James Murphy Opening His Own Brooklyn Wine Bar

BY Alex HudsonPublished May 12, 2015

Since LCD Soundsystem's split a few years ago, mastermind James Murphy has become something of a renaissance man and has dipped his toes into a variety of projects, including production, scoring, experimental music projects and filmmaking. Now, he's branching out once again by opening a wine bar in Brooklyn.

The establishment is called the Four Horsemen, and it will open in early June at 295 Grand Street in Williamsburg. It will seat about 40 patrons, and the menu will initially offer about 160 wines (with that number later rising to around 350). It will emphasize natural wines and will include some unconventional offerings along with more traditional options.

"We're not dogmatic," he told the New York Times. "Like, we don't want to be part of an argument. If I opened a record store, it wouldn't be all punk rock and esoterica."

There will also be food on the menu. "We keep calling it a wine bar because we want to underpromise and overdeliver," he said. "It has to be economically sustainable. It's not a vanity project."

Murphy is opening the bar in partnership with his wife, Christina Topsoe. He has apparently been discussing the idea for a number of years. Ever the audiophile, Murphy has carefully crafted the sonic environment in the Four Horsemen.

"That's why it doesn't sound cavernous," he said. "All people will know is that they're happy. They'll not feel the unpleasantness."

And for those who drink too much at Murphy's bar, they can recover the next morning by sipping some of his signature espresso.

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