Space Talk, located in the London district of Clerkenwell, takes music seriously(认真对待音乐). Before the bar opened in 2024, its owner enlisted(征募，聘请) an architect, designer and sound engineer to create the perfect acoustic(声学的，音响的) environment. Resembling the deck of a wooden spaceship, the bar is divided into four zones. On a recent evening, your correspondent sipped cocktails while trippy(迷幻的，引起幻觉的) electronic music floated out of the bespoke(定制的，定做的) sound system. In its ethos(在精神气质上), Space Talk is one of many spots around the world loosely inspired by Japan’s ongaku kissa(日本音乐咖啡馆传统) (music cafés). These venues are commonly known as listening bars or hi-fi bars.
位于伦敦克勒肯韦尔区的Space Talk酒吧对音乐极为认真。在2024年开业之前，店主聘请了建筑师、设计师和音响工程师来打造完美的声学环境。酒吧形似木质宇宙飞船的甲板，分为四个区域。最近一个晚上，本刊记者啜饮鸡尾酒，迷幻的电子音乐从定制的音响系统中飘出。在精神气质上，Space Talk是全球众多受日本音乐咖啡馆（ongaku kissa）启发的场所之一。这些场所通常被称为聆听酒吧或高保真酒吧。
The first ongaku kissa opened in Japan during the 1920s. Visitors drank tea or coffee as music—often classical, tango or swing—played through gramophones(留声机). In the decades after the second world war, cafés devoted(专用于，献身于) to jazz grew popular. Imported records and audio equipment were expensive, and jazz kissa offered a place for enthusiasts to hear the latest album by Miles Davis or John Coltrane.(进口唱片和设备昂贵，爵士咖啡馆为爱好者提供了聆听最新专辑的场所。) They were places for quiet, reverential(恭敬的，虔诚的) listening.
第一家音乐咖啡馆于1920年代在日本开业。顾客一边喝茶或咖啡，一边聆听留声机播放的音乐——通常是古典、探戈或摇摆乐。二战后的几十年里，专营爵士乐的咖啡馆流行起来。进口唱片和音响设备价格昂贵，而爵士咖啡馆为爱好者提供了一个聆听迈尔斯·戴维斯或约翰·科尔特兰最新专辑的场所。这些地方是安静、虔诚聆听的场所。
Owners would (and still do) display a fussy(过分讲究的，挑剔的) attention to detail. High-quality speakers are a must; the nerdiness(书呆子气，痴迷) often extends to amps, turntables and styluses(唱针). (Gramophones have gone, but vinyl is still very much in vogue(流行，时尚).) This music is not merely for ambience(氛围，环境): the act of listening is central to the experience. Many kissa ask visitors to remain silent. Kawasaki Toshiya, who runs his own listening bar in Tokyo, says the atmosphere this creates is akin to(类似于，近似于) “sitting in meditation at a temple”.
店主们过去（现在依然）对细节表现出过分的讲究。高品质扬声器是必备品；这种痴迷常常延伸到功放、唱盘和唱针。（留声机已消失，但黑胶唱片依然非常流行。）这种音乐不仅仅是为了营造氛围：聆听行为本身就是体验的核心。许多咖啡馆要求访客保持安静。在东京经营自己聆听酒吧的川崎俊哉说，这种氛围类似于“在寺庙里打坐冥想”。
