Destelbergen · Belgium

BoccaccioLife

Beside a pond in Destelbergen, near Ghent, stood a club that became the beating heart of new beat and house in the late 1980s. Visitors came from Belgium and abroad, and the weekend there ran from Friday to Monday.

Timeline

1. 1963Ghent entrepreneur Robert De Maesschalck enters nightlife with the Balmoral in Ghent.
2. Early 1970sHe buys an estate with a villa and pond in Destelbergen. The villa, styled like a ship, becomes the Boccaccio disco, playing disco, soul and funk; well-known DJs were Dick Van Gelder and Phill Watts.
3. 1986–1987Facing competition from the nearby Carrera, the club is renewed with new light and sound and renamed Boccaccio Life International.
4. 1987–1990The golden years: Boccaccio becomes a mega-club and the cradle of new beat, drawing up to about 2,000 people.
5. 1991After drug problems, the club has to respect a 5 a.m. closing time.
6. 1993After raids and a judicial investigation, Boccaccio closes for good.
7. 2000–2018The building lives on as The Temple, Riva and BOCCA. BOCCA closes on 26 April 2018, followed by a farewell party in September 2018.
8. 2024–2025Demolition starts in January 2024. In early 2025 the Fit Out padel club opens on the site, with a bar called Boccadel as a nod to the past.

DJs and sound

New beat was slow and bass-heavy. It grew out of DJs slowing records down. The best-known example: DJ Marc Grouls played the 45 rpm maxi single Flesh by A Split-Second at 33⅓ rpm in Boccaccio, with the pitch at +8.

Well-known DJs from 1986–1993 include Olivier Pieters, Eric B., Mike Thompson, Mario, Laurent Warin and Phi Phi. Olivier Pieters was known above all for his heavy Sunday new beat sets.

Watch & listen to Boccaccio Life

Mike Thompson at Boccaccio, Destelbergen, 1997.

Original Boccaccio mix from March 1991, side A and side B:

More live sets from Boccaccio, in one playlist:

This is what the inside of Boccaccio Life looked like:

The real story behind the closure of Boccaccio (Red Bull Elektropedia, in Dutch):

Legacy

Boccaccio is often named alongside the Haçienda in Manchester as one of the founding clubs of European dance music. It was regarded as the first mega-club in Flanders and inspired later venues such as the Zillion in Antwerp. The name lives on in stories, farewell parties and the bar on the site where the club stood.

Sources

• Wikipedia (NL): BOCCA
• Wikipédia (FR): Boccaccio Life Destelbergen
• De Morgen (2018): Na zaterdag gaat de legendarische club Boccaccio echt tegen de vlakte
• Red Bull Elektropedia (2018): interview Danny De Maesschalck
• HLN (2024): Legendarische danstempel Boccaccio gaat tegen de grond
• HLN (2025): Padelclub Fit Out op de plek van Boccaccio
• VRT Radio 2 (9 januari 2024): Boccaccio wordt afgebroken

Where sources disagree (such as the opening year), the most cautious reading was used.