The scene registers as dinner with a show, except there’s no performance. A cacophony of sound from an Arthur Russel record bounces around the room through enormous vintage speakers while 40-odd patrons keep hushed conversation around low round tables. Next up is a track from Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” Weeks down the line, the bar, In Sheep’s Clothing, will host a dedicated listening session where a packed house will hear that entire album while seated in silence. The room, with its cork walls, feels more like a recording studio than a music venue. Past the impressive audio setup, there’s even a place to cozy up and order a drink, too.
Welcome to the American Hi-Fi bar.
Bars where analog music takes the spotlight go by varying names: record bar, music bar, DJ bar, and listening bar to name a few. “Hi-Fi bar” tends to be a label affixed to more and more of these types of establishments. The designation suggests that it’s not just vinyl on deck, but custom recording studio-caliber speakers as well, capable of piping out music that sounds wildly more vivid than the kind of compressed digital audio we’ve largely become accustomed to.
But is it quite so easy to brand, market, and lump any bar space into this growing trend solely by the presence of a flashy sound system alone? Or are there more diffusive elements at play — and just how did we get here?
Jazz Kissa: The Original Hi-Fi Bar
Identity distinctions aside,
