The Guardian: “Clubbers, forget London and Berlin – the place to dance is eastern Europe“

If you are looking to reclaim the vibrant clubbing scene slowly eroding in Western European capitals you should check out the rise of nightclub culture in places like Georgia's capital Tbilisi, writes Arthur House for The Guardian.

As deputy editor of The Calvert Journal, an online magazine focusing on Russian and east European contemporary culture, House is well-placed to share his impressions of underground clubbing from Warsaw, Poland to Moscow, Russia.

In his article for the British newspaper, House notes the resemblance of clubs in Tbilisi to the heyday of clubbing in Western European cities like Berlin, Germany.

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is home to the closest thing to Berghain you can find outside Berlin […] As Paata Sabelashvili, a prominent Georgian LGBT and drug policy campaigner said in the taxi on the way to Bassiani, young people "need” these clubs more than they do in the west," writes House.

In contrast to the closing down of clubs in cities like London due to rising rent prices, popular rave venues in Georgia's capital are emerging, bringing with it an atmosphere of positivity among ravers visiting another late-night club Mtkvarze.

At Tbilisi’s Mtkvarze, a Soviet-era fish restaurant-turned-nightclub overhanging the river, it is not just about the venue and music: there is a real sense from the crowds that this is a new and exciting scene, something positive and long overdue."

Noting the attraction of these locations for leading international DJs, the author urges electronic music enthusiasts to taste the new spirit of the underground culture "in the new east".

Read the full article here: www.theguardian.com