Last weekend the third edition of Nuits Sonores & European Lab Brussels took place at Bozar. This is an urban festival born of the joint forces of BOZAR and Arty Farty. Four days (from Thursday to Sunday) of non-stop beat with a top-notch local and international line-up, numerous debates and plenty more.

The focal point of the festival was undoubtedly the BOZAR Takeover, on Friday evening. A combination of live performances, concerts and DJ sets in the beautiful and unique location of the Centre for Fine Arts. The evening brought more than twenty artists from all over the world together on three stages, turning BOZAR into Belgium’s biggest club for one night.

Every room of the labyrinthine Centre for Fine Arts was filled with beats and amazing light games. The main venue was the spectacular art deco concert hall (Henry Le Bœuf Hall) that for the occasion was converted into a huge dance floor. Between the names of the DJs spinning above the crowd in the royal box, there were: ڭليثر Glitter ٥٥, Dasha Rush, Octave One Live, and Paula Temple.

Henry Le Bœuf Hall during BOZAR takeover  – Credit Video: Simone Vespa

However, the Nuits Sonores were not just about partying, but also about talking and thinking. Club owners, artists and even philosophers had the chance to exchange ideas about club culture, activism and more. Also the artist-researcher Bogomir Doringer participated. After studying and filming dance floors all over the world and presenting his exhibition “Dance of Urgency” at Q21 in Vienna, the artist decided to continue his work at European Lab Brussels.

His project looks at the dance floor as a space for socio-political expression. According to him, the “Dance of Urgency” is a dance born of emotions that emerge at times of personal and collective crisis. It is a dance that empowers individuals and groups. The artist first moderated a debate on the topic and then he pointed his camera to the dance floor at BOZAR to integrate the Brussels party crowd in a live artwork.

The Nuits Sonores continued on Saturday night with The Loop, one of Nuits Sonores’ most impressive historical programmes. It is an exclusive musical journey in three locations in the vicinity of Brussels’ Canal: Kanal – Centre Pompidou, LaVallée & Be-Here. Local cultural operators collaborated with Nuits Sonores to give each venue its own individual musical atmosphere.

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Cercle

Cercle is a French cultural media platform which sets out to create unique audio-visual experiences while raising awareness of heritage, art and culture among audiences. Every other Sunday, an artist and a place are thrown into the spotlight through a performance broadcast from a surprising venue. The live performance will be followed by an interview on Facebook Live.

The Atomium DJ set is certainly not Cercle’s first event. Indeed, it has already put on events in many unexpected places throughout the world, such as the Palace of Fontainebleau, Tahiti in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Roman Theatre of Orange and even the Eiffel Tower.

Exclusive DJ set at the feet of one of Brussels’ iconic monuments

The DJ set, made possible thanks to the partnership with visit.brussels, the Atomium and the City of Brussels, will take place at the feet of the famous Atomium, which was built for the Brussels World’s Fair (1958), where it served as its signature building and emblem.

The artist will be filmed from a number of angles on a number of cameras during the broadcast. The programme will be streamed live on Cercle’s Facebook page. Following the live performance, there will be an interview with the artist, where users will be able to ask her questions.

Additional information

The Atomium

The building was designed and built for the Brussels World’s Fair (1958), where it served as its signature building and emblem. With its slogan “a world for a better life for mankind”, Expo 58 was intended to be the expression of the democratic ambition of building peace between all nations, of faith in technical and scientific progress and, finally, of an optimistic vision for the future of a new, modern and hyper-technological world where all people can live better lives.

Amelie Lens

You would be hard pressed to find another artist whose star is rising quite as fast as the Belgian artist Amelie Lens. In just a few years, this relentless perfectionist has become one of the most in-demand DJs / producers in the world. Amelie released her début album on the Pan-Pot label’s highly acclaimed imprint, Second State, and then shortly after, a stunning EP on one of the most celebrated underground labels, ARTS.

At the same time, Amelie has launched her own events, EXHALE, which have been quickly booked for the biggest festivals. She has also set up her own label, Lenske, which reflects her authentic, energetic and ambitious image, helping her to solidify her reputation as a knowledgeable curator and an expert behind the decks.

Practical information:

Set times

– 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm: First part (not streamed)

– 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Main artist (filmed and streamed on Facebook)

– 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm: Closing set (not streamed)

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The renovation, carried out in collaboration with the regional department of Monuments and Sites, aimed to restore the nightclub, which has been on the conservation list since March 1997, to its former glory of the 1930s. Clubbing will remain at the heart of the nightclub’s weekly programme, but it will also be open to cultural events.

The “Ciné Mirano” cinema, which opened its doors in 1934, closed down in 1978. It was transformed into a disco in 1981.

Tanguy Dimanche and Behrad Hatefi took over the management of the renovation as part of the “Art Blanc” group in June 2017. The group already has many hotels and restaurants in Brussels and Wallonia, including the restaurant “Les Brasseries Georges”, the discotheque “Spirito” and the event room “Quay 01”.

Two weeks after purchasing the nightclub, the decision was taken to launch a major renovation project. From the gold/black colour codes to the choice of materials such as limestone or wooden panelling and the (re)introduction of neon lights, everything possible has been done to return the place to its former glory.

Theatre, dance….

The rotating dance floor has been taken off its carousel motor for a modernised system. Enlarged and adorned with a golden curtain similar to the one that reveals the cinema screen, the stage will welcome clubbing audiences on weekends, as well as theatre, contemporary dance shows and concerts during the week. The new lighting structure was the biggest challenge of the project, as it required the entire roof to be renovated. The sound has also been completely redesigned to better suit different types of music and events.

Acoustic insulation was installed on the entire roof and on the adjoining walls to appease residents of the neighbourhood. The building has also been completely renovated to conform to modern safety standards.

As for club’s programme, music club nights will be held at least two evenings a week, with electro-style music playing on Friday and more urban music on Saturday.

“In clubbing, we want to surprise people, to make them discover new artists,” says Tanguy Dimanche. Behrad Hatefi also states that he wants to “open up the club to culture with photo exhibitions, shows, corporate events, and so on”.

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