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Following the stunning 50+ hours of anniversary celebration in Zurich back in September, in which Supermarket was hosting absolute performances from Ricardo Villalobos, RPR Soundsystem, Ion Ludwig alongside their local talents, this celebration kept on rolling on 11.11.23 in Valencia, Spain, and it was under good cares with the serious rhythms from Cezar, Alex Font, Aline and SeGü.
Before detailing further this genuinely special event, let’s get back at these 25 years of Supermarket, where it’s coming from and how it became one of the most renowned clubs worldwide – and also why it was the best choice to celebrate this birthday in Valencia with the dazzling ACMÉ crew.
Supermarket is definitely the place to go nowadays if ever you’re around Zurich and want to party rightfully, however did you know it was formerly opened in a garage back in 1998? Welcoming the most special talents and spreading further the electronic musical genre in Switzerland ever since its beginning, this peculiar club conducted by Sandro Bohnenlust has steadily evolved over time into one of the most professional venues, offering one of the cleanest sound in the world, so let’s rewind on these 25 years of musical operations.
With this long time of activity, it’s very interesting to dig at information related since the most part of websites referencing events have been created afterwards, like Resident Advisor for example that has been founded in Sydney, Australia back in 2001, at this time as a website getting together data relating to the Australian dance music scene. Basically the oldest trace of events from Supermarket I found on the Internet is from 2006 and.. it’s on RA! This is actually correlating with the moment it has incorporated as a company in the UK, and started to provide services to promoters to sell their event tickets – so let’s start from 2006.
Actually, let’s start by sharing an anecdote from before RA’s launch, back in 2001, as this is the very first time Ricardo Villalobos came to play at Supermarket, this was something I couldn’t get the track of without the help of its unique conductor Sandro, as it’s doubtlessly from a period wholly different both in terms of communication and promotion. So back in 2001 he played there for the first time, and so this makes me think that Ricardo Villalobos always been a kind of gate opener for his fellow performers since forever.
Back in 2006, just a few years following its opening, artists like Cassy, Kalabrese and Luciano were part of the first ones to step foot at Supermarket to play their vinyl, but also artists who were skyrocketing at that time such as Stephan Bodzin, Digitaline, Martin Landsky or Trentemoller just to name a few. Because Supermarket has always been focusing on the quality of its events, whether it is through the atmosphere, the acoustic or the materials, many artists followed and came to perform in Zurich, as the very first time for many of them, including non exhaustively Bruno Pronsato, Kerri Chandler, Jorge Savoretti, Mathew Jonson, Sammy Dee, tINI, Dan Ghenacia, Andrey Pushkarev, Livio & Roby, Solomun or Loco Dice – making their debuts internationally by this time, they all now are the old school reference guys!
From 2010, as the club was already more than a decade old, Sandro got to invite more artists shaping the electronic scene in his music sanctuary, considering that the evolution of parties was definitely not the same as it is today, they’ve been able to create border less friendships by means of intimate events for people connected through their passion for music, naturally leading the Supermarket to become a true reference in electronic music not only in Zurich, but also with international echo.
Over time, always more artists joined in the Supermarket family – while parties also started to be slightly more democratized in Europe – from Jan Krueger to Moodyman, swinging by Chez Damier, Cesar Merveille, Dana Ruh, Dj W!ld, Nicola Kazimir, Nima Gorji, Tobi Neumann, as well as Davide Squillace, Dandy Jack, Dyed Soundorom, Gel Abril – now known as Brizman – Ion Ludwig or Rhadoo, and here again, this is a non exhaustive list..!
By 2015, a new wave of residents has been taking place at Supermarket, starting with Alci who flowered a lot over the years and now plays regularly in many countries, as well as James McHale who launched his own label a few years later, which not only shows in what kind of safe place they’ve been evolving, leading to become their better selves, but also how Sandro has been pushing newer talents to bloom at their best.
