter, but a ‘SHeLTeR’ to recuperate in, to recover. I couldn’t keep pace with the hectic world, that’s partly why I came back to Hachioji. I thought it’d be good to have a place to rest, a place apart from the chaos of the world.
It’s been 30 years, but I’m not quite done yet. There’s still so much left to do. I can’t see an end to it all. In the last 30 years, the only thing that has changed is our sound system. Our entire system is customized now. I switch on the Amp, I set up the needle. That’s actually the part I pay the most attention to. I soundcheck using the same audio source each time. Then I tweak the speaker positions, only minute adjustments, depending on the day.
“To be quite honest, this listening movement... I’m surprised by that myself. When I heard the term I wondered, “Did this not exist before now?
“Pioneer... a Pioneer... I don’t think that applies to me. I’ve only been doing what interests me. I didn’t intend to start a movement. I’ll simply continue doing what I’ve always been interested in.”–Yoshio Nojima

Nojima is fairly modest considering the fact that he’s paving a path that many others continue to follow.

Masaki Ariizumi is the owner of Bridge, a listening bar perched above Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, Japan. According to his resident D.J. Nori, Ariizumi is a master of Japanese hospitality or Omotenashi a s it’s called. He’s installed his sound system into the walls of the bar so that the music can grow around his guests, while they can get up close and personal with the speakers. He's given great thought to the guest experience and the concept of the bar.

Listen to Bridge, a playlist by Resident Advisor

The sound system at Bridge, photographed by Resident Advisor

“We wanted it to be a bridge between people. That’s why we named it Bridge. In the beginning, we didn’t really advertise. It was only known to those in the know. We were proud of our underground status. On our opening day, a friend of mine recommended a book by an American author. I thought it captured our concept perfectly. It was about the necessity for a ’third place.’ A place in addition to ‘family’ and ‘work’. This place is somewhere that’s open to anyone, where many different people can mingle and enjoy themselves; somewhere to relax and share ideas. I think such a place is essential. It can be a place where new things are born. Where people gain energy for the next day. As a place to relax it fulfills an important role.” –Masaki Ariizumi

Owners of new listening bars have no problem attributing Japan as their initial spark of inspiration. A pair of brothers from a Hackney, London restaurant and listening bar cite Japan as their influence to start this new business venture. Brothers Amit and Aneesh Patel were lawyers seeking a new way to live when they created the listening bar Brilliant Corners, which, at the time, was intended as a two-year experiment. The bar is named after the 1957 Thelonius Monk album. What the brothers didn’t anticipate was how much the concept would stick with local attendees, or that they were about to create a new community of listeners. Before cultivating a new listening community, the two brothers set out to visit SHeLTeR bar to learn what elements are at play to create such an enriching experience.

Sound system via Brilliant Corners

“We were so happy to see other people who were listening to so many different genres of music, who were welcoming. We were so happy to find a place where there’s so many types of these places where you can listen to music and all the sound systems are all really good and everyone pays great attention to detail, treating music with some level of reverence is fairly normal.”–Aneesh Patel

Listen to Brilliant Corners, a playlist by Resident Advisor

The bar’s four large standing Klipsch speakers stand in different parts of the room, each intended to fully maximize the instruments of a recording. Yet, what makes Brilliant Corners distinct from its Japanese origins is the totality of the acoustics, sound system and its underlying tech are not the first priority, noting that to them it is simply one element of the venue. The experience is top of mind.

“The (Brilliant Corners) sound system is part of an enabling space that allows the more human interactions between our team members we’ve had, who have become our really close friends. A lot of the customers and DJs... compared to our experiences in the corporate world, it’s just dramatically different the amount of likeminded people we’re able to interact with now.”–Aneesh Patel

“The real thing about it is a music venue or a place that people can gather is where you can get some human connection.” –Amit Patel

The other differentiating aspect is their entire sound system is something they are able to move place to place. Aneesh and Amit Patel, co-founders of Brilliant Corners, were inspired by a monthly party called Beauty and the Beat. When they realized the producers of the show needed to carry stereo equipment from venues back to their houses, they understood the need for a place to house the audio set up.

