\u201cThe track\u2019s about to end, I have to swap the records!\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all part of the job. Also known as DJ JNETT, Pitruzzello is the music director at Music Room. <\/p>\n
Opened in 2022 as part of the four-level HER hospitality precinct on Lonsdale St, the space is widely acknowledged as one of the venues that kickstarted Melbourne\u2019s modern listening-bar movement.<\/p>\n
Pitruzzello\u2019s fretting over adequate shelf space proved unnecessary, but her way of thinking displays one of the main appeals of listening bars: the music isn\u2019t a decorative afterthought; it\u2019s in the architecture of the room.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s listening bars have their origins in post-war Japan, an era when high-quality audio equipment and imported vinyl records were rare and expensive. <\/p>\n
Traditionally, Japan\u2019s kissa cafes are jazz-focused spaces that prioritise specialist sound systems and a reverent mood to keep conversations to a minimum, encouraging a serious, studious focus on the music.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Melbourne\u2019s modern versions are communal, food-and-drink-oriented and socially relaxed. Despite the descriptive name, listening bars are about much more than just music or drinking. <\/p>\n
Melbourne restaurant Common Cuts is all about premium steak cooked over charcoal playful cocktails moody interiors and a vinyl-focused soundtrack. Photo \/ George Santoni<\/p>\n
As the concept spread internationally, the purist tradition fused with contemporary cocktail-bar culture. Modern iterations intersect with nightlife, hospitality, design, collector culture, urban identity, and changing ideas about how people socialise.<\/p>\n
Melbourne isn\u2019t recreating Japanese kissa culture. It\u2019s absorbing the philosophy of intentional listening into the city\u2019s signature cafe, bar, and live music culture \u2013 a landscape already characterised by an appreciation for artisanship, independent businesses, and cultural discovery.<\/p>\n
For more than a decade, Chris Gill of Northside Records has been producing Diggin\u2019 Melbourne, a record store and vinyl stockist map catering for locals and visitors alike. <\/p>\n
Music Room is a place to lounge, drink and listen to a selection of local and international artists journey through HER’s curated vinyl collection. Photo \/ George Santoni<\/p>\n
Gill doesn\u2019t consider the shift from performance to playback a threat to the live music scene, but rather a reflection of a new generation equally interested in music appreciation and after-dark shenanigans, suggesting vinyl-focused spaces might offer the antidote to loud nightclubs, algorithmically derived digital playlists, and endless notifications.<\/p>\n
Programming draws on the city\u2019s diverse musical landscape and caters to the broad tastes of local audiences. This responsiveness helps listening bars become not only places to hear music but also places that strengthen ties to the broader music ecosystem.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a city with one of the highest concentrations of record stores per capita in the world, but Gill reminds us, \u201cMelbourne only has two record pressers in the city at the moment\u201d.<\/p>\n
The intimacy that defines the local music scene has also imbued these spaces with a close-knit culture.<\/p>\n
Back at Her Music Room, Pitruzzello, wearing merch from listening\/wine bar Waxflower, stands to point out the plump custom-made leather couch that runs the length of the room. Its perfectly worn-in texture, she explains, is aided by years of treading by enthusiastic guests.<\/p>\n
HER’s Music Room sparked Melbourne’s listening-bar movement. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cNot bad for somewhere that\u2019s only the size of a double garage,\u201d she quips of the venue, which is open from 4pm until late every day.<\/p>\n
The room is soundproof and lined with walnut panelling specially perforated to resemble the inside of a speaker cabinet. Providing the beats is a bespoke DJ booth equipped with Technics SL-1200 turntables, a custom rotary mixer, and a high-end KV2 sound system.<\/p>\n
Vinyl record player. Photo \/ Unsplash<\/p>\n
It seats around 30 guests, with additional standing room, creating an intimate atmosphere rather than a bustling nightclub, though they frequently clear the tables when the rhythm takes the room.<\/p>\n
LB\u2019s positions itself as a social record bar. Vinyl is central to the experience, but so are cocktails, conversation, and later in the evening, dancing. <\/p>\n
LB’s record bar blends vinyl, cocktails and late dancing. Photo \/ George Santoni<\/p>\n
The music programme at the hybrid nightclub and record bar is entirely vinyl-based, spotlighting local DJs and \u2018selectors\u2019 playing records that were sourced from Melbourne\u2019s independent record stores rather than relying on digital playlists.<\/p>\n
Design is a major part of the venue\u2019s identity. The venue has a thoroughly retro 1970s aesthetic with a restored horseshoe-shaped bar, amphitheatre-style seating around the DJ booth, walls lined with vinyl records, warm orange and red lighting, and an oversized mirror ball hanging in pride of place.<\/p>\n
LBs. Photo \/ George Santoni<\/p>\n
Common Cuts is one of Melbourne\u2019s newest entries into the listening-bar scene, but it takes a different approach. Primarily a steak frites restaurant, they\u2019ve built vinyl culture into their identity as a way to elevate their offering. A DJ booth sits prominently in front of a wall of vinyl records, with selectors playing records from Thursday through Sunday.<\/p>\n
The just-opened Bar Sala in Abbotsford describes itself as both a dining room and a music room, saying, \u201cWe think those two things belong together\u201d.<\/p>\n
Common Cuts pairs steak frites with a vinyl-driven DJ booth. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
That\u2019s also the philosophy at Waxflower, where you can sit with a drink, order a few plates, and spend the evening immersed in records. The Brunswick venue was designed around a bespoke sound system intended to deliver a warm, spacious sound without overwhelming conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a soundbar and audiophile listening space that adds an element rarely considered important in local establishments,\u201d the team says. \u201cWe\u2019re not the first to build a bar with a great sound system, and we\u2019ve taken inspiration from spaces we love in Tokyo and London.\u201d<\/p>\n
The in-house vinyl collection spans genres but leans towards disco, funk and soul. The strength of Waxflower\u2019s music programme has seen them grow to curate events elsewhere, including an evening as part of the National Gallery of Victoria\u2019s Friday Nights series.<\/p>\n
While Waxflower leans into wine-bar culture, Sabi Sounds in Hawthorn translates the philosophy in a different direction, pairing attentive vinyl listening with specialty coffee and the daily rituals of Melbourne\u2019s cafe culture.<\/p>\n
The writer was hosted courtesy of Visit Victoria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe track\u2019s about to end, I have to swap the records!\u201d she laughs. It\u2019s all part of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[249,56030,34956,253,56033,56031,28285,3119,13960,56024,56027,56025,260,3113,28286,56022,56028,56021,56023,56032,10607,32196,56029,56026,35636],"class_list":["post-56221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-melbourne","tag-bars","tag-beckett","tag-concept","tag-culture","tag-distinctly","tag-explores","tag-how","tag-its","tag-japanese","tag-japans","tag-listening","tag-listeningbar","tag-melbourne","tag-on","tag-over","tag-own","tag-popping","tag-put","tag-spin","tag-take","tag-they","tag-this","tag-tyson","tag-vinyl","tag-what"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}