March 2017 marks fifty years since the release of one of most iconic albums of all time. Accompanied by vocalist Nico, the album was recorded in 1966 while the group were featured on Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, which gained attention for its experimental performance sensibilities and controversial lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadism and masochism and sexual deviancy.
While it reportedly took over a decade for the album’s sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what’s most surprising about this album is its diversity. Read more about the album here.
Join us at one of our listening sessions around the world to hear this album as never before.
London
Date and Time: Sunday, 5th March 4 – 7 pm
Venue: Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AE
Tickets: £10 online here
Presenter: Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy
Audio Menu: Dynavector D17D3 MC Cartridge, Rega P9 Turntable, Simaudio Moon 310LP Phono Stage, Audio Note Jinro Integrated Amp, Chord Signature Speaker Cable, Chord Signature Tuned Aray interconnects, ISOL-8 Substation Integra Power Conditioner and Klipschorn Loudspeakers
New York City
Date and Time: Sunday 26th March, 4 – 7 pm
Venue: Good Room 98 Meserole, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Tickets: $8 in advance here
Presenters: Paul Raffaele and Barbie Bertisch (Love Injection Magazine)
Audio Menu: Rega Exact MM Cartridge, Rega P9 Turntable, Audio Note UK pre-amplification and power amplification, AudioQuest Interconnects and cabling, Klipsch Loudspeakers, Klipsch SW-115 Subwoofers
Cambridge
Date and Time: Sunday 5th March, 3 – 6 pm
Venue: Hidden Rooms, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
Tickets: £9 in advance, student discount tickets £5 also available here
Presenter: Dean Butler
Audio Menu: The audio menu for our events in Cambridge is kindly supplied by the fantastic Criterion Audio
SME Model 15 turntable with Ortofon Cadenza Red cartridge, Bel Canto ACI600 integrated amplifier and streamer, PMC FACT12 loudspeakers, Analysis Plus loudspeaker cables.
Brussels
Date: Sunday, 26th March, 5 to 8 pm
Venue: Le Cercle des Voyageurs, 18 Lievevrouwbroersstraat/ Rue des Grands Carmes 18, 1000 Brussels
Tickets: 10 Euros online here
Presenter: Femke Dekker (Red Light Radio)
Audio menu: Acoustic Signature Challenger MkIII turntable, Ortofon SPU Royal N cartridge, Audio Innovations Series 800 step-up, Audio Note M1 RIAA (modified) phono preamp, Avantgarde Acoustic XA Integrated amplifier, Avantgarde Duo XD horn loudspeakers.
Kansas City
Date & Time: Sunday March 19th 1pm – 4pm
Venue: Waldo Pizza Tap Room, 7433 Broadway Street, Kansas City, MO 64114
Tickets: $5 in advance here
Presenter: Kelsyn Rooks
Audio Menu: Audio Note Turntable setup – TT2 Turntable, Deluxe Arm 3, IQ3 cartridge; Audio Note Ankoru Amplifiers and M6 Phono pre-amplifier; Audio Note interconnects and cabling, Klipsch La Scala II loudspeakers, Klipsch R-115SW subwoofers
Amsterdam
Date: Sunday March 19th 2 – 5pm
Venue: Doka, Wibautstraat 150 (basement Volkshotel)
Tickets: €10 in advance soon, more on the door.
Presenter: Femke Dekker
Audio Menu: Acoustic Signature Challenger Mk3 turntable, Acoustic Signature TA-1000 tonearm, Ortofon SPU Royal N MC cartridge, Air Tight 300B amplifier, Avantgarde Acoustic Duo XD loudspeakers in Pearl White, Furutech cables and power conditioning
Chicago
Date and Time: Sunday 26th March 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Venue: Saturday Audio Exchange, 1021 W Belmont Avenue, Chicago IL, 60647
Tickets: $5 in advance here
Presenter: Sam Willett
Audio Menu: Klipschorns provided by Klipsch Audio and McIntosh Tube amps provided by Saturday Audio
Los Angeles
Date and Time: Sunday 2nd April, 4 – 7 pm
Venue: Flora Chang, 607 E 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (this is a private venue, ticketed attendees only)
Tickets: $15 in advance here
Presenter: Zach Cowie
Audio Menu: Audio Note Jinro Shochu Amplifier, Audio Note M5 Phono Preamplifier, Audio Note S3 Step Up Transformer, Audio Note TT2 Turntable w/ Audio Note Tonearm 3 & Audio Note IO1 Cartridge,Klipschorn Loudspeakers, All interconnects & cabling by Audio Note
Fukuoka
Date: Sunday March 12th, 8pm to 11pm
Venue: Square 1-15-3, 3F Imaizumi Chuo-ku Fukuoka 810-0014 Japan
Tickets: ¥1,000 (RSVP cas@lighthouserecords.jp)
Presenter: Masuo (Lighthouse Records founder / CAS Fukuoka)
Audio Menu: Klipschorn Loudspeakers, Mark Levinson 23.5L Power Amplifier, Mark Levinson No.26 Preamplifier, Pioneer Exclusive P3 turntable, Koetsu Cartridge and Stepup Trans.
Sydney
Sunday, March 19th, 5 to 8 pm
Venue: The World Bar
Tickets: $15 at the door or in advance here students/seniors half price here
Presenters: Jim Poe (Bondi Beach Radio)
Audio Menu: Roksan Radius 5 Turntable, Ortofon 2M Bronze Cartridge, Roksan K3 Amplifier, Kef C30 Speakers,
Oslo
Date and Time: Sunday 26th March, 5 – 7 pm, doors open at 4 pm
Venue: Kulturhuset LAB
Tickets: NOK100 in the door or in advance here. Students/Seniors/Juniors half price.
Presenters: Kent Horne with the John Peel of Norway, NRK legend, radio host and producer Harald Are Lund, and his colleague, frontman of norwegian rock band WE, TV and radio host, Thomas Felberg.
Audio Menu installed by Duet Audio and Midas Reference: Cartridge: Ortofon Cadenza Black, Turntable: Dr. Feickert Blackbird, Tone arm: Jelco750 LB 12″, Preamp: 4 x Monoblocks Auralic Merak 2x800W, Integrated Amp with phono stage: Ayon Auris, Loudspeakers: Piega Classic 80.2, Interconnects: Midas Reference Silje, Speaker Cable: Midas Reference Silje, Power Conditioner: Isol-8.
Washington DC
Date and Time: Sunday 19th March 3 – 6pm
Venue: Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe, 2477 18th St NW, Washington DC 20009
Tickets: $5 in advance here
Presenter: Casey Rae
Audio Menu provided by Audioism.
REGA Planar 3 turntable with Elys MM Cartridge, REGA Fono MM Phono Preamp, Audioism MicroZOTL Preamp (David Berning Design), Audioism Venue-Class Playback System, Xcilica HD System Processor , Audioism ZOTL Amplifiers (David Berning Design), Class AB Hybrid Amplification for Subs, WyWires Audio Interconnects
Miami
Date and Time: Sunday 26th March 4 – 7 pm
Venue: Sweat Records, 5505 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137
Tickets: $5 in advance soon
Presenter: TBC
Audio Menu: Audio Note T1 Turntable, Audio Note 1Q1 cartridge, Audio Note M2 Phono Preamplifier, Audio Note Conqueror SET Amplifier, Deja Vu Audio Custom Genoa Vintage Speakers, Audio Note Lexus Cables
