I want to listen to loud music from a particular sound system. But, clubs are a bit too much for me. I want to be more casual and relaxing, and enjoy conversation and drinks in a relaxed environment. A record bar is the perfect place for this kind of mood. We live in an age where we can listen to any amount of music through streaming services, but vinyl records still sound great, and the design of the jacket and the gesture of dropping the needle on the surface of the vinyl record are all appealing in their own analog way. In this series of articles, we will visit record bars that we are interested in, and unravel their individual personalities and charms. The first installment is "Kompakt Record Bar (KRB) TOKYO.
- Photo_Mikito Hyakuno
- Text_JAY
- Edit_Kazuki Sakaguchi
PROFILE
A music bar from Seoul, South Korea, calledKompakt Record BarOwner and graphic designer of Korea's leading DJ crew ".360soundsHe is also the co-founder of the "Soul DJs," a group that has built the local DJ scene in Seoul and is attracting attention as a bridge between the local DJ scene and the record culture of Tokyo.
PROFILE
Former editor-in-chief of Huinamu and Girl Huinamu. Currently, he established SKO EXTEDIT and is involved in content planning and production, branding, and business development in a wide range of fields including fashion, art, and culture. He is also active as a DJ mainly in Tokyo, and has deepened his relationship with JINMOO through DJ activities.
Authentic but easy to stop by.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)First of all, please tell us how the two of you met.
JINMOO:We opened Ver. 1 (the first store) of KRB in Seoul in 2018, and SAKUO came to interview me six months later.
SAKUO:I met him again in Japan in 2021, and we became good friends. After that, we didn't see each other for a while due to the Corona disaster, but we became good friends when we met again in Japan in 2021.
JINMOO:Yes, I happened to be in Tokyo on business and went to an event where SAKUO was DJing. We were the same age and both had been collecting records since the 90's, so I guess we hit it off.
SAKUO:Since then, I have been visiting Seoul often. I became completely addicted to "KRB.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What attracted you to KRB?
SAKUO:There were not many casual DJ bars in Tokyo at that time. Of course, there were music bars with good acoustics, but they were traditional and seemed to have a high threshold. There were few places in the basements or upper floors of buildings where you could casually drop in.
JINMOO:Were clubs the main places you played?
SAKUO:Yes, yes. But if that's all I do, I get tired (laughs). I wanted a place where I could enjoy music and drinks a little more casually, and KRB has good sound quality and music selection, but it is not stuffy. The people working at KRB are young and fashionable, and their relaxed atmosphere is very refreshing. I wished there was a place like this in Tokyo, and that was the beginning of this project.
JINMOO:If I had played classic jazz or something, SAKUO might not have been interested.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)To begin with, JINMOO, how did you open "KRB"?
JINMOO:While working as a graphic designer as my day job, I was also involved in a crew called "360 Sounds" that held parties with friends and made T-shirts that we wanted to wear. Through these activities, I naturally wanted to create a place where I could gather with my friends.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What is the origin of the name of the restaurant?
JINMOO:“The word ”compact" means small but full of substance. I found a place at the time that was a small space. I named it "Compact" with the idea of making it a place where you can listen to good sound even though it is small.
SAKUO:Who used the K to spell Kompakt?
JINMOO:In Germany, “Compact” is written as “Kompakt”. I studied abroad in Germany in the past, so I tried to include my roots there.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)You both have traveled to each other's countries, what are the differences you feel between the two?
SAKUO:It's the excitement of the customers at the clubs. In Japan, I have the impression that many people enjoy themselves rather calmly, but in Korea, everyone is shouting and trying to have fun with all their might, and I get the impression that the DJs are also selecting music in that way. I also sometimes DJ at KRB, and I always have a lot of fun. The drinking part is common to both Japan and Korea, though.
JINMOO:When I drink in Japan, my memory tends to jump. Ramen is the standard finish, but it's not enough for me. There are times when I end up drinking until noon while ordering various additional items (laughs).
SAKUO:I always lose my memory when I drink in Korea. For some reason, I can only remember the taste of gamjatang eaten at dawn (laughs).
JINMOO:What I feel especially when I come to Japan is the maturity of the record market. I have been to record stores all over the world, and Japan is the only country where the conditions and prices are good, and most importantly, the genres are so carefully classified.
SAKUO:Do you have a favorite record store?
JINMOO:Of course I like big-box stores, but lately I've been getting into independent stores. At Cocoa Isle Music Market in Shibuya and Rubber Guard Records in Jimbocho, there are in-depth stories that you can only hear there. Hearing the stories behind the records makes me feel more attached to them, and knowing the background helps me play with confidence.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)How do you feel about the recent global analog boom?
SAKUO:There may be such talk among the public, but from our point of view, I don't think it makes much difference.