Brilliant Corners now travels to and from Houghton Music Festival in the U.K, bringing a sound experience like no other to lucky attendees. The photo to the right is a shot from the tent in recent years.

Since creating the space, they’ve received praise from Chee Shimuzu, who also DJs at SHeLTeR.

“Brilliant Corners is run as a restaurant, but they have a very good sound system installed. To be able to have a place like this is the biggest change in recent years.”

Shimuzu has been a DJ for 27 plus years, and DJing vinyl listening parties at the native SHeLTeR for over eight years. He knows how long it takes to build such a community from first-hand experience. This is the same Chee Shimuzu who told Resident advisor,

“If people want to create listening parties overseas now, I think that will require tremendous effort. But there are people that create places like that despite the difficulties. I have a lot of respect for them. They’re doing their best and I hope they succeed. Such a culture has started to bud and sprout.”

*Chee Shimuzu, photographed by* *Resident Advisor*

Funnily enough, another listening bar exists a short 15 minutes south of Hackney in Kings Cross, London. Spiritland is a dynamic space, consisting of a restaurant, cafe by day, and bar by night. The co-founder Paul Noble has a background in radio production and sound engineering so it comes as no surprise that Spiritland has a studio for production and radio. Spiritland prefers to situate DJs off to the side as part of the crowd, maintaining the theme of music as the main focus of the experience. Likewise to the owners of Brilliant Corners, Noble shares the same opinion on the acoustic setup.

Spiritland — London, UK | Wallpaper* — *Spiritland, photographed by Andrew Meredith*

“The equipment, which is all very interesting and appealing, is ultimately a route to a destination which is the music, and the listening experience and the emotion behind what the performers are playing. I can’t get too hung up on the equipment–we’ll be changing it forever, we’ll be tweaking it and putting in and out–ultimately it’s about the listening experience and really engaging with the music and the emotion within that.”– Paul Noble

Inspiration knows no bounds. The trend hitting London rubbed off on some music enthusiasts in Barcelona, who created the listening bar Nica Bonay. Inés Mirós-Sans is the co-owner of Casa Bonay Hotel and Nica, and runs the creative content for both. The inspiration for Nica came from Aneesh and Amit Patel whose vision for Brilliant corners was aligned with Inés’ and her co-owner Danny’s way of doing things. Daniel Baughman is a music programmer who has been with Nica since it launched in 2018 and first pitched the idea of the listening room.

Listen to Nica, a playlist by Resident Advisor

For Inés, there is always some reason and intention behind every detail so that you connect with something. Baughman noted that despite living in this age of multitasking and information overload, you won’t be hard-pressed to see Nica’s guests focused on the music for 45-minutes straight.

“There’s a more genuine interest now in sound and quality. The idea of surrendering not only to sound but to programming, you create this inertia with people where maybe they don't know what artist is playing but they come anyway. Embracing a musical offer you’re not aware of, taking that risk, and discovering something in a more wild way. Let yourself go.”–Daniel Baughman

The music programming curated by Nica began resonating with visitors quickly. The sound system at Nica served as an inspiration for Curtis Audiophile Cafe to open its doors. Guille De Juan, Manager of Curtis, felt the need for a space was long overdue, yet knew he needed to pay homage to places like SHeLTeR and Bridge.

“The specifics of a listening bar in Barcelona have to be different from the original ones in the birthplace of listening bars in Japan where records are played with ceremony and people are listening almost silently. Here in a Mediterranean city, at some point, people want to chat. That’s alright as long as the music is always the main ingredient. It has to do with the time you’ve invested in a room. In Japan, they’ve devoted their lives to finding the best conditions.
“We have installers placed in the roof and it breaks the traditional concept of stereo but pours the sound from above on a 360° radius, which gives us a sound that is nicely spread across the room. We have listening booths where you can grab any of the records we have on display and listen while you drink your coffee. At night we dim the lights down, turn the volume up, and have a listening session to share music.”– Guille De Juan

Listen to Curtis Audiophile Cafe, a playlist by Resident Advisor

Curtis Audiophile Cafe also uses Klipsch speakers, which have a balanced sound so people can always tell what’s playing. Klipsch may sound familiar as they grew a cult-like popularity from David Mancuso’s traveling loft parties. Eventually, western culture fully embraced listening bars and the concept is gaining popularity in the U.S.

