There was a time when the future of vinyl looked bleak. As convenience took precedence over the listening experience, music players seemed to only get smaller and audio files more compressed. But the physical format has been making a comeback.
Last year, revenue from record sales grew by double digits in the U.S. to $1.4 billion. Vinyl has been booming in Canada too, with sales more than doubling between 2019 and 2021. And while these figures don’t hold a candle to the billions generated by streaming behemoths, they do say something about the ways we’re engaging with music — and help explain why “listening bars” have been popping up in cities around the world.
“We only play vinyl … we don’t even have the ability to play a digital file,” record bar co-owner Jodie Dewald told CBC Life. At Dewald’s downtown Toronto establishment, The Little Jerry, patrons can listen to recorded music in all its velvety, textured glory thanks to a custom high-fidelity sound system.
The concept is loosely inspired by jazz kissa: tiny listening bars and coffee houses that were particularly popular in postwar Japan, where jazz lovers low on cash could hear the latest releases on high-tech audio equipment with little to no distortion. But while traditional kissa are more about the studied, quiet appreciation of recorded music, the vinyl cafés and listening bars popping up in North America lately have a more laid-back atmosphere.
Inside these hi-fi haunts, the rooms and audio equipment have been expertly fine-tuned for optimal listening levels that still allow for conversing. Sonic richness envelops the spaces, instead of overpowering them, and playlists created by an algorithm are eschewed in favour of staff-curated selections or vinyl from visiting DJs’ personal archives. It’s listening perfected, or at least in the pursuit of perfection.
“To hear the music as it was captured and as it was supposed to be presented, it’s like going to the theatre,” said Brandon Ng, cofounder of Doze Hifi, a pop-up vinyl bar based out of Vancouver.
In our multitasking, highly stimulating world, being tied to a physical place may also be part of the appeal of the listening bar. One trend forecaster told the Guardian that she sees their rise as an “antidote to excessive screen time.” When asked about the enduring draw of vinyl, Dewald offered a simpler explanation: “It’s ephemera. You can touch it … like a ticket to a concert.”
Whether you’re an audiophile or simply curious about what recorded music can sound like when it’s not coming from a tiny earbud, here are some listening bars and vinyl cafés to check out in Canada.
915 Dupont
Don’t be fooled by 915 Dupont‘s industrial exterior. Once you pull back the front curtain, you’ll find a tranquil space filled with Japanese paper lamps, wood accents and soothing nostalgic sounds … if you visit during daytime hours that is.
“The concept of the audio system involves two separate setups,” explained owner Nigel Wang. By day, it’s a café where patrons can enjoy a game of chess and cups of matcha or coffee alongside soulful jazz and blues records. By night, the custom hi-fi audio system takes centre stage, with guest DJs spinning eclectic and seamless blends of funk, city pop, disco and more.
Sans Soleil Bar
Hidden beneath the Japanese restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux in Montreal’s Chinatown, Sans Soleil Bar is all about enhancing the listening experience. The intimate candlelit spot uses cork panelling to absorb the vibrations coming from its vintage sound system, which features custom speakers made in Montreal.
DJs are known to spin vinyl for seven-hour sets that are so juicy you may never want to use a computer as a speaker again. Alongside their curated selection of vinyl, guests can enjoy signature cocktails and a selection of sake
Stillwell Brewing Co.
While Halifax may be known for its live music scene, vinyl enthusiasts at Stillwell Brewing Co. have created a space where recorded music can shine. The taproom has a custom horn-loaded system, which produces a hi-fi sound that co-owner and brewer Chris Reynolds describes as very dynamic and physical. “We call it the latest in 1970s disco engineering,” he said.
This spot also hosts genre-based listening events, dance parties and vinyl DJ sets that fill the retro, ocean-blue taproom with aural delights.
The Little Jerry
In the midst of Toronto’s bustling College and Bathurst area, The Little Jerry feels like a cosy hideaway. Music lovers Jodie Dewald and Saad Qattan have fine-tuned every detail of their hi-fi listening bar — the first of its kind in the city — including its extensive by-the-glass wine list and unique selection of vinyl sourced from the staff’s personal collections. “Every single person on staff is a DJ and record collector,” said Dewald.
The bar’s custom sound system uses all-tube amplifiers, which produce a warm and rich sound to sway to all night long. Expect to hear a variety of music, from rare Canadian jazz to Soviet nostalgia.
Café GotSoul
Located in Montreal’s Little Burgundy, a neighbourhood known for its Canadian jazz history, GotSoul is an art-filled listening café run by brothers Jojo and Toddy Flores, music industry vets who’ve amassed a collection of 15,000 titles in their record library.
The café plays host to both international and Canadian vinyl DJs at its handcrafted booth. Saturdays are for disco and house music, and on Sundays you can listen to jazz, soul, funk and boogie on their rotating vintage speakers, which change monthly. Vinyl (new and used) and upcycled sound systems are sold here, too.
Doze Hifi
Doze Hifi reimagines the listening bar as a travelling pop-up around Vancouver’s downtown core. Created by audiophile friends Brandon Ng and Brad Boyce, each listening session feels different, depending on who’s playing what vinyl and where. But one thing remains consistent: the music comes first. “We try to provide people with the best sound experience,” said Ng.
The ticketed evenings take place once a month (keep an eye on their Instagram for details), and conversing is encouraged. Generally, each session starts with playing an entire album. From there, they’ll play selected jazz-adjacent or ambient music, and as the night picks up, expect down-tempo, trip-hop and live sets from guest DJs.
Bar Le Record
This listening bar in Montreal’s Villeray district has major Mad Men energy with its vintage aesthetic and shelves stacked with more than 2,500 vinyl records — some of which date back to the 1940s. The extensive collection is from co-owner Stéphane Brunet’s personal stash, with many records featuring rock and soul music from the 50s and 60s.
When guest DJs stop by Bar Le Record on weekends, tables and chairs get pushed to the side to make room for grooving to music ranging from ’60s jazz to French Touch.
