When it comes to music, the format matters.
Sure, digital music is quick, convenient and easy to carry. But if you really want the best sound, there’s nothing quite like vinyl. Many audiophiles say records provide a warmer, richer tone that’s more dynamic compared to digital and streaming formats.
Listening to them is an intimate experience, but that doesn’t mean you need to do it alone. Enjoying good music over a drink or two with friends and strangers can enhance the pleasure.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
That sentiment’s driving an international trend of so-called vinyl listening lounges, where music is the focal point. Milwaukee already has one such lounge – The Wiggle Room, which opened in Bay View in June – and another spot is on the way.
“No offense to other bars, but music is almost always an afterthought,” says Chris Schulist, a co-owner of The Wiggle Room. “And a lot of times when that happens, it doesn’t sound good.”
So, when he and the other owners set out to create the new place at the former location of Lee’s Luxury Lounge, they started with sound – and built a sound system meant to be shared.
“We set up the space in different zones with their own volumes. The DJ booth and dance floor can be the loudest and have the most speakers – the sound in there encompasses you,” he explains. “Past that is the more lounge-y area with a couple couches, and the volume is lower there. And on the other side is the bar, which has two speakers, so you can still hear the music, but the bartenders aren’t having to scream.”
The Wiggle Room also has soundproof panels to minimize audio spillover. “Our goal is that it can be loud but not piercing,” Schulist says. “You can hear things clearly and hear the nuances in the songs, but you’re still able to hold a conversation.”
The music choices are also intentional. Each day, different DJs drop the needle on selections from about 5,000 records – playing everything from ’80s hits to punk rock, golden-era rap to heavy metal, and much more.
Another lounge in town, called The Deep Groove, will open by this winter on Brady Street at Franklin Place, in the old location of Brady Street Futons. Co-owner Todd Dunsirn says it will be a low-key, laid-back hybrid of a bar and cafe, serving elevated appetizers and small plates and selling artwork and specialty vinyl.
Like its Bay View contemporary, Deep Groove will also be built in sections, with a listening room separate from the main bar and coffee area. “That’s where you’ll get a unique experience listening to vinyl on a system that was meant to play it,” Dunsirn says. “And that’s what people are yearning for – they want a different way to listen to music and a different way to connect to it.”
