Local business owner Eddy Yang celebrates one year of Listen
The coffee shop blends listening experiences with café cool
Halifax coffee and record shop Listen marked its first anniversary in September, celebrating one year of bringing a Japanese-inspired mix of music and coffee to Barrington Street.
In the year since the café opened its doors, owner Eddie Yang says his proudest moments are watching people socialize and connect over music.
“I feel proud that a lot of people who are in the music community come in to hang out,” he says.
His café is unlike other Halifax spots that pride themselves on lightning-fast internet connection and a myriad of charger ports lining the walls and floors: Listen is defined by the records it plays and sells.
“This is a place for listening to music,” says Yang.
Before opening Listen, Yang ran a boba shop called Swee Tea House out of the same Barrington Street location. He hoped to use the profits from his original shop to support his work as a DJ, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, profits fell and Yang’s business partners backed out. That’s when he rebranded the shop around his love for music.
“I was a full-time buyer for a record shop in Asia for a while,” says Yang. “Then I was like, ‘Yeah, I can do this myself.’”
Yang says Listen is inspired by jazz kissa: Japanese cafés dedicated to blending listening experiences with a café atmosphere.
“Lots of Japanese apartments are tiny; you can’t really boost your music too loud,” says Yang. “So there are a lot of whiskey bars and coffee shops with sound systems. It’s curated by the collectors and musicians, and they form a certain aesthetic.”
Yang says his music curation journey began in China, where pop-and-lock dance classes introduced him to ‘70s and ‘80s disco music. Despite not knowing English at the time, the music left a lasting impact on his taste.
“It’s a funny perspective,” says Yang. “The way I listen to music, I’m more focused on the melody and the instrumental beat.”
From disco, Yang’s taste expanded to embrace other genres, including hip-hop, soul and jazz.
Ten years ago, Yang decided to channel his interest in music into DJing, a craft he says requires the ability to curate and develop a music taste and aesthetic while balancing a wide variety of genres.
“That’s the most important part,” says Yang. “It took me years to gradually learn and research.”
Yang hoped to occasionally transform the café into a nightclub, but logistical hurdles continue to stand in the way.
“We’re still doing daytime parties once in a while, but we get complaints from the noise,” he says. “We probably can’t go in that direction anymore, but we can do smaller listening sessions.”
Yang says he’s focused on bringing a fresh selection of jazz, hip-hop and EDM to Listen.
“I pick up stuff that’s not as easy to find, especially on the East Coast.”
