In the early 2000s, if you told someone you had just bought a vinyl record, you would have drawn a raised eyebrow or two, but if you say so today, you’re more likely to encounter enthusiasm and curiosity.

Across India’s major cities, a cultural shift has been quietly unfolding in restaurants, cafés, and bars: vinyl is no longer treated as a retro curiosity — it’s becoming a part of the atmosphere itself. As streaming services become increasingly bogged down by algorithmic averagism and AI-generated slop, younger Millennial and Gen-Z audiences are turning to analogue media like vinyls and cassette tapes for a listening experience that requires mindfulness, patience, and participation.

At the beating heart of this movement is an explicit reaction to what many see as the enshittification of the internet: the constant flow of AI-generated content and soulless, endless feeds that value convenience over substance. This isn’t just about the sound. LPs are physical objects. They provide a tactile experience along with an auditory one: the gentle removal of the record from its sleeve; the careful lowering of the needle onto the disc. Fingers gliding over its rippling surface, with the thumb thoughtfully finding its center. Even the packaging is intentional and meaningful, an essential part of the overall experience. Often, the cover can be a piece of art in its own right. For those who are familiar with the joy of playing and listening to a vinyl record, the experience is often a rite of passage.

Mumbai’s Gaijin — a chef-driven Japanese restaurant in Bandra led by Chef Anand Morwani — is emblematic of this cultural phenomenon. Its vinyl listening station, Gaijin Radio, draws inspiration from Japan’s underground jazz bars, weaving a high-fidelity Donley sound system and a curated record programme into the very fabric of the space. The intimate, warm, crackling sound of LPs complements the choreography of service and conversation, shaping how the space feels throughout the day. Music, food, and setting move in sync — serving as a deliberate alternative to the clipped, compressed sound of streamed playlists.

Gaijin is far from an outlier. In south Mumbai, Baroke has opened as the city’s first dedicated vinyl-only listening bar, with a collection of over 200 records and acoustic interiors designed to foreground the music itself. The concept deliberately channels the ethos of jazz kissa — Japan’s legendary listening cafés — where audio quality and attentive listening take precedence over ambience. The Dimsum Room’s Listening Room in Kala Ghoda has similarly committed to curated vinyl programming alongside its refined cuisine, pairing jazz, electronic and crossover sets with meals in a space engineered for sound clarity.

In Delhi, Genre — billed as the capital’s first vinyl record bar — has established itself as a community hub where curated sessions and resident DJs spin everything from hip-hop classics to lesser-known deep cuts. Here, coffee culture blends seamlessly into evening cocktails as the needle drops.

The analogue revival isn’t confined to metro dining and nightlife. Records.Coffee, a cosy café in Bandra’s Pali Hill, lets patrons browse crates, choose a record and play it as they sip — a low-stakes entry point to tactile music appreciation. In Bengaluru, Middle Room is an intimate listening bar that combines vinyl listening with a beer room. Inspired by Japanese jazz kissas and global audiophile bars, it’s built as an ode to old Bangalore and the music and beer rooms that once defined it. Even Kolkata has found its beat within this growing movement, with Zee’s Coffeeshop hosting weekly vinyl sessions where local musicians and visitors gather around spinning discs. 

This movement is anchored as much in generational ethos as sound quality. Younger Indians — like their peers worldwide — are both sceptical and tired of a listening culture mediated entirely through screens and feeds. Vinyl’s tactile character — flipping an album, feeling its weight, hearing the subtle crackle before a track begins — reminds them that music is not just data stored in a server somewhere across the world, but something tangible to be shared and experienced with friends, family, and community.

That drive for connection, ritual, and intentionality helps explain why analogue culture is resonating in an increasingly online and isolated world. In this age of digital distraction, these listening spaces are allowing younger generations to reclaim music once again as a social and emotional bridge, one that can anchor conversation, build community, and slow down a culture taught to move at the speed of the algorithm. As vinyl bars and listening rooms spread across India, they offer more than soundtracks for meals and drinks: they represent new ways for us to come together, listen, find each other, and reach across the table.

Follow Gaijin here.

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