A cocktail bar is partly liquid, partly room. The room is half lighting and half music. Both bartenders and guests underestimate how much the music shapes the drinking experience, drink too well-made for a too-loud room and you have just made expensive background noise. Here is how we think about music at both outlets.
The single most important rule
Volume under conversation level, always. Guests should be able to hear the person across the table without leaning in. This is the most-violated rule at most KL cocktail bars and the easiest one to get right.
The test: stand 1.5m from a table and try to overhear a conversation in normal speaking voice. If you can hear them clearly, the music is too soft. If you cannot hear them at all without straining, the music is too loud. The sweet spot is when you can sense a conversation happening but cannot make out the words.
Genre logic by outlet
Dissolved Solids, Damansara Kim. Defaults to vintage soul, dub, late-night jazz, and 70s-80s funk. The room's warm-light + dark-wood-and-neon aesthetic suits records that swing slightly. We play a lot of D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Joe Bataan, Khruangbin, the slower side of Bossa Nova.
Soluble Solids, SS2. Defaults to ambient electronic, downtempo, neo-soul, and the more introspective Asian artists. The infusion-shelf and lace-curtain aesthetic wants something quieter and more atmospheric. Brian Eno, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Devendra Banhart, Phum Viphurit, Slow Pulp.
Both rooms share a no-EDM, no-Top-40 rule. Not because those genres are bad, they are great elsewhere, but they fight the cocktail-bar setting.
The curve from afternoon to last call
Music shifts across the night:
15:00-18:00 (Dissolved Solids only): Quiet bossa, ambient jazz, slow soul. Background music in the literal sense. Conversation is the foreground.
18:00-20:00: Mid-tempo soul, dub, neo-soul. Energy rises slightly but music is still under conversation level.
20:00-22:00 (the peak): Funk, faster soul, the more rhythmic side of the shelf. Energy is highest. Volume rises a touch but still allows conversation.
22:00-close: Drops back to introspective downtempo. The last-call mood: late jazz, ambient, the slower side of trip-hop. Encourages people to linger.
What we never play
Anything with lyrics in English that demand attention. Lyric-heavy songs pull guests out of their own conversations. We default to instrumental, or to lyrics in languages other than English when possible.
Songs guests will recognise too easily. Top-40 hits make the bar feel like a generic mall venue. Familiarity breaks the spell of the room.
Anything sad enough to push people out. The 03:00 break-up record might be brilliant; it does not belong at a cocktail bar at 21:30.
Sponsored playlists. Spotify and Apple Music both push "cocktail bar" playlists that are formulaic and obviously algorithmic. We curate manually.
Who gets to control the music
Internally: any member of the bar team can override the playlist on their shift. Trust the bartenders to read the room. Most nights one person owns the music for the shift.
From guests: requests are welcome but we filter. "Can you play X?", usually yes if X fits the curve. "Can you turn it up?", almost never, because turning up for one table ruins the room for everyone else.
For private buy-outs (see venue hire): the music control passes to the host. Bring a playlist; we plug in.
The Apple AirPod test
The simplest evening test: walk in with one earbud in. If you can hear the music and your phone audio at the same time without distraction, the bar's music level is right. If the bar drowns out your audio entirely, the bar is too loud for the cocktail-bar format.
Both our rooms pass this test consistently. It is a small thing; it is also one of the reasons regulars stay regulars.
Related reading
- Why our menu is short on purpose
- Best time to visit a cocktail bar in PJ
- Date night at a cocktail bar in PJ
Frequently asked questions
What kind of music plays at a cocktail bar?
Volume under conversation level, always. Genre varies. Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim defaults to vintage soul, dub, late-night jazz, and 70s-80s funk. Soluble Solids in SS2 defaults to ambient electronic, downtempo, and neo-soul. Both share a no-EDM, no-Top-40 rule because those genres fight the cocktail-bar setting.
How loud should music be in a cocktail bar?
Quiet enough that guests can hear the person across the table without leaning in. Stand 1.5m from a table and try to overhear a conversation. If you can hear clearly, music is too soft. If you cannot hear at all, music is too loud. The sweet spot is sensing a conversation but not making out words.
How does the music change through the evening?
15:00 to 18:00 is quiet bossa, ambient jazz, slow soul. 18:00 to 20:00 mid-tempo soul and dub. 20:00 to 22:00 the peak, funk and faster soul. 22:00 to close drops back to introspective downtempo, late jazz, ambient. The last-call mood encourages people to linger.
Can I request a song at your bar?
Requests are welcome but filtered. Can you play X is usually yes if X fits the curve. Can you turn it up is almost never, because turning up for one table ruins the room for everyone else. For private buy-outs, music control passes to the host, bring a playlist and we plug in.
Where in PJ can I drink without loud music?
Both Dissolved Solids and Soluble Solids run music under conversation level. Dissolved Solids at 43-1 Jalan SS20/11 Damansara Kim is best for quiet weeknight conversation; WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607. Soluble Solids at 50-1 Jalan SS2/24 leans ambient and downtempo; WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651.