The decks and the bar are in the same place, as is the dance floor, but the Lounge has disappeared. When the long-standing nightclub closed in April, it took away 29 years of dance music history. Nearly three decades of spilled drinks, residue from smoke machines, sweat-soaked furniture and empty plastic bags stuffed under the seats are gone. Bettors can no longer urinate in the service sink of a men’s restroom.
But now, with a lick of paint, waxed concrete floors, and an upgrade to the sound and lighting system, Lounge has reopened as Radar under the direction of Maz Salt (Section 8, Ferdydurke, The B East, Globe Alley).
Lounge was forced to close when its owner, Carlo Colosimo, outbid a lease renewal – its competitor is rumored to be a hotpot operator, says Salt. The shutdown was devastating news for Colosimo and club staff, bookers and DJs, as well as its community of underground dance music lovers who, months earlier, had lost the beloved Hugs & Kisses nightclub.
When negotiations with the hotpot operator and the real estate agent failed, Salt was offered the site. Since he inherits both broken hearts and history, he’s understandably nervous.
“I’m terrified, it’s extremely busy,” says Salt. “There is a cultural heritage there to which we are extremely sensitive.
“Just like section 8, we don’t have a lease. We are in place as long as possible… we take a little risk and hope to be able to succeed. “
There are few operators in Melbourne better positioned to carry on Lounge’s legacy. Regardless of what you think of Section 8’s tourist magnet status, there’s no denying that the container bar – and its long-term booker Jacob Howard, who will be moving to Radar – has been instrumental in shaping the Melbourne dance-music scene. He’s also a long-time supporter of Melbourne’s hip-hop community – think of the wild sets of DJ Dexter of the Avalanches – and launched the careers of house and disco groups such as Wax’o Paradiso, who launched his songs there. first evenings.
As a business owner, Salt is fully aware of the scarcity and precariousness of a space like Radar (he says Section 8 received a noise warning notice from a city inspector of Melbourne at 7 p.m. on the Sunday before Radar opens).
“It is a terrible thing for Melbourne to lose these kinds of sites. Not just the 24-hour license, but sites that are in a protected area, ”says Salt. “There are no residents in the immediate vicinity. You can have loud music. This stuff is essential for Melbourne’s musical ecology and culture.
“In order for a healthy music city to survive, you have to have small bars, you have to have big bars, late night bars, commercial and independent bars. You need everything, ”says Salt. “I think protecting CBD as a place for music is really important. There are very few nightlife spots left in the city … it’s not as bad as NSW, but we want to make sure it doesn’t get to this point.
While Salt has fond memories of visiting The Lounge in the 90s with his older siblings, he got his first glimpse of nightclub life in 1993, working as a nightclub security guard. in Ankara, Turkey.
“[It] was a converted flour warehouse in the middle of the Anatolian plains that held 3,000 people. It was open three nights a week and had this line that stretched across a freeway that led absolutely nowhere, ”he says. “There were DJs who came from Germany by plane. I thought, ‘This is amazing. It’s incredible.’ What is it that gets all these people in the middle of the fucking nowhere to celebrate?
26 years later, the doors are open at Radar. The iconic balcony is still there, but a new balustrade separates the old raised area from the dance floor. There’s new green leather upholstery in the booths and a 130-year-old table converted back to a DJ booth, flanked by two new stacks of Funktion-One speakers. Winding above the decks and circling the ceiling and walls of the dance floor, a new rippling light installation by the John Fish Collective (whose work has been featured at festivals such as Pitch Music and Arts, Freedom Time and Strawberry Fields ). The vibe is more like the ever-chic New York house music of Metro Area than the renegade Detroit techno of Underground Resistance.
When the first guests enter on the opening night, a nervous energy reigns in the room. It feels like going to a renovated open house from the apartment you have just been evicted from. But as strange as it sounds, it’s still the same room and the speakers are booming. Shortly after, Kristian Laemmle-Ruff of John Fish Collective spills the first glass. And Edd Fisher of Wax’o Paradiso breaks the first glass. And if Melbourne’s dance music community so wishes, this will be the first of many spills to come.
Radar Bar and Nightclub
1/243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Hours:
Wed and Thu 4 pm-3am
Fri & Sat 4-5 a.m.
For Radar’s upcoming concerts, visit his Facebook page.
This article first appeared on July 12, 2019.