Cheers to Walshy Fire!
DJ/producer Walshy Fire is hoping that his newly opened vinyl bar in Miami, Florida, will be a big hit, especially since it’s the first of its kind in the Sunshine State.
“Vinyl has actually come back. If you look at the numbers, everyone will tell you. Not in big ways, not like stores are gonna open back up again, but vinyl is definitely selling again. It’s cool. Maybe it’s just trendy, but it’s definitely cool. I personally have seen these bars in Tokyo, Paris and New York and they do very well, so I decided to bring it to Miami,” she told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash.
Located in Wynwood, the Dante’s HiFi was opened in 2021.
Walshy Fire (given name: Leighton Paul Walsh) is the brother of famed Jamaican/West Indies cricketer Courtney Walsh.
He added that he will be splitting his time between his new venture, and music production.
“I’ll be at the bar all the time. Studio sessions is (also) where it’s at, I’ll be making music. Studio sessions are like 12 hours sometimes, but we’ll definitely stop by (the Vinyl Bar) for an hour or two,” he added.
Vinyl bars were first founded in Japan during the 50s; some call them, listening bars. A place where people can collectively come and enjoy listening to vintage or new 45s and 33s. Usually, the bartender curates a playlist from the bar’s vinyl selection.
Walshy says the support has been overwhelming so far.
“It’s excellent. Lots of celebrities have passed through,” he added.
Meanwhile, the producer says he has a series of live shows coming up.
“I got New York this Saturday, Los Angeles in February…we’ve just been in music making mode and focused on and musically just lots of stuff. Working on the next Abeng album, as well as lots of special projects,” he said.
In 2012, Walshy Fire joined Major Lazer with Thomas “Diplo” Pentz and Trinidadian Christopher “Jillionaire” Leacock.
Major Lazer enjoyed massive success during the EDM craze that started a decade ago. Their string of hit songs include Pon Di Floor (with Vybz Kartel), Watch Out Fi Dis (with Busy Signal), Lean On (with MO), Cold Water (with Justin Bieber), Powerful (with Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley) and Bubble Butt (with Bruno Mars, Tyga, 2 Chainz and Jamaican dancer Mystic).