A couple created a listening bar in Oakland, California, called Bar Shiru. Likewise to Amit and Aneesh, owner Shirin Raza left her job as an attorney to pursue this passion project full time. Shirin and her husband put lots of care into acoustic treatments of the space that come together and form a premium listening experience. What’s distinct about the Oakland bar is that jazz is at the root of everything played at Bar Shiru.

Listen to Classics, a playlist by Bar Shiru

The bar’s jazz-theme takes cues from the Tokyo listening bar JBS, short for Jazz, Blues and Soul. JBS’ owner Kobayashi Kazuhiro is extremely dedicated; he opens 7 days a week, knows where every one of his 10,000 records sits, and serves coffee and tea by day and beer and spirits by night.

In Southern California lies Gold Line Bar in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. This space was opened by founder of the Stones Throw record label Chris Manak, whose eclectic record collection has plenty of range and he asks that DJs select from the 8,000 vinyl records behind the bar.

In Downtown Los Angeles is the listening bar In Sheep's Clothing, 10 minutes south of Gold Line. The style here parallels London’s Spiritland, since the D.J. is something of an anonymous guest and the space stays open from morning to evening hours.

Listen to Home Listening, a playlist by In Sheep’s Clothing

*In Sheep's Clothing via T**he Vinyl Day*

The bar has specific records for different day parts; 200 for day, 400 for night. The carefully selected music is curated by Creative Director Zach Cowie, who also music supervises for film and TV. You may have unknowingly heard his meticulous picks on Netflix’s “Master Of None.”

In April of 2019, Public Records opened in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The space combines a vegan cafe, music venue, a stellar record collection and features a distinct wooden aesthetic strikingly similar to In Sheep’s Clothing. The sound system is built by Global Audio Systems from SoHo and more recently received a unique addition. Devin Turnbull’s OJAS speakers, inspired by his earlier trips to Japan, are keeping alive sounds emanating from 1930’s Altec Lansing speakers.

Public Records follows the rise of the similar vinyl enthusiast, Japanese-style bars in NYC. Others include Bier Wax, who owns a deep collection of 5,000 vinyl records and a broad beer menu to choose from Tokyo Record Bar, who features a small, intimate setting and a diverse list of sake and wine.

In addition to the in-person audience, Public Records is wisely taking their mixes digital, through what they call "Public Access.” Public Access is described on their Instagram page as:

“A community broadcasting platform built to serve as a means for communication and expression in light of the current state of the world,” with the goal to “showcase diverse, inspiring programming and to provide others with an outlet to experiment and create.”

You can show your support for Public Records new platform via their patreon and tune into their community broadcasting here: Public Access

Listen to PUBLIC RECORDS BAR, a Spotify playlist

Given the circumstances, they’re positioning themselves in a good spot to weather the storm of a government enforced lockdown. Due to the current state of affairs, many of these places are suddenly facing a loss of all income, so it’d be a great help if you could donate to their Patreon or links at the bottom of this article.

Remember the saying, subtlety is lost on the masses? Well when you’re able to fully appreciate what your ears are capable of perceiving, that’s a revelation. Listening bars are steadily providing more listeners a sound quality unattainable by AirPods, and at the same time creating space for appreciation and recuperation where music is the supreme factor in bringing people together. What could be better? Chee Shimuzu was right; such a culture has started to bud and sprout.

– James Seykot

Local listening bars could use your support amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. Any donation you can make to support the employees of these unique venues will go a long way.