The following year – in 2016 – Supermarket kept on welcoming more striking talents from abroad – and here the list goes even longer – such as Archie Hamilton, Apollonia, Cezar, Charlie, Cosmjn, Cristi Cons, Diego Krause, Enzo Siragusa, Ferro, Franco Cinelli, Fumiya Tanaka, Janina, Lizz, Lowris, Magda, Margaret Dygas, Mariano Mateljan, Mihigh, Olga Korol, Petre Inspirescu, Praslea, Priku, Raresh, Silat Beksi, Sonja Moonear, Sublee, Thomas Melchior, Vincentiulian and so much more. Up to today, this place is basically hosting the most stunning performers around, and I had the chance to discover the Supermarket gorgeous team back in summer 2020 as Alex Font was playing there for the first time – watch here – Alex just rocked it a l l n i g h t l o n g
Aside of these always unmatched performances, at Supermarket you will experience the highest analog audio and infrastructure aesthetics enabling you to immerse yourself in a world of sound quality and visual beauty, rendering a peculiar atmosphere that will enchant all of your senses. Indeed, the Supermarket attaches great importance to the best technology, not just in terms of technology but also in the holistic interaction of technology and space : this meticulous detail-oriented behavior led Sandro to use the best materials possible only within his singular club.
Supporting new waves of event promoters from Zurich as a matter of principle in order to keep the scene evolving with new talents, Sandro has been seeing bloom the very solid partymakers from Under The Tree, regularly featuring some of the coolest events in town, but also by welcoming ones from abroad just like Playedby from Bucharest, hosting their first showcase in Zurich back in April 2022 – there was actually an Under The Tree party the day right before the Playedby one, in just a weekend, this is not less than Cezar b2b Praslea, G76, Alci, Cristi, Aline, Aron and Romano Corsini who delivered crazy sets onto the stunning visuals projected there, I attended both nights and everything was ultimate.
During the first weekend of September 2023, Supermarket was therefore celebrating its 25th birthday, and because two celebrations are better than one, they flew down south in Valencia alongside the ACMÉ mesmerizing team, and they obviously brought with them their infamous Varia mixer as well as their best visual maker, Romano Corsini, while music wise as mentioned above, Cezar would be in charge together with Aline, Alex Font and SeGu.
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, it’s known for its refined culture and rich history, while it’s also a heaven for techno music lovers since this city is a prominent techno music hub. Moreover, besides Valencia huge cultural history, being respectful to local customs is a part of enjoying the nightlife in Valencia, this basically means you will get to meet only amazingly educated people in the crowd who are gathering together to enjoy music performances in the relevant manner – just like at Supermarket 👌🏻
Many historical clubs have been shaping this city’s awe-inspiring partying behaviors over the last decades, such as Barracca opened back in 1965 and formerly hosting traditional Spanish music, it turned out to become a true reference as a Techno venue, just like Agora and Miniclub where you can find a powerful sound system, nevertheless I would personally say that the ACMÉ parties are definitely the ones to go to whenever in Valencia, Spain.
Before the party opening by 5pm, we had the pleasure to lunch at Casa Carmella – discover more – a true institution in the city as it opened more than 100 years ago, where the amazing staff is offering one of if not the best paellas in Valencia – it feels like everyone is doing the best paellas there though as I’ve only been treated with delicious ones since day zero, especially the homemade ones from Alex Font and his friends.
This particular occasion was obviously to happen in a one-of-a-kind of a location, and this is why this 25 years celebration took place in the most emblematic venue of Valencia right by the sea : Veles e Vents.
Veles e Vents is a structure designed and built by David Chipperfield in 2006, located at the epicenter of Valencia Marina, where you will find some of the most refined seafood and gastronomic places in front of one of the most stunning seaview around, and if you go up to one of their floors, you’ll find your way to parties aiming to highlight the local scene and international talents. By entering the Veles e Vents venue, you’re traveling within Valencia cultural heritage, as the name Veles e Vents is coming from a poem by Ausiàs March (1400 – 1459), a Spanish medieval poet and knight who is considered as one of the most important poets of the Golden Century. On the other hand, this place was selected because of his good weather and constants winds for the 32nd America’s Cup happening in 2007, and has won numerous architecture awards ever since.
The very first time I went to Veles e Vents, it was for the soundcheck of an ACMÉ party back in July 2022 (where I had the chance to discover the solid grooves of Fran Campos) and the architecture of this place doubtlessly left me speechless – see below how mind-blowing it is.
This incredible place has already welcomed the dazzling rhythms from Barac, Guy From Downstairs, Nils Weimann, Paul K, Piticu, Sammy Dee, Silat Beksi and Vadim Oslov through ACMÉ events, and this is now turn to the Cezar and the Supermarket crew musically represented by Aline to join in Alex Font remarkable team.
