Cosa Nostra, Gringos, Los Santos, and the many events brought forward by Shift, Badbox, Cubik, Disorder, Squadron and DonDisko amongst others: names that come to mind when referring to the underground electronic dance scene in Malta. Any Maltese who claims to be a follower of this ever-rising style of music, would know that at least one of these names rings a bell.
What are these names? They are titles that symbolise a life-style in a foreign land, that are brought to life on the dance floors of Maltese clubs, some as weekly events in different seasons, others throughout the whole year. While Los Santos and Cosa Nostra are weekly winter events taking place on Saturday and Sunday respectively, and Gringos a weekly outdoor summer event dominating every Sunday in the sizzling calendar months, events by Shift, Badbox, Cubik, Disorder, Squadron and DonDisko and the rest of the collaborators take place throughout the whole year.
It is nightclubs like these merged across the streets of Paceville, Liquid Club, Tattingers and Gianpula’s Marrakech – that have made it possible for electronic dance lovers and party goers to listen to the world’s finest DJs on a weekly basis. So much so, that the grand Cosa Nostra has three international DJs playing every Sunday. Amongst the many DJs that visited these club nights recently, perhaps the most outstanding, as you may already know, were Dixon (listed as world’s no.1 DJ by Resident Advisor), Âme, Tale of Us, Joris Voorn, Guy J, Nina Kraviz, Steve Rachmad, Ben Klock and Gessafelstein.
One may choose to label this scene as a “Celebration of drug culture”, but those who are really into it know that these things are not what it is really all about. The emotion that clubbers describe is a result of the effect underground music has on them. Underground events feature crowds who unite together for one aim, “having fun with the music”.
These events are not to be compared with mainstream places, where the masses choose to hang out with friends, listening to music which they probably know little about, and ultimately end up ranting about different subjects drifting away from the original idea of a “nightclub”. The underground electronic dance scene is for the real music lovers.
By combining the genres of House, Electro and Techno, developing sub-genres such as those of Deep and Progressive, and importing some of the finest underground DJs and producers from all around the world, Malta is proving to be one of the top destinations for any clubber wanting to literally live the underground dance culture.
