KEF, audio excellence pioneers since 1961, will open the doors to the new KEF Music Gallery Tokyo on Saturday 9th December 2023. Situated within Aoyama, the central luxury and design district of Tokyo and replacing the previous iteration of KEF Music Gallery Tokyo, the space will provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy the magic of great sound like never before.
More than just a product showroom, KEF Music Gallery Tokyo will be a dynamic and multifaceted destination where guests will gather to discover new artists and recordings. They will be encouraged to listen with intent, and begin their own listen and believe journeys with access to an extensive range of KEF products, from the pioneering Blade and The Reference collections to the innovative LS Wireless Collection speaker systems, architectural speakers and headphones.
Designed by Klein Dytham architecture (KDa), a multi-disciplinary design practice known for architecture, interiors, public spaces and installations established by Royal College of Art graduates Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, this two-storey building will be instantly recognisable as it features a huge, 3-dimensional graphic interpretation of KEF’s signature
Uni-Q speaker driver array as part of the building’s glass façade. The illuminated Uni-Q driver transforms the structure into an iconic giant transparent speaker and will draw visitors into two experiential spaces and three different sound rooms designed to encourage guests to delve into the world of immersive sound.
The team at Klein Dytham architecture is thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to design such a dynamic experiential space in partnership with KEF. Conceived as a hub for music lovers and creatives alike, this project takes the notion of a flagship store and experiential retail beyond the next level.”
- Mark Dytham, co-founder of KDa.
KEF Music Gallery Tokyo illustrates our commitment to sharing the magic of great sound with consumers globally, and to provide our partners with a collaborative platform through which we can together deliver KEF’s unique immersive high-fidelity experiences to a wider audience.”
- Grace Lo, President and Head of Global Marketing at KEF
Following the opening of KEF Music Gallery Hong Kong and replacing the previous KEF Music Gallery Tokyo, the new KEF Music Gallery Tokyo signals the next phase of a global roll-out of high-profile spaces to bring the magic of great sound to a wider audience, the next of which will be KEF Music Gallery London, a 5,000 square foot experiential retail and event space in the centre of the city scheduled to open in April 2024.
The Experiential Spaces
The Gallery: Situated on the ground floor, The Gallery is a place for visitors to trial the latest KEF products and to be the first to hear about the brand’s upcoming product launches, events and experiences.
The Studio: An intimate space located on the second floor of the building, The Studio provides an multi-purposed area for events, exhibitions, and brand immersion sessions, it will also be the perfect setting for creatives to record podcasts and for live streaming sessions to take place.
Both experiential spaces will feature moveable LED monitors to allow local artists, designers, musicians and sound producers to exhibit digital installations and collaborative works, each exhibition can be paired with undisturbed high-fidelity sound with one side of each gallery featuring floor-to-ceiling sound absorption walls fitted with adjustable floating shelves to allow for flexible, ever-changing displays of KEF’s wireless speakers. On the opposite side, full-height glazed windows keep the galleries bright and airy.
The Sound Rooms
The Ultimate Experience Room: Created to allow guests to experience high-fidelity audio like never before, the Ultimate Experience Room showcases KEF’s flagship 2-metre tall Muon loudspeakers, visitors will be encouraged to play their favourite tracks and listen to every sound just as the artist intended.
The Wireless High-Fidelity Lounge: A showcase of the unparalleled performance of KEF’s LS Wireless Collection, the Wireless High-Fidelity Lounge will allow customers to experience the future of KEF audio experiences.
The Extreme Theatre: The ultimate home entertainment experience, the Extreme Theatre will feature in-wall installation of KEF’s top-end Extreme Home Theatre architectural speakers behind the screen and within the ceiling, complemented by the revered Blade setup. Guests can trial the custom home cinema set up by watching their favourite film in an intimate setting.
To celebrate the opening of KEF Music Gallery Tokyo, KEF will once again be bringing its technology to the forefront of arts and culture by empowering creators and artists to deliver immersive experiences through strategic collaborations.
Following the inaugural KEF series of unique generative artworks that marked the first stage of the brand's Journey Through Sound last year, culminating the successful launch of the Absorbed collection, KEF will unveil the next stage of generative audio artworks: Acoustic Sculptures. Daito Manabe and KEF by Parameta will be presenting the exclusive generative audio-visual collaboration artwork Latent Body, a unique soundscape inspired and optimised to the KEF Blade One Meta and Mu7 wireless headphones, at the pre-opening event on Friday 8th December in which Daito Manabe will also be performing a series of his new original tracks to mark the opening launch. Additionally, he will preview a series of new tracks in a live performance for the celebratory evening.
Daito Manabe will also be appointed the Title Artist of the brand's second music event tour: KEF: Take It Home - LISTEN TOKYO on 19th January 2024.
