The Sound of Boccaccio

5 Minute Read

Music

A new compilation charts the soundtrack to one of Europe’s most pivotal clubs.

Boccaccio is the stuff of legends. An 80’s and 90’s paradise of clubland culture which represented the best of the underground in Ghent. The Belgian venue is fabled and rooted in history – the nights storied and rooted in the very essence of dance music and hedonism.

This month marks the release of a new compilation celebrating the legacy of the venue – it features a prolific soundtrack, the sort which makes you gasp when you assess its prevalence and worth. On there includes tracks from the likes of Blake Baxter, Mr. Fingers, Kevin Saunderson, Frankie Knuckles, Derrick May and a myriad of others.

In celebration of the release we felt it best to hand over the reigns to the pair behind the release – DJ Olivier Pieters and club regular Stefaan Vandenberghe. This is the story of Boccaccio…

Peak time eighties—anything is possible.

Welcome to Boccaccio, Flanders’ first mega-discotheque, a venue unlike anything that came before. Tucked away near the Solariumdreef, nestled between pastoral fishing ponds and a highway that connected it to the rest of the world, it had the allures of a Las Vegas by the Damvallei lake—a place of excess and ambition.

Outside, the Riviera-like red and blue neon glow shimmered against the industrial complex, casting an otherworldly aura over the parking lot. Inside, marble floors and stairs, plush carpets, upholstered seats, and reflective ceilings created a mirrored palace, where flashing lights and endless reflections fused seamlessly with the rhythm of the night. Waiters in sleek uniforms served glass drinks on the dancefloor, while gold, silver, and copper details brimmed brightly next to waterfalls that seemed to flow like liquid light. In this decadence, through the haze of smoke, high-tech multicolor lasers, and pulsing beats, you didn’t just enter a club—you stepped into another world.

“Boccaccio wasn’t just a club; it was a driving force, pushing music, culture, and community to new limits. Its sleek design and shimmering neon lights mirrored the flashy ’80s yuppie scene, yet the music and the crowd looked straight ahead, embracing the future and welcoming everyone, no matter who they were.” — Geert Sermon

Boccaccio was among the first clubs to invest in a multicolor laser system, an audacious and costly innovation that sliced through the darkness, amplifying the futuristic atmosphere. The speakers, meticulously tuned, delivered a sound unlike anything heard before—powerful, immersive, and ahead of its time. The DJ, stationed in a massive 10-meter wide booth, had a direct line to the light jockey, who knew exactly what track was about to drop—creating new ways to captivate the dancefloor. The combination of new electronic sounds so ahead of its time, mesmerizing visuals, and the ecstatic rush of the first ecstasy pills left dancers jaw-dropped.

“Everyone had their own spot in the club. At the top of the winding staircase stood the veterans, watching over the crowd below. This crowd was a family—a vibrant mix of dancers, hairdressers, fashion industry figures, celebrities, and music connoisseurs. Here, everyone could express themselves freely, united in their pursuit of excitement and something new.”

Every Sunday, clubbers from across Belgium made the pilgrimage to Destelbergen, the beating heart of electronic music. The night began gently, as resident DJ Olivier Pieters set the mood, building a hypnotic trance that slowly enveloped the crowd. Stubborn and relentless, Pieters always looked ahead—he didn’t follow trends, he set them, as other music geeks watched closely, eager to spot which tracks he was playing. As the night deepened, Eric ‘Powa B’ Beysens took over—his set darker, deeper, and more intense.

For a few short years, this was the epicenter of Western Europe’s nightlife, drawing clubbers from the UK, Northern France, and Germany, alongside a loyal Belgian crowd. In 1993, the club was forced to shut down abruptly due to growing complaints from the surrounding neighborhood and increasing pressure from authorities regarding drug use. Despite its cultural impact and loyal following, this ultimately led to the end of an era.

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We invited Olivier Pieters and Stefaan Vandenberghe to dissect some of the most important records featured on the compilation…

Buy the release HERE.

Topics

Boccaccio

LISTEN

The Orb - A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix)

“Boccaccio was among the first clubs to invest in a multicolor laser system, an audacious and costly innovation that sliced through the darkness, amplifying the futuristic atmosphere. The speakers, meticulously tuned, delivered a sound unlike anything heard before—powerful, immersive, and ahead of its time. This track used to kick off the first light/laser show of the evening for several months. The vocals still give me goosebumps.”

“The mix of innovative electronic music, hypnotic visuals, and the ecstatic rush of those first ecstasy pills left dancers in awe.”

The Orb - A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix)

“Boccaccio was among the first clubs to invest in a multicolor laser system, an audacious and costly innovation that sliced through the darkness, amplifying the futuristic atmosphere. The speakers, meticulously tuned, delivered a sound unlike anything heard before—powerful, immersive, and ahead of its time. This track used to kick off the first light/laser show of the evening for several months. The vocals still give me goosebumps.”

“The mix of innovative electronic music, hypnotic visuals, and the ecstatic rush of those first ecstasy pills left dancers in awe.”
Pleasure Zone - Fantasy

“Sundays at Boccaccio were truly one of a kind—bringing sounds you couldn’t hear anywhere else. Every Sunday, clubbers from across Belgium and Europe made the pilgrimage to Destelbergen. Everyone had their own spot in the club. At the top of the winding staircase stood the veterans, watching over the crowd below. This crowd was a family—a vibrant mix of dancers, hairdressers, fashion industry figures, celebrities, and music connoisseurs. Here, everyone could express themselves freely, united in their pursuit of excitement and something new.

The night began gently, as I set the mood, building a hypnotic trance that slowly enveloped the crowd. As the night deepened, Eric ‘Powa B’ Beysens took over—his set darker, deeper, and more intense. I still remember these two tracks being played on Sunday nights, in the early morning hours as dawn broke and Monday rolled in. Today, they’ve become true house classics.”
NJOI - Jupiter Re-Dawn

“The DJ was stationed in a massive 10-meter wide booth, and had a direct line to the light jockey, who knew exactly what track was about to drop—creating new ways to captivate the dancefloor. This track sounded incredible in the club. It had a special, captivating spinning effect that gave somewhat of a rollercoaster feeling.”
Simon Sed - Criminal

“For me this is the best UK breakbeat track ever made. I recall playing Simon Sed’s track ‘Criminal’ for months—Sunday after Sunday, as tracks had a longer lifespan back in the days. A haunting yet beautiful house track with a touch of breakbeat that became a personal favorite of this unique era.”
Suburban Knight - The Worlds

“This was a true party starter. For a long time, this dark and twisted 4/4 house track got everyone dancing every week—while other music heads watched closely, eager to figure out what was playing. People first heard it at Boccaccio, and afterwards they’d go to vinyl shops, trying to find the track—sometimes even singing or reenacting it to describe what they were looking for.”