ALMOST IMMEDIATELY upon entering Santa Fe’s Remix Audio Bar and Coffee House, I start snapping my fingers to the bouncy beats. A DJ near the front door spins the rhythmic sounds flowing through the alcohol-free beverage bar. Customers sip coffee, mocktails, and adaptogenic tea lattes as they play chess, share conversations, or just chill.
In this spirited spot, music expands way beyond the audible. Vintage vinyl records decorate the bar, walls, and tabletops. A 12-inch Menudo record and Disney’s Peter Pan soundtrack adorn my glass tabletop. A giant baroque couch that would have been right at home in Prince’s recording studio dominates the room like a throne. Crates of records for sale offer inspiration for both the DJs and customers, allowing them to carry the experience home.
Justin Ray, a longtime DJ known as 13 Pieces, and his wife, Julie Grace, opened Remix Audio Bar on Marcy Street in 2018, before relocating to the former Fire & Hops gastropub space on Guadalupe Street in May.
“Julie and I both have a love for DJ music and dance culture,” says Ray, who wanted something more from his frequent Santa Fe coffee shop experiences. “There was something lacking, something that we found in San Diego and LA, where the music and dance culture is a little more in your face.”
The Remix crew: Francesca Duran, Julie Grace, Justin Ray, and James Robinson.
Photograph courtesy of Daniel Quat Photography.
Remix Audio Bar filled that void. “Come in and experience the music and friendliness of the community,” Grace says. “Music naturally changes people. It elevates and inspires them.”
Ray began spinning records in eighth grade while growing up on Laguna Pueblo and now offers classes for people of all ages through his DJ Dojo. “People learn how to buy equipment, how to hunt for music, how to choose music, how to put those together, and put music into equipment,” he says.
Grace, owner of Sol Wellness, added a Japanese-inspired menu to the new location. Served after 6 p.m., vegan and gluten-free fare includes onigiri and ramen bowls, for which she enlisted the help of former Fire & Hops chef and co-owner Joel Coleman. “Joel’s very passionate about Japanese food and culture,” she says. Grace approached him about remixing the Fire & Hops ramen bowl as a nod to the restaurant and a play on the new spot’s name. “He was excited,” she says.
When my shoyu ramen bowl arrives, I slurp slippery noodles floating in a mushroom-wakame-tamari broth. The bowl brims with smoky roast pork, grilled cabbage, bright watermelon radish, and a sous-vide egg that slowly blossoms into the broth when broken.
This ramen’s symphony of flavors enhances the joyfulness of Remix’s soundtrack—which delightfully replaces the ubiquitous chirps and chimes of modern life. “We encourage a cellphone-free, laptop-free opportunity,” Ray says. “We made this an oasis,” adds Grace.
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