Situated in a central area of Bucharest, Club Guesthouse is probably the ground zero of the Romanian minimal and microhouse in Europe. Starting modest, in a small location “Traian 42”, it opened its doors for a small circle of people that turned the club into a desired place to go out on weekends. Years passed by and the popularity increased, forcing the owners the move into a new location.
If you live in Bucharest and enjoy electronic music you have definitely visited the club.
It all starts on Saturday night by stepping into the queue, under the watch of a winged kangaroo and filled with exhilarated faces, as you are moving forward, the bassline from the interior becomes more consistent and when you finally get in, the immaculate Funktion-One sound is noticeable.
Built in an old fabric factory, it must be one of the most remarkable and antithetic adaptations, from the industrial communist externals to the fluid and salubrious wooden floors and walls. Furthermore, colorful light is projected on the entrance hall floor through the stained glass windows, leading you to the dancefloor. Cozy, familiar, and civilized: these are the features that would describe the crowd best.
Hence, the party starts on Friday or Saturday and it ends, usually, two days later, you never know when guests are coming or leaving, during the night and the day as well. This was made possible by rearranging the rooms that are hosting two different bars, the main room where the dancefloor and the main bar is located and the other room where the artisanal bar is, situated under an acoustic ceiling, which leads to the open-air terrace. Therefore you can just spend your mornings enjoying a freshly squeezed fruit juice or a coffee in a laid-back atmosphere.
Staggering events took place in Club Guesthouse, as it has been the host of numerous Perlon showcases, Sunrise, the Volks, Amphia, Toi Toi Musik, and many more labels and artists. They never skipped a week without massive line-ups, consisting of Romanian and foreign artists, as well. Alternatively to the copious listing, GH additionally enthuse with their residents: Andrei Ciubuc, Dragos Ilici, Dubtil, G76, Herodot, Julian and Pîrvu.
There is no doubt when mentioning that the blend of different factors (sound quality, massive artists, loyal public) has put the club on a high position among various venues around the globe. There is seldom seen such an intricate mixture between the intimacy of the location and F1 crispness, no to mention prominent artists that play for a select crowd.
Obviously, everything has been carefully thought of before creating the setting, this fact that can also be noticed in their staff framing.
On the whole, Club Guesthouse can definitely appropriate the hallmark of being iconic among other electronic music clubs and the place where the Romanian minimal trends are established.
As everybody is different and our perceptions may vary, we have asked different Guesthouse partygoers, artists or representants to lavish a few of their emotions and mindset:
“I am probably a bit suspicious to talk about Guesthouse as it has an enormous representation in my life. Since day one of the club I’ve had fabric AS my base club, I always said that Room One was my psychologist and my sanctuary. I’d been coming over to Guesthouse for many years whilst living in London and one time I said “If I ever moved somewhere away from London, I would definitely come to Bucharest, and they told me, “If you do, you have a desk here”. Years later when I moved to Bucharest, I did have a desk here. I feel very strongly about sound engineering, club programming, acoustics, the crowd at a club, etc. and Guesthouse fulfills every aspect of that. The room acoustics are designed by Herodot’s ‘Unanim Acoustics’, a company that has done many of our best producers’ private studios and beyond.”
Isis Salvaterra, former Media, Communications and PR for Club Guesthouse, and A&R for Toi Toi Musik.
“First and foremost Guesthouse is a community with strong values that guides everything happening around the club and it also possesses a very important place in Bucharest’s electronic music scene. I’ve been around GH for many years now and my first experiences were going to parties there, most of which were absolutely crazy. If you’ve been there at least once, you know why Club Guesthouse is so addictive.I have lots of memories connected with this place. Of course, the most intense moments for me were the ones where I was DJing, playing for the crowd. One of the best moments for me was New Years’ Eve 2019 when I opened the party and played for about 6 hours. That night was absolutely amazing. Another unique experience in the DJ booth was last year’s season-closing, playing alongside Rhadoo and Daniel Bell…this was a moment when one of my dreams came true as they’re two of my favourite artists.”
“Being one of the residents is an honour for me, this community helps me to express myself as an artist in my own way and provides the necessary support to grow and share my passion for music. At the same time, through my own activities, I’m promoting the GH community’s values and paths.
We’ll move to a new home and the story continues…it’s just a new beginning!”
Julian – Club Guesthouse resident DJ
“Guesthouse is not just a club, it’s an experience. And it can be different from one party to another, but it always remains a pleasant one. The world that usually attends the club is super chill and friendly, and many times I evaluated a party based on the number of new friends made that night/day / evening. And the most important thing is that all DJs come with pleasure to play music here. And once inside the club, it’s hard to leave …”
Claudiu – loyal client of Club Guesthouse
“How to sum up the Guesthouse experience? I think it’s the complete experience. The energy one gets when dancing to some of the most carefully selected music, rendered by the means of the best sound system, perfectly tuned, is simply revitalizing. Moreover, I cannot leave out the ambient light and visuals that sync so harmoniously with beats. The acoustic design of the space is the cherry on top, enabling the completion of the musical experience. The Guesthouse dancefloor is addictive, even for the DJ’s. I have seen some complete their sets and start dancing in the crowd. This place has managed to make the Romanian clubbing experience seem very close to an art and who can ever have enough of art?”
Ruxandra – usual Club Guesthouse partygoer
What we thought to be a perfect location, was soon to be gone, nagging the club to search for a new base. The club staff assured that events will take place until the usual season-ending, inviting music lovers to join them for one more party. Optimistic and looking to the future, GH mentions that their third location might be the lucky one.
In other words, this is not the burial of the Club Guesthouse, this is a celebration of a glorious achievement for the music industry, a commemoration of what it might come, gratitude for the effort and time spent creating an ethereal community.
