- If you've never heard of Brazilian club D-Edge—at the heart of Brazilian dance capital, Sao Paulo—you probably haven't been paying close attention to the global electronic scene for the past six years. Since its opening in 2003, the club has been regularly highlighted as one of the most interesting of the world, appearing in various "top 10" lists in publications across the globe. Almost any important DJ that you can think of—or even simply a newcomer who has just appeared on the global scene—has played in the D-Edge booth.
Photo credit: Fabio Tavares
Nights at the club are subject to an artistic direction that, although well-defined and rigorous, isn't afraid of change, which makes for a healthy dose of new sounds coming in the doors throughout the year. Their Friday nights are a typical example of such developments: In 2003, residents Luis Pareto, Marcos Morcerf and Renato Ratier—who is also the club owner—were often heard playing a lot of funky house. Then their night became more electro house-driven. Soon after it was DFA-style electro rock. And nowadays it's focused largely on old school disco from the '70s and '80s along with nu disco. As such, RA chose this particular night—at this particular club—to stage one of its latest parties on the South American continent.
As I walked in, I immediately saw many familiar faces, including a few who used to come to the club in its earliest days when Mark Farina and Derrick Carter were making people melt in the black box on Friday nights. And while the dance floor wasn't terribly crowded, the VIP area next to the DJ was already packed by D-Edge's regular party goers. Luis Pareto, a DJ who left his career as an actor in the '80s to devote his life to music, started the night. Changing wigs throughout the night (he often changes his accessories according to the "mood" of his set), he brilliantly played a set full of disco, with bits and pieces of house and funk thrown in.
At around three in the morning, with a comfortably full dance floor, James Baron, one of the founders of English group Crazy P, took his turn in the booth. He showed that, while focused on deep house and down-tempo in his production work, his DJing style is much more upbeat, mixing classic disco, nu-disco, funk and even a few Detroit productions. Renato Ratier and Davis, the new resident of the night, closed the party with a back-to-back DJ set that completed the disco journey.
Photo credit: Fabio Tavares
Perhaps the most interesting bit of the night, though, wasn't exactly musical: In talking to Ratier, the DJ/club owner told us about the details for the long-awaited renovation of D-Edge. The club will soon extend next door to the four story building, which will allow for a second dance floor, a lounge and an open-air area. The project is headed up by Muti Randolph, the same designer responsible for the current look of the club. Despite being only six years old—and still among the top clubs in the world—D-Edge seems firmly focused on bringing new blood to the club while maintaining its impeccable artistic direction.