A Jakarta Café That Treats the Playlist as Seriously as the Espresso
One year into its run, AGAIN Coffee Sound in Jakarta's Blok M neighbourhood has made a clear statement about what kind of space it wants to be. On 23 August, the café marked its first anniversary with a set by Cezaire, the French DJ, producer, and founder of independent label Roche Musique. The event was less a launch-party spectacle and more a demonstration of the ethos AGAIN has been quietly building since it opened.
Coffee and Curation as a Single Offer
AGAIN positions itself somewhere between a specialty coffee shop and a curatorial sound studio. Rather than using music as ambient filler, the team has spent its first year commissioning curated playlists, hosting studio sessions, and inviting artists whose bodies of work align with a genuine point of view. Founder David Christ, as quoted by Bandwagon, put it plainly: influence at AGAIN is measured by artistic perspective, not popularity.
Cezaire was a logical fit for the anniversary. His career at Roche Musique has centred on identifying and platforming distinctive artists, which mirrors what AGAIN says it is trying to do for Jakarta's own music community. The intimacy of the Blok M venue shaped the performance itself. Playing in close proximity to the audience, Cezaire noted, creates a different kind of energy that larger venues simply cannot replicate.
Building a Platform for Local Artists
Beyond the international bookings, AGAIN has articulated an ambition that matters for the local scene. Cezaire pointed out that intimate spaces like this one can give local artists direct access to new listeners, and that documenting and sharing sessions digitally extends that reach well beyond the room. It is a practical observation: a well-filmed in-store session can travel far further than the café's physical capacity.
AGAIN is not the only venue in Jakarta experimenting with this model, but its first year has included some notable moments. Télépopmusik played a surprise gig at the space, and Blue Foundation also made an appearance, both bringing international perspectives directly to the local community.
The Bigger Idea: A Third Space Built Around Discovery
The phrase AGAIN uses to describe its first year, "From Coffee Sound to Culture," captures the ambition without overstating it. The goal is a contemporary third space where drinking, listening, meeting, and discovering are not treated as separate activities. David Christ described it simply: come for the coffee, leave with a new sound.
Following the anniversary, AGAIN says it will continue working with tastemakers, artists, DJs, and producers while keeping the intimate, curiosity-driven format that has defined the space so far.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent café and accommodation operators in Jakarta can take a practical cue from AGAIN's model. Curated music programming, even on a modest scale, gives a venue a distinct identity that is difficult for larger chains to replicate. Documenting live sessions and sharing them through social channels costs relatively little but extends a venue's reach to audiences who may never have heard of it otherwise. If you host events, the recording is part of the event.
Details in this post were first reported by Bandwagon. This article is published on the Qontaktly travel blog.
First reported by bandwagon.asia.