Joining a growing list of UK bars pushing sound to the fore, the recent opening of Edit Bar means Bristol’s thriving music community no longer has to venture down the M4 for an evening that combines audiophile listening and fine dining. Its location, on Cheltenham Road in Stokes Croft area, puts it firmly in the heart of Bristol’s independent culture hotspot, something that has grown to define the city over the last few decades. Its founder, Dan Wild, is a regular feature in Bristol dance music, as co-founder of Just Jack one of the UK’s premier house and techno parties. Edit Bar however, sees him apply his experience and interest to more modest surroundings than the throngs of Bristol’s biggest clubs.
“Its a very calming atmosphere, with amazing food and an incredible sound system”, Wild tells us. “It doesn’t need to be played loud to have an impact, it just sings along beautifully in the background.” In charge of these beautiful background sounds is a selection of DJs who ably suite the unique, non dance floor environment. “I chose a handful of residents who each bring something a little different to the table, but all know how to dig deep,” Wild continues. Aside from Wild himself, they include Banoffee Pies, Jess Farley, The Centre For Better Grooves and Beattie, all playing twice a month across extended sets.
“It’s always nice to have the flexibility to play what you want and with a spot like Edit Bar we can focus on the other, more intricate side to our collections”, Ell Weston tells us. His Banoffee Pies imprint has pushed itself to the fore of dance floor movements in recent months, but Edit Bar offers a nice alternative for expression. From spiritual jazz to more ambient leftfield moods, he sees their role more of “subtly theme tuning people’s evening dining.”
Around these regular figures is a rich and busy program of artists all known for their diverse and extensive musical interests, including Idle Hand’s Sam Hall and Teak resident Rikki Humphry. As well as providing a platform for local talent, Edit Bar also curates regular album showcases, with John Coltrane’s Blue Train and the original Blade Runner Soundtrack among the seminal albums already played in their uninterrupted entirety.
The listening experience is ultimately what people are looking for when entering an environment such as Edit Bar, and from needle to ear the music passes through some of the industry’s finest bespoke audiophile equipment. This includes a pair of upgraded Master Sound Technics turntables, an alpha recording rotary mixer, a series of Icon Audio valve amplifiers and finally into their speakers. “We have a mixture of Klipsch heritage speakers, each specifically suited to the space they are in”, Wild proudly tells us. “I had been lucky to hear them before, and they have a legendary status dating back to David Mancuso’s loft parties in the 70s.” The result is impeccable clarity, true to the way it was intended to sound, delivered by those with enough creativity and sensitivity to make Edit Bar an exciting new prospect for Bristol.
