01
SHeLTeR
02
Bridge
03
Brilliant Corners
04
Curtis & Nica
05
Doka

01

SHeLTeR

Hachioji, Japan

SHeLTeR

Yoshio Nojima has been refining the soundsystem at Shelter, an audiophile venue on the quiet outskirts of Tokyo, for 30 years. It's a never-ending quest in the pursuit of one humble goal: to share special musical experiences with friends.

02

Bridge

Tokyo, Japan

Bridge

Located high above Shibuya's world-famous pedestrian crossing and equipped with high-quailty Rey Audio speakers, Bridge offers a refuge from Tokyo's bustling streets. It's what the venue's manager, Masaaki Ariizumi, calls a "third place"—somewhere to unwind between home and work.

03

Brilliant Corners

London, England

Brilliant Corners

Step inside Brilliant Corners and you might think it's a regular bar and sushi restaurant. But look closely—at the wooden Klipsch speakers, the one-of-a-kind DJ mixer and the glowing McIntosh amps—and you'll discover that this East London spot is in fact a pioneering music venue.

04

Curtis & Nica

Barcelona, Spain

Curtis & Nica

"We are in a Mediterranean city—at some point people want to chat." Guille De Juan, owner of Barcelona venue Curtis, knows it's impossible to replicate a Japanese-style, no-talking-allowed listening bar in his home city. Instead, he's built a space inspired by Japan's audiophile venues but adapted to Barcelona's buzzy atmosphere. Curtis, which opened in 2018, also takes inspiration from a source colser to home: Nica, a Barcelona audiophile venue with an impressive programme of DJs and live acts.

05

Doka

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Doka

"Around the world you see a new kind of bar coming up that really focuses on sound quality," Axel van der Lugt of Doka told us in 2019. "We felt that Amsterdam is ready for a similar place with these qualities." The result is Doka, a listening bar located in the basement of Amsterdam's Volkshotel. The crew behind this intimate venue aim to create a space for people to "unwind or unleash" while DJs play well-chosen records.

When we went to film at Doka earlier this year as part of our ongoing series on listening bars in Europe, we couldn't have known the Amsterdam venue would soon be facing an existential threat. With the latest round of curfews and restrictions in the Netherlands amid a rising second wave of coronavirus cases in Europe, Doka is running on reduced hours and is only open to guests of Volkshotel, the hotel it calls home. The future of Doka—like most music venues the world over—is uncertain.

This film captures Doka at a more positive moment in time. "Around the world you see a new kind of bar coming up that really focuses on sound quality," Doka's Axel van der Lugt told us at the start of 2020. "We felt that Amsterdam is ready for a similar place with these qualities." The crew behind this intimate venue aimed to create a space for people to "unwind or unleash" while DJs play records.

Resident Advisor in partnership with Asahi Super Dry Beer are discovering listening bar culture, from its origins in Japan we go on to showcase how this is becoming a global trend, with listening bars opening around the world.

To discover more about Japan's hidden listening bars, read RA's feature:
Inside Tokyo's audiophile venues

Visit asahisuperdry.com