Time.news “It’s back”
Organizers, DJs, establishment managers, night owls, observers… Every Wednesday, “Libé” gives voice to those who live for and through the night. Today, the co-founder and co-organizer of the Darude evenings.
Make the night his job. During his first club nights, ten years ago in Paris, Romaric Gouali, 31 today, did not think about it yet. But the co-founder, with Karl Dié and Alexia Petit, of Darude – named after a Finnish DJ from the 90s –, an offbeat kistch eurodance evening created at the end of 2018 after a karaoke at a free party in Amsterdam, has already feverish desire to organize his own parties with his friends. “We went to clubs to see artists we loved and we were sometimes disappointed with their sets and the evening, so we said to ourselves: “why not get into the mix and create our own? ” says the promoter born in Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine). Also at the origin of the Belair Sounds collective, known for his hybrid and demanding DJ sets, the entrepreneur first worked on the benches of the Sorbonne, then sold clothes in shops, before embarking on the business of night five years ago. His activity includes a booking agency and more recently a label, Tekno Kawaii.
Your definition of night
“In Europe, the party usually happens at night, so the party and the night are linked. I would say that it is primarily a way to free yourself and celebrate with friends. It is also a way to reveal our true self without the constraints of society. But making a living out of it is quite difficult. At first, we tell ourselves that it’s for leisure because it’s a fairly ephemeral world and you always have to reinvent yourself. There is also this idea that, since it belongs to the culture, it does not pay off. And if I have the chance to get paid, you have to be resilient.”
Your first trip
“It was at the Mix Club [l’une des plus grosses boîtes de nuit de Paris, dans le quartier Montparnasse, ndlr], in 2007, during the tektonik era. I followed without conviction some friends who told me that it was going to be cool and I failed… [rires]. After that, I went back to clubs, but I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable there, paying for my bottle and ending up with a SoonNight photo. The first evening that counted must have been in September 2012, at the Social Club [rue Montmartre dans le IIe arrondissement, devenu le Sacré en 2019, ndlr]. It was the only club where I could see the artists of the Roche Musique label that I wanted. I even left my group of friends to listen to them, alone, right in front of the stage. There was a real closeness. That’s how the people from the label recognized us afterwards because I was always hanging out in front.”
Ta BO
“It would be a mix of the Prodigy album, The Fat of The Land with Take this to your Grave from Fall Out Boy. We’re on a very energetic breakbeat album with multiple influences and supercharged skater pop punk with emo influences, it has nothing to do with the Darude, but it’s punchy enough to let go. I like this idea of the no limit and without barrier in the music.
your object
“Speed goggles. When I go out at night and party, it is the object that allows me to be my true self, even if in the eyes of society I am another person. It’s like a superhero costume.”
Previously in “It’s back”
your next weekend
“Saturday, I will be at the Darude, at the Machine du Moulin rouge [club accolé au cabaret du quartier Pigalle, dans le XVIIIe arrondissement, ndlr]. It’s our first party of the year and it’s already sold out. It’s a friendly party, like an evening in an apartment, but in a club. We play happy music, eurodance and trance happy and full of love. Moreover, we have an MC who communicates with the public and we also try to convey a lot of messages of kindness. It’s not a fancy dress party, but with an interest in a 2000s aesthetic. This time it’s Valentine’s Day themed, but for single souls who want to dance with friends. We like to take things the wrong way.”