Riddarholmen nightclub Celezte only opened up for the first time last summer, but people haven’t stopped talking about it since. Now club concept chiefs Amelie Dahlbäck and Tora Bolin, along with their team of helpers with vast experience in the Stockholm club scene, have returned for round two.
So this is the second year of Celezte. Do you therefore approach it differently to the club’s debut year? Are you more nervous, or more excited about building on last year and moving the club forward?
Tora: I think we’re more excited about this year. We’re going to have more live gigs, with more local and international artists. So we’re nervous in a way, because last year was our first try. We were pretty new with regards to what we were doing in the constellation of people [that we worked with], and it’s always easier to throw yourself into something when you don’t really know how it’s going to turn out, because if it goes wrong you can always blame the fact that it’s the first year and you don’t know what you’re doing! So we’re trying to keep that approach, the beginner’s luck, and not overthink everything too much. To keep that creativity and fun in the approach. The four of us working together, Amelie and I, as well as Vendela Lundberg and Sofia Neves who we work together with on booking, get on well, and it just feels like what we were doing last year has expanded and grown bigger this year.
I was wondering, apart from the standard bar-dancefloor set of every nightclub, what extra attractions does Celezte have to offer its visitors?
T: We have cinema, the Cinema Celezte, where we’ll be showing different movies, short movies, music videos and more. We’ll have things like panel discussions. I think Celezte is different from other clubs because we also have a lot of surprises. We’ll have different live things happening outside, different cubby holes and grottos people can explore. A lot of things will be constantly changing over the course of the season. So even we don’t know what’s going to happen in two months. Maybe there’ll be something new hanging in the hallway or something.
Amelie: An organic nightclub, that grows from week to week.
T: And also we keep in mind what makes a great party. Instead of just booking one big DJ, or focussing on one thing, we try to build an entire atmosphere.
In your press material you talk a lot about the importance of having fun above everything. Do you see Celezte as a response to clubs that take themselves a little too seriously, and seem to have forgotten that the point of a nightclub is to loosen up and enjoy yourself?
T: Yeah! We place a lot of importance on just having fun, and if you want to run around, or be a bit drunk, or meet some new friends, or hook up with someone, then why not? Those of us who work with the club met because we like going out a lot, and it’s fun to be able to work with people who really enjoy nightclubbing!
Celezte has an incredible diversity of musical styles and musical genres in the music that’s played at the club, you’ve got everything from hip–hop to electronica and back again. So is that also a big part of the club, to have a huge range of music on offer?
T: We think it’s fun to combine people that do great stuff. If you’re at a club that, for example, does only techno, then maybe you miss out on something else. So I think it’s fun to be able to combine things, but we also think about it and what goes well together. We have to be careful and not just throw everything in.
A: I know we’re not for everyone, but if you come to Celezte and don’t know what’s happening that night, you should be able to find something you like, because there’s such a wide range of stuff happening.
Yeah, and it’s nice to be able to listen to different styles on the same night. So you can listen to hip–hop, and then listen to techno, and just move around.
A: Yeah, and then you can go up to the cinema, or walk into a screening of something, or whatever.
And one final question, is there any one song in particular you’re looking forward to hearing on the dancefloor this summer?
T: We have a producer and DJ coming, Tomasa Del Real, and we’re super excited she’s coming. She’s going to duet with Gonzalo Vargas, who works with us and operates under the name Talisto. She’s become really big in South America and the States, and she’s got a tour coming up in Europe. So she’s going to play in July. We can’t wait for her to come and play live with Talisto, and for them to do their duet ‘Tu Señora‘. That’s something we’re looking forward to!
For more info check out Celezte’s Facebook page.
Words: Austin Maloney
