Fancy doing something special for World Music Day?
Well, Monkey Shoulder might have you sorted. Ahead of June 21, the whisky brand has teamed up with KEF Audio to launch a new record store and listening bar, featuring performances from DJs, excellent audio and premium cocktails.
The pop-up, which opens at KEF Gallery on June 17, will be home to a collection of vinyl handpicked by seven of the most influential record stores in the UK, as well as artists Katy B, DJ Target and DJ Arthi.
Fans will be able to dig through the vinyl and play them back in the KEF listening rooms, which boast high-fidelity architectural speakers, subwoofers and (in one instance) KEF’s flagship MUON speakers.
The tracks, which span hip-hop and grim to electronica, were picked by a range of stores from around the UK with years of experience in the business: Honest Jon’s (London), Eastern Bloc (Manchester), Klang Tone (Stroud), Strip Joint (Glasgow), Digger’s Club (Cardiff), Sister Ray (London) and Swordfish Records (Birmingham).
There’ll be whisky cocktails to pair with the records, and hourly listening sessions will take place at KEF from 12.30pm to 17.30pm on Tuesday June 17 – to sign up, click here.
“Searching through and selecting my top ten Monkey Shoulder Records inspired me to write a new song ahead of my upcoming album!” Katy B said in a statement alongside the launch.
“In my vinyl crate, I’ve chosen songs that are meant for the club (my happy place) but also ones that have a rich, sonic experience.”
“Concepts and spaces like Monkey Shoulder Records showcase the pleasure of listening to vinyl – and I’m here for it,” DJ Target added. “Through DJ’ing, I have a vinyl background, and you really can’t beat finding your perfect record, taking it out of the sleeve, and placing it on your turntable. Just hearing that little crackle at the start of the track gives me goosebumps!”
Listening bars are having something of a resurgence around the UK at the moment. 2016 saw the launch of Spiritland, one of the country’s longest-running audio bars, in King’s Cross; since then, they’ve popped up in Peckham, Hackney and spots all over London.
What better time, in other words, to head along and sip a cocktail with some premium audio.
