A bar in New York will be playing nothing but Namie Amuro, all night. If you got drinks, then you better put ‘em up.

I was just browsing around on Akina Nakamori’s Internet, when I came across a post from a bar promoting a Namie Amuro night, where they will just be playing Namie Amuro…all night. And this won’t be a case of somebody hooking up their phone to an aux cable and running a Namie Amuro playlist from Spotify or Apple Music, obviously. We all know how Namie saw to nobody being able to do that. Baby. They will be spinning them CDs. And, wow. It just hit me that we’re never gonna get vinyl releases of Namie’s albums.

On one hand it’s funny that for some who may not have any physical copies or zip files of Name’s albums, that going to a bar holding a Namie night is the only way they can listen to her music. But on the other hand, it’s actually kinda cool and evokes the feeling of when people actually had to go to bars, clubs or have their radios on to listen to songs they didn’t have or couldn’t get access to.

Widespread availability of music is a great thing. But the social aspect and watercooler moments are kinda gone now and it’s a real shame. Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” are two of the only moments in music over the past few years I can think of that created moments which brought people together in real life and created these cultural moments. I remember hearing “Break My Soul” in the club for the first time — I had never witnessed anything like it. And we all saw what “Not Like Us” did. And I can’t front, Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour was a moment for RGB (255, 255, 255) people. Although the thing I find so bizarre about Taylor Swift is how she can seem huge and everywhere one minute, then just gone the next, like she was never here.

HENNYWAY.

The establishment holding the Namie might is 56709 — a cocktail bar in New York which is inspired by Japanese City Pop. Just last week they held a night where they played Hikaru Utada for the entire night.

Before 56709, the bar was 929, where the music focus and vibe was Canto-pop and Mando-pop — although they did hold nights where they would play J-pop and city pop.

I am very envious of those of you in New York who get to experience this bar. If I were in New York, I’d be in that bitch very regularly. Well, I wouldn’t actually. Because social anxiety likes to dropkick me as though I’m on the WWE payroll. But I am still envious of y’all in New York.

A city pop bar is such an amazing idea and concept. Especially at a time when city pop continues to grow in popularity globally and the Japanese music industry is slowly but surely becoming aware of this and adapting to the fact that there are MANY people outside of Japan who listen to and consume Japanese music. I’ve often thought ‘What if I held a J-pop club night?’. But then I get dropkicked.

56709’s Namie night will be happening on Sunday, 27 July. Yep. Today. I wrote this post a week ago. But y’all regulars here I post absolutely nothing on time.

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🎛️ Namie mashups: Namie Amuro x Tyla | Megan Thee Stallion x Namie Amuro

💿 Namie Amuro album reviews: Concentration 20 | Genius 2000 | Break the Rules | When Pop hits the Fan | Style | Queen of Hip-Pop | Past < Future | Play | Uncontrolled | _genic | Feel | Finally