ABOUT

The majority of the post-millennium era has been a depressing period audio history where sound quality has played second fiddle to convenience. Low quality MP3s were designed to make the most of slow internet speeds and expensive storage; cheap earphones have been bundled with audio players; stereo hi-fi separate systems have been forgotten in place of portable mono speakers. What’s more, we’re repeatedly told the album as an artform is dying. But not all of us agree with the status quo.

Pitchblack Playback hosts listening sessions in the dark on great sound systems around the world for upcoming and classic albums and curated mixtapes. It's a simple idea, but we think it's much more than the sum of its parts.

Why do we like to listen to music in the dark*? We believe that listening to music with this way makes music feel more intense, lets you hear it in more detail, and allows your brain to feel less distracted. It’s just you and the music. In today's stressful modern world, we all need spaces where we can cut ourselves off from the noise and distraction of daily life, and we're proud that our events can provide them. A different take on sound healing, if you will.

Pitchblack Playback isn’t aimed at audiophiles who will obsess over every last detail of the equipment used. It’s simply for lovers of damn good music who want to experience music in a more considered, concentrated way—of course played on the best sound systems we can find. We want it to be an experience for everyone, of all ages and tastes.

We use a mixture of cinemas, audio showrooms, listening rooms and bespoke setups to bring you the best listening environment we can, being careful to pick the right room and system for the right record. 

We hope you'll feel the bass through your body and pick up new details you've never noticed before on your favourite albums, and hear new releases for the first time in the most powerful, vivid setting. 

Produced and devised by Ben Gomori.

Pitchblack Playback: meditate on music

*We turn all house lights off at our events but have to keep emergency exit lighting on for obvious reasons. As such, we provide an eye mask with each ticket (yours to keep) for the full lights-out experience.