Inside 'Middle Room', Bengaluru’s Intimate New Analogue Listening Bar

Before algorithm-based playlists became the norm, there existed a slower, more deliberate way of engaging with music. In mid-20th century Japan, music cafés known as 'ongaku kissa', emerged as intimate spaces with hi-fidelity audio equipment, where patrons gathered simply to listen to music. These cafes had rare vinyl collections, curated by passionate owners who treated music with near-religious reverence. Over time, this culture spread and evolved, reappearing in modern cities as sanctuaries for analog sound. Today, as digital fatigue sets in, the listening room is being reimagined as a space for intentional, communal immersion.

Bengaluru's new spot Middle Room mirrors that ethos. Born from nostalgia and a deep reverence for musical craft, this listening bar is the latest venture by Akhila Srinivas inside The Courtyard, a curated culinary enclave known for its thoughtful design and multi-sensory experiences.

Central to the Middle Room experience is the vinyl collection and its custodians. Hyderabad's electronic music veteran Murthovic, crafted the sonic blueprint, spending more than a year crisscrossing the world in search of records with character, and cultural significance. His selections populate a vast archive exceeding 1,200 vinyls spanning jazz, blues, rock, funk, dance, and R\&B, and are paired with weekly guest sets and live vinyl performances by notable artists such as DJ Vachan and Maalvika Manoj. Accompanying him is Avinash of Elsewhere India, who co-curated the music programming and conceptual aesthetics, shaping both sound and the space.

Visually, Middle Room pays homage to a bygone era of intimate bars. A prominent display of album jackets — Toto, Queen, B.B. King, Hermanos Gutiérrez, backs the twin turntables, while shelves showcase vintage equipment like a Hitachi MQ‑25 and even retro novelty radios. George Attokaran’s birchwood and terrazzo furnishings, subdued grey walls, and gentle lighting cultivate an atmosphere of relaxed sophistication.

Operationally, Middle Room diverges from conventional music venues. Guests may reserve two-hour listening slots, where a part of their fee contributes to a listening-centric experience — with the balance redeemable against craft beer, signature cocktails, teas, kombucha, wine, and a coherent menu curated by chef Adithya Kidambi. Among the culinary highlights are the birria dosa: slow‑cooked lamb wrapped in a dosa served with consommé as well as Naga pork skewers, charred broccoli, and comfort classics like mac and cheese and Reuben sandwiches.

Middle Room’s beverage program, led by Arijit Bose, pivots around both regional craft beer (Great State Aleworks, Geist, Mannheim, and Hoegaarden) and inventive beer‑cocktail hybrids like the spicy Michelada in the Middle or the Soju‑spiked iced tea.

In essence, Middle Room stands as a contemporary interpretation of the listening room. It is an environment engineered to cradle both sight and sound, where the tactility of vinyl meets the delights of culinary pairings, and curated cocktails meet contextual acoustics. It's a deliberate orchestration that amplifies mindfulness, bridging nostalgia with modern community experiences that are perfectly in-sync with Bengaluru’s cultural rhythms.

Follow Middle Room here.

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