Alex Font is not only the most amazing tour city guide when it comes to provide the full Valencia experience, he’s also the best in finding the right venues to welcome his friends from abroad to perform in his hometown.
Not to be introduced anymore, Cezar is a true pioneer from the Romanian scene and well accustomed from Supermarket club, he’s as much a mastermind when it comes to perform as a magician for music production duties. Running Understand label since 2011 on which he released his most special frequencies, he made very few appearances on other labels but for the very best, such as on Amphia and Algorhythmofunknown, and he’s been bringing his mesmerizing sounds to Valencia for Supermarket 25Y showcase.
Shaping one-of-a-kind of performances each and every time by matching together his love for old school grooves, futuristic techniques and latin rhythms, Alex Font is as impressive as a performer as by running his ACMÉ project, through which he’s welcoming the grooves from both international and local talents since 2015 in his very home city, not only hosting them to perform but also showing them the beautiful areas and delicious foods of Valencia : he’s delivering the true experience. Alex is a gem of a human-being and a master of music selection, who delivers his heart through each one of his appearances, and this 11.11 day was no exception.
Aline is the first lady ever hosted at an ACMÉ gathering and as it was about time, it is the most properly with her, as she’s a rising talent from Switzerland who is developing her style through refinedly sophisticated performances and stunning productions for years, shaping her music signature by combining simplicity and complexity to create a singular symbiotic soundscape. She’s part of Les Enfants Terribles for years where she regularly tries out her productions through her residency, she also runs a music media called ubwg, she has the sweetest soul ever and she’s such a cool discovery both human and music wise.
ACMÉ longtime resident and friend, SeGü is a local talent who has a peculiar sense for vinyl digging for more than 10 years, he’s the right hand of Alex Font for every situations and he’s always thoroughly opening the ACMÉ nights through his classy selections and highly precise mixing techniques.
On November 11th was therefore happening this very special celebration, magnified through the musical perspectives of Cezar, Alex Font, Aline and SeGü, while enhanced with cerebral visuals mastered by Romano Corsini.
ACMÉ resident SeGü was in charge of opening this evening, and he was having his usual joyful energy and his most tasteful selection ready in order to prepare everyone’s ears with his minimalistic grooves to the musical delicacies to be coming right after him.
As the room was properly warmed up, courtesy of SeGü, Aline went in and got the room straightforward absorbed by her subtle yet punctilious rhythms, matching together raw frequencies to danceful basslines, she’s literally been Queening all along her performance.
Alex Font is always the gift of the night, being a huge instrumentalist and musician aside of a masterful music producer, he’s always trying out new ideas within his performances, combining altogether his monumental music library, modern techniques and his serious mixing skills, he’s absolutely creating unparalleled vibes though his solidly cutting-edge selection.
He recently launched MINIMALER Factory label – read more – with true elegance delivering six brilliant original creations reinterpreted by Alexis Cabrera, Dubtil and Franco Cinelli – available here.
As the night was ongoing in such a delightful energy, Cezar took place by the booth to spread his magic, he started to build a deeply distinctive atmosphere through his incomparable musical signature, introducing in a sophisticated manner his 3+ hours of performance, from roaring basslines to wizard-like cerebralish melodiousness, this was bombastic from A to Z, no to mention that the closing was something truly beyond!
– I also feel like he could have easily played an extra 3/4 hours
The most beautiful thing in Valencia is that you get to meet the most beautiful souls every single time, people there are just the nicest ever, and obviously la crème de la crème (as we say it in French) this is Alex Font and his impressive ACMÉ team.
They are actually already baking the next one which is gonna be happening in December, the date and line up are about to be announced soon and I can already tell this is a party you don’t want to miss!
I started to share some MINIMALER tips about tracks in the Ricardo Villalobos article review about Alcachofa – available here – and I eel like the same can be done when it comes to events, therefore here is a little highlight of where Cezar, Alex Font and Aline are expected to be wrapping up this 2023 year.
As a tips, you just have to click on the event promoter to reach out to the tickets if ever this is of interest – sharing is caring ♡
12.09 HOME 12h Winter Special – London, UK
12.31 Nook NYE 2024 – Bucharest, Romania
