Copper has an exchange program with FIDELITY magazine of Germany (and other publications), where we share articles, including this one.
The Kissa craze has reached New York – even though in the Big Apple, it is being interpreted a bit differently.
You can’t help but get the impression that the world’s bars have been hit by a Kissa virus. More and more often you come across clubs in European and North American cities that profess to have a certain connection to the legendary Japanese jazz and high-end bars, even if they call themselves a “listening bar” or “audio club.” To separate the wheat from the chaff here, it helps to take a close look at the musical and technical seriousness of the respective concept. Quite often, the audiophile ingredients are just fashionable accessories, pure visual bling to attract a nerdy and affluent lifestyle audience with the cool retro looks of huge horn loudspeakers, tube amplifiers and turntables, without the devices really being used in a musically and technically adequate way. One notable exception to the Kissa hype is Eavesdrop in Greenpoint, on the northwestern tip of Brooklyn.
Here, in the old Polish working-class district of New York, which, in contrast to the directly adjacent hipster district of Williamsburg, has retained its rough charm, Dan Wissinger and Max Dowaliby mustered all their entrepreneurial courage during the coronavirus pandemic and opened their very special listening bar. “The time around 2021 was favorable [for us]. Many stores were forced to close down during the lockdown, and vacant stores couldn’t find new tenants, so we were full of optimism and moved into a former Polish dance hall,” explains Dan Wissinger during our visit.
As in so many New York bars, you first enter a tube-shaped front room with an elongated bar counter that opens up to an almost perfect square at the back. Although it is only 5:15 p.m. when we arrive for our date, almost every seat at the bar is taken, and even in front of the impressive sound wall at the back of the room, everything is full except for our reserved table. “We have deliberately divided our bar into two parts,” says Dan Wissinger, explaining the Eavesdrop policy. At the front of the bar, you can just casually pop in for a beer or a drink, whereas at the back, you’re required to book in advance. “Even though a custom-made system consisting of two 12-inch coaxial loudspeakers, two 10-inch subwoofers and a Leak amplifier provides wonderful sound at the bar, the real audio experience takes place in the back room. To make sure our guests can enjoy it, we don’t want people standing or walking around, which is why we decided to insist on reservations in two time slots.”
The concept makes perfect sense, as it drives home the point that the huge sound system is not just a trendy accessory, but in fact intended for conscious acoustic enjoyment. But why the two time slots at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and open-ended from 8 p.m.? Starting at 8 p.m., well-known guest DJs usually play here, whom, depending on their music preferences, guests visit specifically to listen to their program in a relaxed atmosphere. The music selection is less jazz-oriented than in a classic Kissa bar, with soul, Motown, funk, fusion and newer varieties of black music flooding the Eavesdrop. Before eight o’clock in the evening, however, the bartenders are responsible for the music program, and small after-work groups, couples on a date, or curious tourists like us gather in front of the sound wall.
After having Dan Wissinger explain the concept of the bar, we talk about the social and cultural changes in Greenpoint and Williamsburg over a sip of Transmitter, a craft beer from Brooklyn that goes down very smoothly. He notices how my eyes wander curiously back and forth along the sound wall and I finally get up to examine the individual components more closely. “A real nerd, I see,” he laughs and explains the technical nitty-gritty in more detail: “The main speakers are two Danley SH60s. Danley Sound Labs is an American company that makes high-end PA speakers.
“Using these in a hi-fi system is a bit unusual, but it works great for us.” They have seven drivers each arranged around the horn, which Danley calls the “synergy horn.” Underneath each is a pair of subwoofers – Seaton Sound Submersive S2s with a total of four 15-inch drivers. The whole thing is driven by a pair of Bryston SST amplifiers. Of course, the obligatory Technics turntables – two SL1210s – are located in the center of the system, although Eavesdrop remains relaxed when it comes to the vinyl hype: “We take a very pragmatic view of this and leave it up to the guest DJ to decide whether they want to use the two 1210s or their own digital source device.” This pragmatic approach also means that the bartenders control the playlist during the “early shift” between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and naturally do this from the bar via an app. The bar crew particularly appreciate the ability to react swiftly via the digital control system, which allows them to quickly adjust the volume and sound design to the needs of the crowd or music style.
Nevertheless, Dan Wissinger is very proud that the majority of the small but excellent vinyl collection on site comes from his private treasure chest. He is particularly fond of the Philadelphia sound, and with palpable enthusiasm he puts some rarities on the Technics turntable and lets the Bryston power amplifiers flex their muscles a little more than is usually the case at half past five in the evening at the Eavesdrop. We lean back, sip our beers and enjoy groovy Philly beats garnished with lush strings. The sound system strikes the perfect balance between a carefully designed high-end system from the living room at home and a high-quality PA. The horns and subwoofers are – if necessary – capable of providing the rear of the club with a good amount of sound pressure, but the frequency response is still more akin to a high-end system. We are fascinated to note that, despite the dynamic eruptions, conversations are still possible with no particular effort, even when sitting directly in front of the sound wall. In response to my astonished observation, Dan explains that this was also the original idea behind the club. A large part of the installation work had gone into the coordination between musical presence on the one hand and the communication needs of the guests on the other.
But when designing Eavesdrop, the two friends wanted more than just a great sound system. It was clear to them from the outset that their bar could only become a special place if acoustics, visuals, sound, and atmosphere went hand in hand: “The bar is a carefully-considered combination of several aspects, which was meticulously put together and perfectly coordinated by our designer Danny Taylor from House Under Magic. To be honest, the most important component in the house is the acoustic treatment. We have absorption and diffusion systems throughout, which Danny Taylor has integrated into the overall aesthetic so that they have their own visual style and there’s no need to hide them. This is why it is not all that important to talk point out what pickups we use and how the horns function. Many visitors do want to talk about the sound system, but the truth is that in a bar, the acoustic treatment of the room is just as important as the equipment used, if not more.” A sound concept in my book. Rarely have I spent hours in a bar where design, atmosphere, music and the quality of the drinks and finger food go so perfectly hand in hand.
And so we end the evening with another drink and some special homemade Brooklyn tapas, such as the white beans with garlic and chips or the walnut gnocchi, which our hosts particularly recommend. And we are delighted to see how the Kissa concept can be interpreted in a modern way without losing its authentic soul. Well done, Dan and Max!
