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| Клуб: the St Petersburg rail factory that became a visionary nightclub | Клуб: the St Petersburg rail factory that became a visionary nightclub |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| Ask Sasha Tsereteli, founder of St Petersburg’s DIY nightclub Клуб, what the most important aspect of his club is and you might be surprised. Despite great success serving nights that span a melange of techno, acid, noise and industrial, he says that community comes first and music second. “It’s always been about getting people together, and seeing what happens,” he explains. “There are enough music clubs in the world so we never really positioned ourselves as one – I think that’s one of our best accomplishments. Although you can only afford to say that when your music programme is impeccable.” | Ask Sasha Tsereteli, founder of St Petersburg’s DIY nightclub Клуб, what the most important aspect of his club is and you might be surprised. Despite great success serving nights that span a melange of techno, acid, noise and industrial, he says that community comes first and music second. “It’s always been about getting people together, and seeing what happens,” he explains. “There are enough music clubs in the world so we never really positioned ourselves as one – I think that’s one of our best accomplishments. Although you can only afford to say that when your music programme is impeccable.” |
| Renowned as the duo who first brought international acts to St Petersburg, Sasha Tsereteli and his partner Julia Si had been running parties for a decade before co-founding Клуб (meaning “klub”) in November 2017. Housed within brutalist infrastructure – a former national railway factory – Клуб is not the kind of club you stumble upon by chance. Much like Berlin’s Berghain, it’s set far from civilisation, in an industrial area just outside the city. “Nobody comes here by accident,” says Tsereteli. “It’s nearly impossible, so we never know how many people will attend an event.” | Renowned as the duo who first brought international acts to St Petersburg, Sasha Tsereteli and his partner Julia Si had been running parties for a decade before co-founding Клуб (meaning “klub”) in November 2017. Housed within brutalist infrastructure – a former national railway factory – Клуб is not the kind of club you stumble upon by chance. Much like Berlin’s Berghain, it’s set far from civilisation, in an industrial area just outside the city. “Nobody comes here by accident,” says Tsereteli. “It’s nearly impossible, so we never know how many people will attend an event.” |
| Operating largely as a techno night, and occasionally as a space for exhibitions and gigs, Клуб is as much a platform for emerging and international artists as it is a subcultural meeting point – and an inclusive, judgment-free, safe space – for its hardcore weekend community: 300–500 teenage ravers and diehard techno aficionados. “Each night we make minor improvements and something changes,” says Tsereteli. “It’s an inspiring dynamic.” | Operating largely as a techno night, and occasionally as a space for exhibitions and gigs, Клуб is as much a platform for emerging and international artists as it is a subcultural meeting point – and an inclusive, judgment-free, safe space – for its hardcore weekend community: 300–500 teenage ravers and diehard techno aficionados. “Each night we make minor improvements and something changes,” says Tsereteli. “It’s an inspiring dynamic.” |
| It’s Tsereteli’s community-first, off-grid approach that has brought the club such success at a time when other venues in Russia – Moscow’s techno institution Arma17 and Rabitza, Russia’s original DIY club – have been shut down by the authorities. Rather than working with DJs already playing on the local club circuit, Tsereteli chose to work with a pool of 10 exclusive residents. “It allows them to guide their audience over time. Traditionally, a DJ brings their own audience to a club, but that means the venue accommodates different people each week rather than growing a community.” Finding fellow techno lovers en masse wasn’t easy – the night barely covered expenses at the start. “I always looked at it as cultural investment,” says Tsereteli. “A way to keep our people updated on what’s happening in countries with a more advanced underground music scene.” | It’s Tsereteli’s community-first, off-grid approach that has brought the club such success at a time when other venues in Russia – Moscow’s techno institution Arma17 and Rabitza, Russia’s original DIY club – have been shut down by the authorities. Rather than working with DJs already playing on the local club circuit, Tsereteli chose to work with a pool of 10 exclusive residents. “It allows them to guide their audience over time. Traditionally, a DJ brings their own audience to a club, but that means the venue accommodates different people each week rather than growing a community.” Finding fellow techno lovers en masse wasn’t easy – the night barely covered expenses at the start. “I always looked at it as cultural investment,” says Tsereteli. “A way to keep our people updated on what’s happening in countries with a more advanced underground music scene.” |
| Клуб has always had a strict door policy: up to 50% of people are turned away each night. “It’s not just about how they look, it’s about them understanding the environment,” explains Tsereteli. “We try to only let open-minded people who share our ideas in, not typical club kids who come to party, drink, and get drugged up. We also have a rule that says we close a night as soon as we get bored with it.” | Клуб has always had a strict door policy: up to 50% of people are turned away each night. “It’s not just about how they look, it’s about them understanding the environment,” explains Tsereteli. “We try to only let open-minded people who share our ideas in, not typical club kids who come to party, drink, and get drugged up. We also have a rule that says we close a night as soon as we get bored with it.” |
