Listening as an Act of Intimacy

Shai Space: A DIY Community Space that invites guests to be intentional

Music is embedded into the cultural fabric of London. The revered beating heart of this city; it spills out of every nook and cranny. You get a sense of the community’s adoration for it in the way people interact with it, passionately moving their bodies or singing in unison to melodies from the dark and hazy dance floors of Ormside to the bright,  and bustling streets of Notting Hill Carnival.

I recently discovered a space that completely transformed my understanding of the communal listening experience. As a huge music fanatic, I am constantly out and about exploring the exciting music scene that London has to offer. In my findings, I have come to understand that most of my experiences listening to music with strangers in this city have largely unfolded on dancefloors or at gigs.

Do we ever simply just sit and exist with music together in public?

Yes, it’s something we do in the comfort of our own homes, but is the simple act of listening to music, something we actively do in communal spaces?

Shai Space is where you can do this. Home to a range of events including album listening nights, supper clubs, and games nights, one of their main nights is a  listening session. A 90 minute DJ set, enjoyed in silence, cosied up under a blanket and over cups of tea. Going to Shai Space really moved me. Despite the absence of sweaty bodies rubbing up against each other in sync to a beat on a dance floor, I still felt the euphoric sense of intimacy and joyousness that normally brings me to a dance floor.

That warm feeling in your belly that reverberates out of you and pulls you closer to each person in the room.

It was a rainy evening,  I was meeting my best friend after a shambles of a week. I turned a sharp corner off a main road and saw her beckoning to me under the warm glow of a street lamp. London felt incredibly quiet, this road tucked away from the hum of passing traffic and chattering people. The gate lead into a locked courtyard, to the right a sign, “Shai Space” and a mobile number with instructions to call if we wanted to enter.

So we rang.

Once inside I saw the DJ  sitting on a Persian rug amidst a jungle of plants. Flicking through her records with a grin on her face, I could see her whispering the lyrics under her breath. The lighting was warm and pink, immediately making the space feel soft and cosy. Behind me, I turned to see my friend glowing, her nose crinkled as she beamed from ear to ear. We filled mugs with tea and plonked ourselves at the back of the room.

Bodies are scattered, some intertwined or tucked up under rugs, others are seated on cushions. Clouds of sandalwood incense surround us whilst the sounds of Denzel Curry’s cover of Erykah’s Badu’s Didn’t Cha Know play in the background.

I lay down and closed my eyes. The last track finished and a flurry of thoughts flooded my brain.

…Had I sent that message to my manager about an order? 

…Shit. I need to call the estate agent about the flat viewing.

I wonder if she’s thinking of me too.

It had been one of those weeks.

The record opened with a strumming guitar. A piano and flute twinkled over the top of the track - I was floating on a cloud. I opened my eyes and glanced at the people around me. Each of us  in our own world, connecting with a certain rhythm or experiencing an emotion It felt almost meditative, as each person went on their own inward journey. I lay there, I felt myself returning back into my body. The song had so many layers to it, and I slowly picked apart each instrument of the jazz ensemble. I felt a resounding sense of hope.

Slowly opening my eyes I looked around the space. Each person was tuning into the music in their own way; from the couple nestled in each other’s arms rocking gently,  to the man with his eyes closed a cheeky smile, tapping his fingers on his chest, the girl next to him knitting a scarf. The music cocooned us into a lull, gently swaying us back and forth, uniting us with its warm melodies and pulsating beats. As the last song played out and the scratches of the vinyl signposted the end of the record -  silence prevailed over the bodies laid across the room. Eyes fluttered open, arms stretched, knuckles cracked,  and deep breaths were drawn. I locked eyes with a stranger, his deep brown eyes shimmered in the evening light, he looked down coyly and slowly smiled.

We didn’t need to say anything. In that moment, we both had shared an unspoken appreciation for each other and for what we had experienced.

Amidst all the chaos of London and our own internal worlds, we had found a safe haven to decompress and be held by the scintillating sounds that seeping out of those speakers. 

Shai Space was founded in 2025 by Reuben and Sami with the purpose of creating a place for people to feel at home and connect with one another. Located in a hidden part of Peckham, opposite a block of flats and tucked away at the back of a courtyard, it’s a venue you have to purposefully seek out and find in comparison to others. Which is what makes this space so special. It requires intentionality from its guests, it’s not a place you accidentally find yourself in.

Shai means tea in Arabic and is a name for this venue which is both literal and symbolic for the founders; not only do they offer free tea at all their events, but tea also represents a cross-cultural welcoming. From China to Morocco, Jamaica to Nigeria, tea is what brings people together. 

“Shai Space was created to fill a gap in our own lives and an antidote to the lack of connection that Sami and I had been experiencing. We've both been self-employed for a lot of our careers, and moved cities/countries a few times since 2020, so community and stability were things we felt were lacking in our lives. These were things that Sami and I had been thinking/talking about, but I feel like this was more instinctual than anything - a subconscious yearning and attraction towards connection and realignment to what we really care about, community, collective restoration and growth, and, of course, good music.”

“If you come to Shai, you come with intention, and that feeds into the energy of the space. A room of people who went out of their way to be here - present, open, and ready to sink into some good music.”

 Words by Isabelle Moulding