Getting goofy at Coolth KTV
- By William Wang
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E-mail CRI, March 5, 2013
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Friends Xie and Zheng don't let the blues get them down at Coolth KTV in Sanlitun. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/William Wang] |
In China, karaoke bars and KTV are one and the same. Guests book private rooms where they can scream out the hits without the judgment of strangers. In Beijing, KTV bars run the full gamut, from opulent hi-tech environments down to seedy cramped quarters which more focus on the renting of women than the singing of Jay Zhou. Reporter William Wang visits some of the city's most talked about KTVs to see who's hitting the high notes.
Occupying some key real estate in the basement of Sanlitun's 3.3 Market, Coolth KTV has managed to succeed where a number of other club ventures have not. Its Chinglish name doesn't do much to set high expectations, but in 2009 Coolth in Wangjing raised the KTV bar, setting the standard for every room to have its own unique theme. The newer Sanlitun Coolth continues the trend in a more central spot, with a smidgen more gloss and bulkier customer base.
Oddly enough, prior to this Coolth opening its doors in 2011, KTV presence in Sanlitun was lacking. Its arrival provided a much-needed opportunity for Beijingers to get the hell out of the Apple store and into a multi-dimensional subterranean world fueled by vodka, Bananarama's "Venus" and wavering Teresa Tan covers. Its themed rooms aren't just decorated. They're sculpted. Architecturally, a lot of work has gone into creating these rooms with layered walls, curvaceous ceilings, and mini lofts.
Rooms are brightly colored with themes leaning towards the childishly cutesy. Hello Kitty, Super Mario, and a crew of Disney characters make their appearances. Rooms with a ho-hum teddy bear theme are unnecessarily numerous.
Somewhat more mature themes include a tropical island, a luxury liner, or S&M bondage. The largest room is luxuriously dedicated like an 18th century French palace. It even includes rental period piece costumes to inspire guests to sing their heads off like Marie Antoinette.
Sophisticated it's not, but Coolth understands that there's nothing pretentious about singing karaoke. Creating a goofy playground for adults is the obvious way to get folks to belt out "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Doors open at 1 pm, and on a recent Tuesday afternoon, a line has already formed. On weekdays, 80-100 customers take advantage of the lower daytime prices, ready to snuggle down into sofas, microphones in hand.
But on weekend evenings, upwards of 200 people cram into the rooms in spite of elevated prices (129 yuan/hr for a small room). Heady wafts of cigarette smoke squeeze out of doorframes, carried out on thumps of bass. Multiple voices trilling from multiple rooms overlap in muffled cacophony. Foreign beer goes for as little as 20 yuan a bottle, but drunken show-offs can shell out about 3,000 yuan for a bottle of wine if the mood strikes.
It's definitely a place for a party, but not a late one. When the clock strikes a mere 2 am, singers have to drag their hoarse voices out to the street.
The song selection at Coolth is better than most KTVs, and many of 2012's chart toppers can be found. Management claims that 20 percent of their total song catalogue is in English, with a decent variety of hits and oldies.
Coolth was the first legit karaoke joint to offer a singsong alternative to Sanlitun's seedy or pretentious bars and clubs. As it has proved its mettle in Beijing, Coolth clubs "all over China" are apparently in the works. Considering the state of karaoke outside of the city, this is welcome news for anyone who can't sing the Mandopop hits.
Coolth KTV Sanlitun is in the basement of the 3.3 Market. From Line 10’s Tuanjiehu subway station exit A, walk west 10 minutes to Sanlitun Village. Turn right, and walk north 5 minutes.
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