FEATURE:
1520 Sedgwick Avenue (...or Something Less Iconic)
PHOTO CREDIT: @heftiba/Unsplash
Making Room for an All-for-One Music Haven in Britain
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IN case you were wondering the relevance of ‘1520 Sedgwick Avenue’...
IMAGE CREDIT: Andreas Luchini
it has been accepted as the birthplace of Hip-Hop (a ‘Back to School Jam’ was held on 11th August, 1973 by DJ Kool Herc) – it is now the site of a one-hundred-and-two-apartment block in The Bronx, New York. I have been thinking about musical origins and birthplaces like this and wondering whether we give enough thanks and attention these iconic spaces. I have also been thinking about sociability in the music industry and whether we all spend enough time interacting and relaxing. I have pitched the idea before but I wonder whether we have an all-for-one, café/bar that is dedicated to music. We have venues and music-themed locations but what about a café/bar that is committed to music through the years? There is the Hard Rock Cafe and that has been around a long time – maybe it is seen as old-fashioned and not that cool. It would take a large, vacant space and I think a city like London, Manchester or Bristol could house it. The idea is to have a cool café that houses small live gigs but is a one-stop shop for music-lovers; where you can go in and enjoy the traditional pleasures of a café – coffees and foods – with a specialised menu. It would be similar to a themed restaurant and have special drinks/foods names after musicians/albums.
PHOTO CREDIT: @kellysikkema/Unsplash
Rather than just being a café; one could go into the location – I am not sure of the name yet – and experience the full spectrum of music. There would be jukeboxes (either electronic or traditional) where you could access pretty much any song. It would be an eclectic and democratic way for people to hear music but there would be a chance for new music and artists to get their sounds heard. The jukeboxes would act like Spotify and streaming services where you could have access to new music from around the world but, if you wanted specific older sounds, then that would be catered for. There would be menu systems where you could locate a specific track/sound – if you wanted some 1980s U.S. Pop, for example – and people would be allocated one song pre order/coffee (so that someone could not monopolise the jukeboxes). There would be a live stage so there could be special gigs in the evenings – from upcoming artists and bigger acts – and a lot of music history would sit alongside. I would like there to be an educational aspect where screens would be set up (with headphones) where documentaries and clips would be played; showing everything from a look at the start of Hip-Hop to playing the best music videos ever. You would have book shelves and magazine racks where they’d be stocked music books/annuals and magazines (from today and years past) so that you could get a real clash of the modern and classic.
IN THIS PHOTO: Jack White’s Third Man Records in Detroit/PHOTO CREDIT: Kelley ONeill
There would be aspects of a place like Hard Rock Cafe but the idea is to have scenic paintings/depictions on the wall – like iconic Hip-Hop scenes and classic images – and a chance to really experience music’s brilliant past and vast future. The sociable and communicative aspect is key and there would be comfy seating areas but the design would be key as to allow the sound to not drown conversation (or the other way around). That would all happen on the ground level and it would be a great space to hear fantastic music and see music videos but there would be that educational and informative side – where you could learn about music’s past and get a real interactive mixture. There would be an upper level that I am keen to explore. I am not sure whether it would be best to have a small studio/radio stations (where records and podcasts can be made alike) or so something similar to Third Man Records. In Jack White enterprise; there is a Third Man Records store that has the company’s colours (lots of yellow) and black and records from the label’s artist. It is a great space in Nashville (there is another in Detroit) and we have nothing like that here. I mooted the possibility of having a place like that here and the big attraction of Jack White’s business is there is a record-making plant where you can record a track, live, and see it pressed and then have it sent to you. It is really the life-cycle of a song and the physical; process of making music.
PHOTO CREDIT: @natanaelvieir/Unsplash
It would be cool to have something like that in Britain or a reduced version at the very least. I think having this attractive and unique space in a big city here would create a harmonious and busy environment and help people discover new music – from new artists and older alike. It may take a bit of planning but I feel there is nothing like this in the U.K. aside from music venues. They can be noisy and there is not a lot of chance to relax. Bars and pubs that put up artists are not the same and it makes me wonder whether there would be a great demand. I think there is too much separation and loneliness when it comes to music listening. Most of us do it in the comfort of our homes or on the go and we rarely unite and talk about music. It would be cool for the café to have a cassette vending machine or there, on the upper tier, to be an old-school music shop where you could get vinyl but also make your own mix-tapes; get cassettes of classic albums and great merchandise – in addition to classic memorabilia etc. London or Manchester would be a good spot for the venture and I feel, yeah, it would take off. It would expensive to do but, after a bit, more and more people would come. As much as anything; it is a space for stranger and friends to meet and hear some fantastic music. An affordable and all-inclusive location where you could get your music fix and learn a lot at the same time; that, to me, seems to be a perfect blend. The only question revolves around the name but, the more I think of it, I quite like...
PHOTO CREDIT: @anthonydelanoix/Unsplash
1520 Sedgwick Avenue.