- It's always risky to try to improve something good. The reform of the Brazilian club D-Edge, entitled D-Edge 2.0, however, is a good example of how to improve something that was already excellent. The Sao Paulo club had been open for seven years, and had never undergone renovations. It didn't seem to need it. When it opened in 2003, architecture and design magazines profiled the space thanks to its now-famous lights that seem to follow the beats. (As designer Muti Randolph put it, "the target was to make even deaf people feel the music.")
Nonetheless, rumors had been swirling for nearly four years about a possible expansion, and, finally, this year it happened. D-Edge celebrated the opening of the new additions late last month over the course of two nights. On Thursday, November 25th, local DJs and the English duo Audiojack performed, while on Friday, the 26th, Henrik Schwartz played live. On both nights the house was nearly full with people who seemed more interested in discovering the new areas of the club than anything else. Even Schwartz, who put on a great live set, couldn't avoid talking about the new club when I cornered him. "The new club is amazing!" he exclaimed. "The light and sound quality especially on the new second floor are world class!"
The new spaces, like the old, definitely didn't seem as though it was carefully crafted to amaze. A new smaller dance floor—fully decorated with stripes filled with LEDs—has a window where you can see Oscar Niemeyer's Latin America Memorial across the street. Above this floor is a lounge with lots of wood elements, asymmetrical forms and, again, LED lights. The lure of this space are the two private cabins in which you can see what happens outside without being seen. Finally, the third floor consists of a huge terrace with couches, mirrors, glass and chairs signed by the designer Konstantin Grcic with a beautiful view of the city skyline. All the rooms are connected by elevators and stairs.
The most important thing about the renovation, though, is that the club has seemed to keep its essence intact: One can enter the house and just stay at "old" D-Edge without even realizing that something has changed. Those who venture into the maze of new environments, though, are faced with an adult playground that impresses the ears and the eyes.