Journey In Satchidanandos.
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There are some of these opening up. There’s two in Portland, ME that seat 50 at a push between them and are owned by two best friends who also own a restaurant together, so I am not sure why they didn’t just open the one bar. Anyway, both have very limited drinks menus, great sound systems, both play generally only what the owner or the barman likes and won’t be breaking out into parties any time soon. They both don’t have TVs, and don’t serve food. It’s just drinks and music. Pretty much perfect really.
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Sounds nice!
Saw a few clips of the Charlie Dark one and thought it was good. Can see how the format could be crap in the wrong hands though.
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Yeah I’m going to do a reverse ferret after @Gavin’s post I checked out the CD one and it looked less preachy
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yep, there are 2 very good Charlie Dark ones - Theo Parrish and Blacktronica
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We have one in Seattle - I think I posted about it somewhere else. Tried it once, it was fine, but a bit too precious and reverential. No drinks or shoes (!) allowed in the listening room. 
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Look forward to James Corden talking us through the first Rizzle Kicks album at Selfridges.
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Charlie Dark’s was fun because he’s a good Radio DJ and has stories to tell about himself and knows how to tell them, not sure that enthusing about music to a quiet audience makes sense when forums like this are full of expertise and its a conversation, not a monologue. Also, get your thumb off the vinyl!
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i like it, and if i lived anywhere near ballard, i’d probably go a lot more frequently.
the listening room is nice, i don’t mind the “no shoes” rule (as long as others practice basic hygiene) and i really like the art. the furniture is pretty nice, and it’s comfortable to sit on the floor (or lay about, as i’ve seen some people do). i thought they did a great job on the build-out of that place. old me was a little annoyed that i couldn’t bring my drink into the listening room, but now me doesn’t care.
honestly, i thought the stereo was good but not great - but as mentioned multiple times - i’m no audiophile, i just ask that the music doesn’t sound like shit. i can rarely tell the difference between good and great. i’d like to spend some time with it on records i know inside and out. the listening room needs to reserve a night a week for “watch cameron dicker about and play oddballs from his own collection”.
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Also not an audiophile, and agreed on the build-out. The record for the evening was a special pressing of Santana - Abraxas (I think it was this one) and it was really cool to hear it on the system, the clarity and nuance brought out were special. It inspired me to pick up a decent pressing.
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Saw somewhere online that Toddy Terry opening a listening bar in Liverpool
No prizes for guessing what tracks will be playing when open
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But for every one of those there are 20 that open that miss the mark entirely unfortunately.
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I know one in London that has a pair of huge tannoys or equivalent behind the bar. They look great, but guess what? They’re not connected.
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My two cents, for what it’s worth.
I think a lot of this comes down to people judging the worst executions of an idea and then an element of writing the whole thing off.
For me, these spaces aren’t a gimmick or a trend - although I can name a few that imho are. I’ve been working towards opening one for the best part of 8 years. Only a divorce, following house sale, (well over) mid-life crisis and the acquisition of a Danley sound system steered me in this direction - which led me to finally get off my ever increasing in size, arse.
Trying to do this properly isn’t easy (or cheap) - nobody of sound mind puts themselves through this shit lightly. Trust.
I’m also very aware that my clubbing days - and probably a lot of other people’s - are in the rear-view mirror and this feels like a natural way forward. Not a replacement for clubs, not nostalgia, just a different way of engaging with music as you get older. I also need a day/night job.
I for one ain’t trying to recreate a Japanese jazz kissa, but trying to do it justice as best I can. That culture exists in a very specific context that doesn’t translate directly to the UK. What we’re doing is an interpretation - taking the values and applying them in a way that works here. Where even the nob-heads can possibly get into it.
I get that not everyone will see the difference between a genuinely listening-led space and a bar with records on the wall. That’s fine. The people it’s for will recognise it straight away and those are the people I’m doing it for.
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There’s a DJ in the city I live who has some lovely Tannoy Ardens, Mackintosh Amps etc. He has a nice apartment and holds these listening parties, a little like the Jazz Kissa. I got invited to one but had to politely decline…
The idea of sitting down to listen to an LP I’ve heard many times, stretching the considered facial expression for two whole sides, and discussing it after with a bunch of “cool” curated people would bring out the destroyer in me lol.
I’m a bit of a hobbying budget audiophile and the whole listening bar can be a very nice experience, but in the wrong hands, good god no.
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Newsie cap. check. Monstera jungle. check. Bunch of people hand picked that he deems worthy. Check. Nu jazz/funk/neo soul/broken beat. check. Nothing startling or challenging. check.
get te fuck.
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I think in alot of ways we (the people on this forum) are mostly exempt from entry level Kissa. Most of our lives we have made our living spaces our own Kissa. It just makes sense to many of us to prioritise being surrounded by good sound and enjoy it in solitude.
for other people not so audio inclined they are a massive treat.
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I think that’s exactly it. There’s better ways of sharing music that aren’t so po-faced.
Of course, it can equally go to the other extreme. When mp3 players first came out, I remember getting asked by someone to sit on a panel adjudicating people’s tracklists at some pub in Kentish Town and it was just a bit too novelty / p7 Time Out “fun evenings out”
There’s a lot of people who can’t afford a treated room with a big budget sound system and expensive records, but still love the sonics of good music. They might live in a small flat or a share house and be living paycheck to paycheck. I think it’s great that there’s venues now where they can experience beautiful sounds and also connect with other people in a social environment.
Done right I love a good listening bar and for many people it’s an experience that they would otherwise not be able to have. I’m a speaker nerd though, so I might be biased.
My local listening bar has live jazz gigs one night a week thrown in the mix.
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