Shibuya’s music bar “Tangle”

Shibuya Mark City area full of quality music bars 

In the past, there were many record stores in Shibuya. In particular, Udagawa-cho, where many stores were crammed together, was home to records of all genres purchased from all over the world. There were also many clubs and DJ bars in Shibuya where DJs who bought records from these stores held parties. These clubs and bars had horizontal connections through DJs, and each had its own influence on the other. In Shibuya, a unique culture was fostered by mixing the record culture with the club culture. It is often said that the music called “Shibuya-kei” has a deep relationship with them.

Even though many stores have closed, there are still record stores and clubs in Shibuya that attract record lovers from all over the world. It goes without saying that there is a bar with great music in such a town.

The area around Shibuya Mark City is home to a number of quality music bars. These include “Bar Music” by Tomoaki Nakamura, a music selector and DJ “Bar Blen blen blen,” which is strong in Brazilian music and offers Brazilian cuisine and “JBS,” a soul bar that is particularly popular among overseas customers. “Tangle” is also located in the same area.

Genre-blending and quirky DJs that welcome all music fans

Tangle is still new in Shibuya, and is well known by those in the know, but what makes it interesting is that it is located in Shibuya, but has a slightly different flavor from the Shibuya culture. This is due to the fact that Michael and Mio, who stand behind the counter at Tangle, have their roots in neither Shibuya’s record culture nor Shibuya’s club culture.

There is a DJ booth in the store, and the speakers are club-specific. Michael is also a DJ who has played at various clubs in Tokyo and even performed at the music festival “FRUE”. However, if you look at the booth and the counter, you will see records by David Bowie, Ry Cooder, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, and Bon Iver, and it looks very rock-oriented. The display in the store reflects Michael and Mio’s orientation toward rock bars in Shinjuku, rather than the clubs of Shibuya. Michael is invited to various clubs because of his unique music selection from a rock background.

The background music in Tangle, where Michael often selects the music, is quite unique. While new releases of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Brazilian, and African music are played, indie rock, new wave, and 1950s rock are sometimes played. Just when you think Sam Gendel, Makaya McCraven, and Childish Gambino are playing, the same day The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits are playing smoothly. I think the mix of various genres and old rock music is one of the charms of this bar. This sense of balance is quite rare in Tokyo, where there are many music bars.

It was at Tangle that I met the members of No Nations“, a 20-something jazz DJ collective.

The musical scope of Tangle is truly wide, as evidenced by the subtle mix of Sun Ra and UK jazz on the wall behind the DJ booth lined with rock records. I am always stimulated by Tangle on days when young DJs are playing, attracted by such freedom.

Perfect place for a drink after a live show

It may have sounded like a very deep place, but Michael and Mio’s service is very casual and friendly. Because of this, people who don’t want to go straight home after a concert at Shibuya WWW often stop by for a drink and a bite to chew the excitement of the show. I also have foreign music lovers and musicians stop by during their visits to Japan, and sometimes I even have a chance to chat with them. I think it is the best music bar for a light drink at the counter.

One of them is Panda Bear & Sonic Boom’s “Reset” an album in which the members of Animal Collective collaborated with members of the Spacemen3, a famous psychedelic rock group from the 1980s. It’s nice to come across good rock albums like this that I may have missed out on.

《Tangle’s Five Picks.》

We asked Michael and Mio to choose five albums they would recommend depending on their mood that day.

Michael’s selection

• The Caretaker “Everywhere at the End of Time”
• Carl Stone “We Jazz Reworks, Vol.2”
• The Heart Pumps Kool-Aid “—_–_”
• Valentina Magaletti “A Queer Anthology of Drums”
• Cornell Dupree “Teasin'”

Mio’s selection

• Tadzio “That Cold Grey Light”
• Berk Icli “Glimpses Of An Eternal Bloom”
• Junior Brother “The Great Irish Famine”
• Tiny Tim “God Bless Tiny Tim”
• Puuluup “Viimane Suusataja”

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0wTc51YeKxX7YuiPdIjVTM?si=937b96261d8f473d