Belfast’s "first-ever" dedicated listening bar to open this summer
Music Room bills itself as a hi-fi bar built around vinyl culture, launching this July
Belfast’s "first-ever" dedicated listening bar is landing in the city centre next month, billed as an "intimate music-led space".
Named Music Room, the new space was first teased on Instagram in May with a cryptic video showing the bar’s logo projected around the streets of Belfast.
Music Room comes from DJ-producer OJ Wilson and owner of Belfast bar The Spaniard, Janine Kane, and is built in collaboration with sound designer Toby Hatchett.
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The bar places a focus on vinyl culture and hi-fi sound, and enlists the help of Belfast-based design studio Drinksology as well as cocktail consultant Gregory Buda to create the drinks menu.
The new space is described as Belfast’s "first dedicated listening-focused bar" specialising in sound quality and music discovery, conceived from experiences at other music spaces across Dublin, Paris and Ibiza.
"Belfast has an incredible musical identity and a deep connection to electronic music culture, yet there is currently no dedicated intimate listening space where music, sound and atmosphere are truly at the centre of the experience," says OJ Wilson (aka Olly).
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Music Room will feature a custom-built soundsystem, and takes inspiration from Dublin hi-fi bar Fidelity. "The blend of personalised service, minimal charm and almost secretive atmosphere sparked a new vision for the kind of hospitality I wanted to create," Olly adds.
The new space is planned to open on Wednesday, July 1, on Church Lane, and will also collaborate with local Belfast music and cultural spaces including record store Sound Advice and streetwear brand Never Never.
"There is a growing appetite for more intimate, music-led spaces where people can slow down a little, discover new sounds and genuinely immerse themselves in the atmosphere," says Olly.
Find out more about Music Room here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor