Newly-opened Middle Room brings high-fidelity listening culture to Bangalore

Tucked away inside Courtyard, a cultural and community space in the heart of Bangalore, lies Middle Room, India’s latest audiophile listening room.

Drawing inspiration from Japanese jazz kissas (jazz listening cafes) and the global wave of high-fidelity bars, Middle Room is a music-forward space built around sound and deep listening.

Outfitted with a full analogue Danley Sound Labs system, including Synergy Horn SH75s as mains and Tapped Horn TH Mini 15s as subs, the room is acoustically treated and purpose-built for vinyl playback at the highest fidelity.

Every detail, from the design to the curation, has been dialled in to deliver a rich experience, tailored to create an immersive, distraction-free couple of hours.

The curators behind Middle Room have spent decades assembling their collections, which are intentionally wide-ranging: foundational rock'n'roll, Indian and Western classical, funk, soul, disco, jazz, bossa nova, Afrobeat, trip-hop, house, dub, reggae essentials and drum'n'bass all find space on the shelves.

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Reflecting this diversity, their weekly programme has quickly become a go-to for local selectors to share prized records, unreleased material and rare gems in an intimate, finely tuned setting.

Beyond the music, Middle Room also offers an extensive food and drink menu, designed to complement the slow-listening ethos of the space.

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Speaking to Mixmag Asia, co-founder Akhila Srinivas shared, “The Room is all about music and sound. It's also what I miss about the old Bangalore I grew up in as a young adult. We went to our regular joints that were really about two things; music and beer! We learnt our music there, met bandmates, gathered our tribe—all this over beer and chicken curry dosa. Those small rooms where music, beer and people jostled for equal attention in the most disarming territorial way seem to be a thing of the past.”

He continues, “Inspired by the jazz kissa-tens in Japan, listening rooms are now quite the rage around the world. We thought it’s only fitting that Bangalore gets its own. We aim to be a true-to-form listening room with a great F&B program to sweeten the two hours you spend with us.”

For more updates, follow Middle Room on Instagram here.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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