Oh sound. Oh the joy that it brings. A good soundsystem is a must for any club that is worth a damn. These days, a number of bars have been stepping up the sound game across the city.
A number of listening bars have opened in Brooklyn since the lockdown. The setting is always dark and sexy, with big speakers on the walls and a rotary mixer in the booth. Craft cocktails, organic wine and lite bites usually fill the menu.
Mr. Melo is the latest all-vinyl spot to open Williamsburg with the needle dropping just six weeks ago. Their mission is to "make vinyl music listening bars approachable in price point and vibe," according to their website.
Eavesdrop opened in February 2022, creating a cozy neighborhood environment that lends itself more to listening than to dancing. “We believe that with the right DJ, soundsystem, and atmosphere, music of all kinds can be celebrated and experienced anew,” according to their website.
Good Bar doesn’t quite qualify as a listening bar but it does have a heavy vinyl focus worth mentioning. Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you can find some of Brooklyn’s best local DJs spinning.
For DJs, this environment gives them an opportunity to do something different. Most DJs will pull records that they don’t get to play out. The pressure to play harder, better, faster, stronger in clubs is real. Having the freedom to play reggae, dub, ambient, jazz, soul, funk, or whatever floats your boat, when your known as a house DJ, is a rare and special opportunity. .
There’s two sides to Carozilla’s musical personality; there’s the adult goth that loves `80s, synth-driven music, and there’s the DJ whose Cuban and Honduran roots shine through her rhythmic, Latin-jazz and boogie selections. Eavesdrop is the perfect place to hear both sides play out when she does a five hour set at the Greenpoint vinyl bar tonight. Carozilla is no stranger to a high-fidelity soundsystem as a resident at Miami’s first vinyl listening lounge, Dante’s Hifi.
2.3 - Disco Chalet with Heidi Lawden, Lovefingers, Eli Soul Clap + more at Inness
There’s something that feels so nostalgic about the Disco Chalet party. Vintage ski suits, check. Disco blasting from the speakers, check. Cocktail glasses clinking at the après, check. That paired with some of the best DJs in the booth, and this grand soirèe is worth traveling three hours out of the city for. It’s going down at the Inness hotel at Windham Mountain with Heidi Lawden, Lovefingers, Eli Soul Clap b2b Laura Lynn, and Hazy Pockets playing til late.
2.3 - Acid Mama with Que Sakamoto at TBA Brooklyn
Que Sakamoto is a DJ and digger who expresses his identity through weird and interesting sounds. His unique style fuses Japanese and European folk music with disco, which may sound like a wild combination, but not when Que throws it down. He’s a leading member of Tokyo’s nu disco scene as a founding member of Huit Etoiles. He returns to Brooklyn this Saturday to play at the Acid Mama party at TBA with Timo Lee, Dio Garcia, and Marsweather.
Follow the links for mixes and playlists from the DJs and Musical Hosts who will be playing at these venues.