| The space is distinctly different from any other St Petersburg club. Клуб is one of the few that has windows allowing daylight to light up the dance floor at dawn. “You always hear comparisons to movies, or people saying that it’s how it was in the 90s. I think it’s a more elevated experience than the squat aesthetic synonymous with the 90s. There was a strong police presence back then, too – it had a completely different vibe. Now it’s way more liberal and a lot more relaxed.” In a country that’s commonly considered anything but “liberal and relaxed” by westerners thanks to reports of state repression, for this club at least, the presence of the Russian authorities is less intrusive than it once was. | The space is distinctly different from any other St Petersburg club. Клуб is one of the few that has windows allowing daylight to light up the dance floor at dawn. “You always hear comparisons to movies, or people saying that it’s how it was in the 90s. I think it’s a more elevated experience than the squat aesthetic synonymous with the 90s. There was a strong police presence back then, too – it had a completely different vibe. Now it’s way more liberal and a lot more relaxed.” In a country that’s commonly considered anything but “liberal and relaxed” by westerners thanks to reports of state repression, for this club at least, the presence of the Russian authorities is less intrusive than it once was. |
| Each night at Клуб is named after a feature of the building. For example, Kisloty (acids) – the flagship night that Tsereteli curates – is influenced by the corrosive pools of acid that were once used in the factory for galvanising metal. It’s an energetic night with techno at a fast 140-plus bpm. “I try and show as many sides to techno as possible – it’s what really inspires me and it’s still evolving. It’s a shorter night – it’s really intense until 6am, then people chill in the downtime area,” explains Tsereteli. “People tend to stay longer on the floor in our other industrial, noise and EDM nights and these are the events that go on past noon.” According to Tsereteli, the downtime area was an ambitious project, a decision that saw them devote 150 sq m of the club’s 300 sq m space into a chillout zone: “That feeling of space around you is an essential aspect for our community.” | Each night at Клуб is named after a feature of the building. For example, Kisloty (acids) – the flagship night that Tsereteli curates – is influenced by the corrosive pools of acid that were once used in the factory for galvanising metal. It’s an energetic night with techno at a fast 140-plus bpm. “I try and show as many sides to techno as possible – it’s what really inspires me and it’s still evolving. It’s a shorter night – it’s really intense until 6am, then people chill in the downtime area,” explains Tsereteli. “People tend to stay longer on the floor in our other industrial, noise and EDM nights and these are the events that go on past noon.” According to Tsereteli, the downtime area was an ambitious project, a decision that saw them devote 150 sq m of the club’s 300 sq m space into a chillout zone: “That feeling of space around you is an essential aspect for our community.” |
| Клуб’s DIY mentality has brought about a series of unexpected moments, or according to Tsereteli, “benchmarks” that confirm they’re heading in the right direction. “I remember the night everyone undressed and kept dancing topless; I remember the night people carried all of the sofas outside to the sound of Talking Heads’ This Must Be the Place. These little organic moments that can’t be forced keep us motivated. It’s just about creating the right background for them. When people understand what it is you’re trying to say, you’re able to carry on. There’s nothing more rewarding than the support of our people.” | Клуб’s DIY mentality has brought about a series of unexpected moments, or according to Tsereteli, “benchmarks” that confirm they’re heading in the right direction. “I remember the night everyone undressed and kept dancing topless; I remember the night people carried all of the sofas outside to the sound of Talking Heads’ This Must Be the Place. These little organic moments that can’t be forced keep us motivated. It’s just about creating the right background for them. When people understand what it is you’re trying to say, you’re able to carry on. There’s nothing more rewarding than the support of our people.” |
| Клуб’s top five tracks | Клуб’s top five tracks |
| Spokesman – Acid Creak“Copenhagen’s Schacke – our only foreign resident – played this track during his first visit in February. He was the one to bring 140-plus bpm techno to Клуб, which is now an essential part. This track is descriptive of the ‘acid’ series I create.” | |
| Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)“I’m pretty sure that Job Sifre – our “Rust” series guest – told me that this song is strongly associated with the now-closed Trouw in Amsterdam. In Клуб, this song is symbolic of our outside area and the night it spontaneously arose.” | |
| Voodoo & Serano – Blood Is Pumping“We first started playing trance and hard trance at Клуб in April, which was pretty ambitious at the time – everyone around us seemed to have taken nightlife way too seriously. Unfortunately, we quickly grew tired of trance and it disappeared from the venue.” | |
| Zemfira – Прогулка (A Walk)“This is one of our smoking room gems. It’s is an odd mixture of a house-party-style dancefloor, a massive hangout space, the toilet queue and of course, a smoking room. I can’t remember a single night at which this song wasn’t played there.” | |
| Boris S – Pussy Ride“I realise that this may seem a bit over the top, but this was one of the tracks I played the night we closed Gostinaya – my all-time favourite dance floor – in June. This historic moment is captured on video on our Instagram, despite the fact that we don’t welcome iPhone content.” | |
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