Cafe Oto
A view to the entrance to Cafe Oto | |
Interactive map of Cafe Oto | |
| Address | 18–22 Ashwin Street London England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°32′49″N 0°04′29″W / 51.5469°N 0.0747°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2008 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Cafe Oto is a restaurant and bar offering free jazz, experimental , and free improvisation performances located in the Dalston district of London, England.
History
The building was originally occupied by a paint mixing company from 1866 to 1954.[1] During the 1990s, the space was used as a club. Cafe Oto was opened in 2008 by Hamish Dunbar and Keiko Yamamoto with funding from a local investment charity.[2] It has subsequently been the recipient of Arts Council England funding.[1] The Cafe provides a platform for experimental music ranging across all genres from folk, rock, noise, to electronica. The venue is a single room with a 150-person capacity. [3]
Occasionally, artists take up a brief residence across an entire week, such as Sun Ra Arkestra playing five nights in a row.[4] The venue is used to record live albums released under the cafe's OTOROKU label, among them Peter Brötzmann, John Butcher, Lol Coxhill, Phil Durrant, Fred Frith, Mats Gustafsson, Alexander Hawkins, Joe McPhee, Roscoe Mitchell, Thurston Moore, Paal Nilssen-Love, Steve Noble, Other Dimensions in Music, Han-Earl Park, Evan Parker, Eddie Prevost, Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, Damo Suzuki and Ken Vandermark.[5]
Around the corner from the venue, Cafe Oto maintains the Oto Project Space, utilised by aspiring artists and filmmakers to develop their craft through practice and workshop areas. In May 2020, the venue launched a new in-house digital label, TakuRoku, featuring works created in response to the London lockdown and social distancing measures, with 50% of the profits going directly to the artist,[6] providing a way to help sustain both Cafe Oto and the artists involved.[7]
Critical reception
In 2012, Cafe Oto was noted by Vogue Italia as the 'coolest venue in London'.[8]
In 2025, composer Daniel Blumberg thanked the venue in his acceptance speech at the Oscars.[9]
References
- ^ a b Balmont, James. "'You always know you'll get something interesting': an oral history of Cafe OTO". timeout.com. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/may/02/cafe-oto-italian-vogue
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/01/10-years-of-cafe-oto-how-the-east-london-venue-became-the-heart-of-the-underground
- ^ The gig venue guide: Cafe Oto, London The Guardian
- ^ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed 12 September 2014)
- ^ Eede, Christian (19 May 2020). "Cafe OTO Launches Digital Label, TakuRoku". The Quietus. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Cafe Oto launches lockdown music label TakuRoku". The Wire.
- ^ Why east London's Cafe Oto is Britain's coolest venue
- ^ Bakare, Lanre. "Oscar winner's shoutout for London music venue Cafe Oto stuns owner". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
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