Photo by Monika Witkoska
Tommy Gavin vents his obsession with the Goulash Disko, a monthly night of Balkan Beats in the Twisted Pepper
The Goulash Disko is an oasis in the desert of Dublin nightlife. Oh sure, there are good nights to be had in the interim few weeks before the next one and after the last, but this Balkans themed celebration in the Twisted Pepper provides hope. It asks the question; “what do you want out of a club night?” and responds to any answer with “but wouldn’t you rather have a party? Come to me, ye who are weary of the monotony of the same music in the same clubs, and I will give you Balkan beats.”
The music is, more than anything though, a premise, or better yet; an excuse. What makes it memorable and what brings people back is the sense of camaraderie encouraged by Iva and Yves who run the night, whether by the insistence that people dance on stage, the free food prepared by Iva, or the free rakia (fruit liquor) that gets passed around. Then there are peculiarities specific to the night, like the smoke machine they had in September, or the Apolonia belly-dancers who are usually there. All this, coupled with the fast paced music (imagine the Borat soundtrack remixed by Fatboy Slim, but faster) gives the Goulash Disko the energy and enthusiasm of a carnival.
So what then are Balkan beats? Officially, Bosnian DJ Robert Soko was the first person to coin the term to describe the kind of music he was playing in his sets in the early 90’s in Berlin.
He defines it as “the mix between electronic dance rhythms and traditional Balkan folk music – marked by asymmetric rhythms, exciting mixtures of Eastern and Western tonal structures and an abundance of energy”. By the end of the 90’s it started spreading and now there are Balkan beats parties in practically every capital city in Europe. Now, it can be seen as being part of a wider trend with other styles like cumbia, kuduro and moombahton getting more popular, and they could all (for the pedantic) be filed under the moniker of global bass.
Robert Soko actually played the Goulash Disko in May, and one of the most impressive things about it is the quality of DJ’s and performers they get in. Beside the godfather of the genre, they’ve had the Belgian Tsiganisation project, DJ Click from France, and the Irish North Strand Kontra Band; who are in themselves part of a little Eastern-European Jewish music scene in Dublin. In keeping with the party ideals of the night, when coming from overseas, the performers will generally stay at Yves’, as comrades rather than employed entertainers.
Started in March by Iva, who is originally from Croatia, to be Ireland’s premier Balkan beats night, the Goulash Disko had its first incarnation in the top floor of the Twisted Pepper. It was so popular though, that they were asked to make it a regular event, and were given the main stage for the subsequent nights. Iva typically researches and invites the bands, as well as preparing mixes and food, while Yves, originally from Belgium, takes care of promotion. Because of this, most of the attendees tend to work for Google, Facebook or Microsoft, partly because so many of their employees tend to be from overseas and are into it, but primarily because Yves’ works at Google. The June Goulash Disko actually reached max capacity and had to turn people away, as word had spread the Mark Zuckerberg was at the last one, after he asked some regional director where the staff went for fun, while here on a weekend visit.
The future of the night is in question though, as Iva has moved back to Croatia and is now only back for the couple days preceding the Goulash Disko, and Yves will be moving away after the one year anniversary of the night in March, for which they are planning a huge party in the Twisted Pepper.
They’re currently talking to people about continuing the work they started, but nothing is decided yet and it won’t be easy to recreate the dynamic or the formula they currently have. They don’t do it for money, but for an eagerness about the event that is reason enough in itself. As Yves told me; “we do it because we like it. It’s all about fun.”
They celebrate their first birthday on Friday the 16th of March, and unless the mantle is passed, it will be the last Goulash Disko.