JINMOO:After digging records for 20 to 30 years, there have been several times before when people would say there was an analog boom. So I don't talk about it like, "It's a boom right now," and I don't pay much attention to it.
SAKUO:That's right. Whether the analog boom starts or ends, we will just continue to search for the records we want.
JINMOO:Of course, there are many areas where I feel the times have changed. When I started DJing in the 90s, I was into US hip-hop, but it was hard to get records in Korea back then. Things have changed a lot since then.
A comfortable space for both music and alcohol lovers.
SAKUO:We have always been residents of Shibuya at night, so we thought that if we were going to open a restaurant, it should be in the suburbs of Shibuya. However, KRB in Seoul is located in a quiet area a little far from the center of town, and it feels like a playground for adults, so we were looking for an area a little off the beaten path, not in the middle of Shibuya. I found a perfect spot on the road surface along Route 246, and I immediately thought, "This is definitely the place.
JINMOO:When I first heard about it, I was like, "What's Ikejiri?" (laughs). (laughs) But SAKUO said, "This is the place for sure. I trusted his sense, and when I actually saw the site, I thought it was a great place.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What was the background behind the decision to involve BEAMS as a partner?
SAKUO:From the beginning, I knew that "BEAMS" was the only partner for me. I have known BEAMS for more than 20 years, and I myself really like their creativity. When I began to think realistically about opening a KRB store in Japan, I had a gut feeling that BEAMS would definitely be a good fit. So when the idea came to me, I immediately called them and said, "Let's do it. They were very enthusiastic and proactively offered various cooperation and suggestions.
JINMOO:What I emphasize in building a partnership is "understanding without saying. If I have to explain every time I do something, I lose energy. However, SAKUO and the BEAMS team understood the direction and intention I was seeking from the beginning and made proposals. I felt confident that this was going to be a great place.
SAKUO:It is also an advantage to be able to cross the strengths of both "KRB" design and "BEAMS" editing capabilities. The store sells not only "KRB" in-line products, but also "KRB TOKYO" exclusive T-shirts and goods.
T-shirt each ¥7,150 Tenugui hand towel ¥1,980 Coaster ¥1,320
*Only available in stores
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What did you focus on when creating the store?
JINMOO:First, the speakers. As a record bar, sound quality is of paramount importance, and the design of the speakers is also essential to make the bar a symbol of the restaurant.Ojas” and “NNNN (NNNN)We chose the ON8 Small Club System. Since this is a bar, not a club, we have tried to make it comfortable by setting the lows a little lower.
JINMOO:The lighting is by a Korean designer,Lee Kang-hoI have asked Mr. Kang to do this exhibition. I myself am a fan of his work and have had small pieces placed in Korean stores, but this is the first time on this scale.
SAKUO:In addition to this, the carpet and stools follow the "KRB" main store, and are both well-designed and comfortable. Basically, we wanted to bring the whole atmosphere of the main store, but we were conscious of giving it a "Tokyo-like" feel. The interior was designed in a "Tokyo-like" style.landscape productsI asked the "Mere Old Man" to do it, and I think they were able to naturally bring out that nuance by working with them.
JINMOO:At the main store, we only have high stools, but here we have low stools and low tables, so you can spend more relaxing time. It is interesting that the ceiling height is different between the front and back of the restaurant, which changes the atmosphere you feel.
SAKUO:DJ play is limited to analog records, which is also the same as the main store. Come to think of it, JINMOO emphasized the corner around the DJ booth.
JINMOO:Yeah, that was probably my only request. It makes it easier for the DJs to talk to the audience around them. I think that's very important.
long vowel mark (usually only used in katakana)What kind of store do you want to make in the future?
SAKUO:I don't have anything too grandiose in mind, but I would like to make it a place where people can stop by when they want to have another drink after two or three drinks.
JINMOO:I don't want it to be a special kind of restaurant that people go out of their way to visit. I want it to be a place that is always there, where people naturally gather.
SAKUO:On weekdays, we will basically invite DJs so that people can enjoy quality music played on vinyl records. We hope to create a comfortable space that can be enjoyed by a wide range of music lovers and drinkers alike, without limiting the genre of the music.
JINMOO:Yes. This ties in with the analog boom I mentioned earlier, but I think it's great that a boom can be a gateway to new customers, and I hope that many people will come. Of course, we should not only rely on this, but we should also create opportunities for them. First of all, I hope that the "KRB TOKYO" brand will be widely recognized by people in Tokyo.
SAKUO:BEAMS" also has a history of starting with a street store when it was founded in 1976 and expanding its own community from there. As a partner in a new business, I am very happy to be able to relive the values that lie at the foundation of "BEAMS" with them on their 50th anniversary.
Kompakt Record Bar TOKYO
Address: 1F, 3-23-1 Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 080-3400-6730
Hours: 19:00 - 3:00 (irregular holidays)
