Shake - Kokaistudios | Kokaistudios

Located in the center of Shanghai, Shake is an upscale venue dedicated to soul music and to bring excellent food and beverage experience to the city. Taking inspiration from the style and the energy of 1960s, Kokaistudios created immersive and memorable experience for guests as if stepping back in time when walked in the door.

Upon stepping through the front door of Shake, visitors are invited to travel back in time into an environment similar to a soul music supper-club in 1960’s New York. The oval shaped marble bar is one of the central features of the space. Uneven floor heights allow guests at both the front and the back of the bar to have unblocked views of the stage.

The undulating golden wave panels on the ceiling connect the bar to the stage, forming the heart of the project. The panels fill both an aesthetic and acoustic role to filter and distribute the sound emanating from the stage throughout the club.

The stage was designed to host a full soul band including a piano and a horn section and to be levelled with the main floor, so as to create a sense of intimacy between the band and the audience. This focus on intimacy and the primacy of the musical experience led to a space with multiple floor levels in which every seat, from two-person high tables to the banquettes, provides clear line of sight to the stage, allowing the audience to feel involved in the show.

As live music is only performed three nights a week, the designer created a sliding door system that could cover the stage, as well as a full DJ setup for spinning music during the rest of the week. In Shanghai’s competitive nightlife scene, Shake stands out with its sophisticated combination of world-class soul music and innovative dining & drinking. It is a new milestone in Kokaistudios’ practice of creating bespoke F&B environments.