Between vinyl and high technology, knowing the bar that transforms listening into collective experience
There are places in the city that bring silent stories on their walls. THE Gallery of Formosain the heart of Anhangabaú valleyIt was one of those urban secrets: a 500 square meter underground tunnel that remained closed for five decades, accumulating not only 120 kilos of dead cockroaches, but also memories of a San Paolo that few remember.
The space, which dates back to 1938, when the mayor Prestes Maia delivered an underground passage to connect the Light for shopping to Municipal theaterwas born with the intellectual ambition of Mário de Andradewhich idealized a refined restaurant dedicated to Brazilian gastronomy. The project has never left the newspaper, but the gastronomic vocation of the place would persist for decades: in 1940, it became the headquarters of Ballet Municipal Schoolthen it became the Catholic championship restaurantwhich served meals at affordable prices for the workers of the center. Nicknamed by Paulistanos “Xavier Passage”, by Xavier de Toledo Square, the gallery was gradually neglected by the municipal administrations (he never had even an official public place) until he was definitively closed in 1975.
Today, this same space hosts the Formosa hi-fiThe first high fidelity hearing bar in Brazil completely dedicated to quality music. And it is not exaggerated to say that it represents much more than a new gastronomic address: it is a solid manifesto in the historic center, an architectural and sensory rescue of a city that has long since lost the habit of listening to deep.
Poetic irony could not be greater: exactly 50 years later Elis Regina try Shiny in the same place (cleaning with your own hands the space abandoned by the city), the Formosa hi-fi The gallery rises with the same reverence for the music of the Pepper Always defended. Behind the project, three entrepreneurs who make their business in Ode to the city: Facundo warin front of Las Vegas group and responsible for iconic houses such as Vegas Club, Yacht, Lions, Z Carniceria, Bar Dos Arcos, Cine Joia And, more recently, I love cabaret AND Blue note; Ale Youssefformer secretary to the culture of SP and one of the founders of SE SERS; AND Ale Natacciwho was in front of spaces like Sonique AND Pony. Together, Yousef AND Natacci also created the Baixo Augusta Academics and the Basso slabimportant cultural initiatives of San Paolo.
The technical differential of the Forming It is impressive. José Augusto Nepomucenofrom the prize Acoustic & Sonic (Responsible for Room Sao Paulo and from Theater of artistic culture), has signed a project that transformed the limits of the space listed into innovative solutions. The site is protected by the three public activities, Drive, Condephaat AND Iphanwhich prevented any structural change. Therefore, since it was not possible to change the original structure, four internal walls were raised, creating a “box inside the box”.
The real revolution is in the “stereo bubbles”: more than 20 audio boxes strategically distributed throughout the room, creating three sound lines that guarantee the same acoustic quality everywhere in the environment, that is, everywhere in space, you can speak and listen to music clearly and in the same volume. What if I was in doubt that the sound is at the right time? Don’t worry, you can check it in a decibel meter.
Ritual in Formosa hi-fi It starts with the entrance through the staircase next to the Light for shoppingA literal immersion in the city subway. The main room, almost all the marble, contains 160 people sitting, distributed between wooden counter and sofas. On the ceiling, 420 LED lamps connected to an automation system create infinite combinations of synchronized lighting with music, transforming each session into a unique visual experience.
The program follows a specific liturgy: every day, an album is touched by an end at the beginning. So the “musical selector” (never DJ, always healer) creates sound narratives of the collection of 6,000 records of the house or of the vinyls themselves. The gastronomic menu, signed by Joseane Marquesit is a conceptual tribute to unregistered ideas of Mário de Andrade For the restaurant that has never existed in this place. Dishes such as Boeuf Bourguignon with Milk Pirão and Angu Pastel with Brie translate into flavors the proposal to combine tradition and modernity. The cocktail, commanded by Michelly RossiIt offers copyright drinks that speak with the night soundtrack, a liquid extension of the musical curative.
With a very contested voice (reservations by the app Enter For a maximum of six people, the waiting line from 22:00 for the meeting), the Forming It has already been consolidated as a point of convergence between generations of Melomani. The club of belonging, with monthly taxes from R $ 390, offers exclusive experiences such as vinyl tie, non -independent entrance and a free drink at each visit, as well as the possibility of listening to their records. But the real value lies in the democratization of access to the sound of high fidelity.
The project integrates the revitalization of the Anhangabaú valley, but goes further: it redefines what means “to go out to listen to music” in San Paolo. Different from traditional listening bars, which give priority to the environment on technology, Formosa hi-fi It is positioned as a high loyalty space of sound, in which technical quality is as important as the curative. In times of Algorithmic Playlist and listens fragmented, the bar offers an alternative: the possibility of listening to music with time and attention, in an environment specially designed for this.
I visited the Forming On a Thursday night, when the selector, an old friend, varied the electro-indie sound until we reach the Latin rhythms of our favorite port, Bad Bunny. Reinforce here the LP collection of the house, which is fantastic and varied. From Rational MC THE Rey woolfrom Buena Vista Social Club THE Velvet UndergroundOR Corner club And Xuxa, why not? In fact, in a vinyl of Xuxa It was where the menu came from, curious and fun details. Another salient moment also goes to the fumodrome, which gives the newly restored source that remains under the imposing stairs Municipal theaterA way to Anhangabaú valley. We could be in any city in Europe, but this jewel is in the center of the city of San Paolo.
Among a sip of one of the copyright of the house, I realized that the Formosa hi-fi It’s not just a bar. It is a temple dedicated to listening, a space where music recovers its sacred place in urban experience. And in times of haste and infinite playlists, they give us something precious: the time of music. And they do it exactly where Elis ReginaHalf a century ago, he cleaned the floor so that his voice could echo. The gallery that he prepared for Shiny Now it really shines, enlightened not only for ceiling lamps 420, but for the same passion for music that moves Paulistanos forever.
SERVICE
Formosa hi-fi
Operation: From Tuesday to Sunday from 19 hours. It closes at midnight, except on Friday and Saturday, when it operates until 2 in the morning;
Address: Coronel Xavier de Toledo Street, 23 – Formosa Gallery (near the Anhangabaú metro). Artistic coverage: R $ 20.
Tickets and information: Here
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
