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The Paris Club Rex on Tour in Moscow
Интервью · 16.12.2009
By 44100Hz
Paris, Rue Poissonnière. This is exactly where, 20 years ago, the first house party in the history of the French capital took place. And it's this very address listed in the contacts of Rex, Paris's main nightclub, whose resident DJs Oxia and Dyed Soundorom will step behind the decks at Arma17 on 18 December. On the eve of the party, 44100Hz spoke with Fabrice Godeau about the secret of the eternal youth of the club he runs and about the peculiarities of Paris nightlife.
44100Hz: As far as we know, the weekend at Rex is clearly split into two parts: house on Fridays and techno on Saturdays. On which days is the queue on Boulevard Poissonnière longer?
Ф.Г.:
That's how it used to be... Back when the Automatik series was still alive. These techno parties ran here every Friday for 10 years. But music changes. On top of that, we found it very hard to find real techno DJs among the new generation. Fresh directions and offshoots appeared. Like minimal techno, for example. And we had to work with that. That's one of the reasons Automatik no longer exists. So our Fridays now are mostly given over to minimal, Thursdays are devoted to house labels and to new international and local talented house artists, and on Saturdays the residents play. Among the latter are D’julz, Agoria, Jennifer Cardini, Chloé, Dyed Soundorom.
44100Hz: In the '90s, Rex's lightning-fast rise in popularity was linked to Laurent Garnier. What role does this DJ play now in shaping the club's musical and overall policy?
Ф.Г.:
It's true that Laurent Garnier played a big role in the club's rise, back when it was all just beginning. Without this man, Rex wouldn't be where it is now. Today Laurent plays for us much less often than before – 2-3 times a year. But that's not even because he plays all over the world and is constantly busy with his own music projects, but rather due to personal circumstances: he moved to the south of France, he has a real family life.
44100Hz: All right. Let's take a moment away from Rex. Imagine a friend from Moscow came to visit you for the weekend. Which Paris clubs, other than your own, would you show him first?
Ф.Г.:
I'd probably start my tour with concert venues like La Cigale, Bataclan or Élysée Montmartre. And then I'd take him to Batofar, Social Club, Showcase, Régine, Nouveau Casino. In general, there are a lot of good clubs in Paris. That's why it's a very hard question (laughs)!
44100Hz: And how would you describe the nightlife of today's Paris overall?
Ф.Г.:
Paris nightlife is still at a high level, but nevertheless it's not easy to compare it with Berlin or London. Paris has plenty of clubs with excellent programming where you can have fun every day, but a real club culture, alas, doesn't exist.
44100Hz: Despite all this, Rex's fame long ago spread beyond France's borders. What determines the club's popularity now?
Ф.Г.:
It's really simple. People come to Rex to hear good DJs and to dance to quality music. The club's popularity is almost entirely determined by these two factors: the quality of the artist selection and of the sound system. And our sound system, by the way, is still one of the best in the country. So are the artists, for that matter.
Rex Club Party
Arma17 club, 18 December
Oxia, Dyed Soundorom, Mike Spirit, Zorkin, IO (Kyiv), Raymond Obouvie.
Starts at 24:00
Admission: FCTRL / 600 rub.
Information and VIP reservations: 7 915 404 00 44
Address: Nizhny Susalny, 5 bldg. 3A