Two of Australia's best-loved listening bars are joining forces for a month-long celebration of good tunes and good drinks. Melbourne's Waxflower Bar is swapping Brunswick for Baranagaroo, taking over Rekōdo every Wednesday in May for a weekly series of DJ sets, hand-selected wines and Japanese eats.
"Rekōdo and Waxflower are both inspired by the iconic 'jazz kissaten' of Tokyo and the listening bar scene of Brooklyn and London, whilst providing their own unique flavour to their respective cities," says Waxflower co-founder David Byrne. "Red-hot sound systems, incredible food, delicious drinks. We think it makes perfect sense for them to come together."
Waxflower has curated a lineup of five guest DJs for the residency, with Perth's Montana and Melbourne's Myles Mac, Earl Grey and DJ Possum all taking charge of the tracks alongside the bar's co-founders, Byrne and Malter Majik.
While the usual Rekōdo drinks menu will be on offer, Waxflower is also bringing along a few its own favourite tipples. You'll be able to get sips like the Yuzu Chuhai, combining yuzu, soda and prosecco, and an Umeboshi Old Fashioned. There will be some of the bar's favourite natural and minimal-intervention wines on pour, too, including the Borachio Pash Rash Pét-Nat, Eastern Peake Chardonnay and Tom Shobbrook 'Poolside' Chilled Red.
The two venues have also collaborated on a snack menu that will feature bites like kabayaki-style beef skewers and soy dashi chicken wing gyoza.
Check out the DJ lineup and book your spot at the Barangaroo House website.
In the meantime, check out local legend Donny Benet's picks for the best records to create a vibe, which he ran Concrete Playground through while he was the guest selector at Rekōdo:
Image: Steven Woodburn