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on.rcrd

Events: Kiku Listening Sessions, presented by on.rcrd

on.rcrd presents Kiku Listening Sessions

Toronto's weekly vinyl listening room, at 915 Dupont. The gatherings are the whole point. Come as you are, leave with people you didn't know you needed.

Kiku: two seatings, six and eight, doors on the hour, sound at half past, 915 Dupont.

How a night unfolds

Every on.rcrd night is an arc of sound and story, and it moves the way a record does, with a rhythm to it and a shape you can feel.

Come early. There is a full menu of Japanese small plates and cocktails, and time enough to sit with it, and with whoever the evening has placed beside you.

Then the room is quieted by sound therapy, singing bowls carrying the day out of you until what is left is attention.

What follows is the story: the artist, the moment, the culture that made the record and the reason it still matters. You learn what you are about to hear before you hear it.

And then the album plays. Whole, start to finish, the way it was built to be heard.

When the last note lands, something has shifted. You will feel it in the music, and you will feel it in the people beside you, who will never be gathered in this room in quite this way again.

Then stay. Steven plays until the seating ends, and there is no hurry.

Listening room, answered

What is there to do in Toronto on a Tuesday night?
Kiku Listening Sessions run every Tuesday at 915 Dupont St in Toronto, with seatings at 6pm and 8pm. One album is played front to back for a seated room, introduced with the story behind the record and opened with a sound bath. There is a full menu of Japanese small plates and cocktails. Sessions sell out most weeks, so tickets are worth booking ahead. See the full schedule.
What is a vinyl listening room?
A vinyl listening room is a gathering built around playing a record front to back, together, with attention and without distraction. It comes from Japan's jazz kissa tradition, bars built for listening rather than talking over the music, that have existed for decades. Kiku, a collaboration between on.rcrd and 915 Dupont, brings that practice to Toronto.
Where can I find a listening bar in Toronto?
Kiku Listening Sessions run every Tuesday night at 915 Dupont St, a collaboration between on.rcrd and 915 Dupont, with two seatings at 6pm and 8pm. Each session plays a curated record start to finish, framed by the story behind the album and the people who made it. See the full schedule and get tickets on our events page.
What are the Kiku Listening Sessions?
Kiku Listening Sessions are a weekly vinyl listening series born from a collaboration between on.rcrd and 915 Dupont in Toronto. Kiku means to listen in Japanese. Each month is themed around a different label, producer, or artist, played front to back for a seated room. Check the events page for the current month's theme and upcoming dates.
Who hosts the Kiku Listening Sessions?
Steven Fernandez, founder of on.rcrd, hosts the Kiku Listening Sessions in collaboration with 915 Dupont.
How do I get tickets to on.rcrd events?
Tickets for the Kiku Listening Sessions are sold through Eventbrite, linked directly from the on.rcrd events page. Each month of programming is listed under one Eventbrite page, so pick the date you want once you are there. Sessions sell out most weeks and the room is small, so booking ahead is the safe move.
How much are tickets to a Kiku Listening Session?
Ticket prices for Kiku Listening Sessions at 915 Dupont in Toronto are listed on Eventbrite, linked from the events page. Pricing has changed as the series has grown, so Eventbrite is always the current source rather than anything quoted elsewhere.
Do I need to know anything about the record beforehand?
No. Every Kiku Listening Session opens with the story of the album, the artist, and the culture that produced it, so you learn what you are about to hear before you hear it. People come alone regularly, and the format is built so that a stranger to the record and a lifelong collector get the same night out of it.