Surely you know the Razzmatazz (the razz), and, surely, you have gone on more than one occasion and have left the labyrinth to end the night among the industrial buildings of Poblenou. But what you may not know is that Razzmatazz was another room before being Razzmatazz, one that was also key in the Barcelona nightlife for thirty years.
We are talking about Zeleste, a venue that was a cultural reference in the city for thirty years before becoming Razzmatazz, and that now, has received its deserved tribute with the documentary “Zeleste: the memory of so many occasions”, which was presented yesterday at the music documentary festival In-edit.
The concert hall under the cathedral of the sea
Directed by Albert de la Torre, the film, prepared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the hall, pays tribute to Zeleste, the venue that opened its doors in 1973 in Argenteria street, in the heart of the Borne, a stone’s throw from Santa Maria del Mar, and became a cultural reference in the city for decades.
The venue was a myth in the city, a “galactic cabaret” that became an epicenter of live music and welcomed the counterculture of the last years of Franco’s regime and the first years of democracy, under the label of “Laietano rock” that would later become a promoter, record label and music school until its move to Poblenou and final dissolution.
The documentary combines archival footage from the period with interviews with key figures who were part of Zeleste’s history. Among the protagonists who share their memories are renowned artists of the time such as Jaume Sisa, Gato Pérez, Mario Gas, Manel Joseph and Sílvia Gubern.
However, the documentary, prepared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the theater, lacks important voices such as Victor Jou, one of the founders of the theater, who died during the filming of the documentary itself, or Martí Font and Rafel Moll, co-driver of the project with De la Torre and Jou.
The documentary was screened at In-Edit, and, for the moment, there are no future screenings planned.