News

​Charlotte de Witte's label KNTXT launches new archive dedicated to ‘90s Belgian nightlife

Époque celebrates the history of Belgium clubland with flyers, photographs, and more

Charlotte de Witte’s label KNTXT has curated a brand new archive charting the history of Belgian nightlife through the late ‘80s and ‘90s.

Époque promises to “bootleg, document and pay tribute to Belgian discotheque culture” through photographs, flyers, stories, and other memoirs from Belgium’s clubbing heyday.

“We document Belgium’s nightlife history. We bootleg club memories and aesthetics. We capture the spirit of our discotheque culture,” reads the caption from Epoque’s first Instagram post in April alongside a collection of old photos.

The archive goes live on June 1 after months of teasers and sneak previews - entirely curated by the team behind Charlotte de Witte’s KNTXT.

Read this next: Charlotte de Witte announces collectors box for imprint KNTXT

Led by the team’s curator Michiel Claus, Epoque vouches to research into Belgian club culture and pay homage to the period that laid the foundation for current Belgian club culture.

"This part of our music history is too-little regarded as Belgian heritage,” curator and DJ, Michiel Claus, told RA on the project. In the first instalment, Claus looks into the Lokeren-based club Cherry Moon.

Elsewhere, Époque charts the history of key clubs and venues that helped the club scene to thrive through the ‘80s and ‘90s in Belgium.

Read this next: An online archive is documenting 30 years of dance music history

The archive is set to feature merchandise and club wear with homage to the period curated by Belgian designer Otis Verhoeve. The team behind Époque will also put together playlists based around the aesthetics of each documented club or label.

In December, Charlotte de Witte announced a new collector’s box to celebrate two years of KNTXT. The box featured a range of releases from the label’s sophomore year, including a limited edition version of de Witte’s ‘Formula’ EP.

Find out more about Époque here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter