Nicolas Matar
The impresario behind New York’s Cielo slides into Air with a fresh mix

Courtesy of Air

At a time when New York’s clubs were facing pressure from the police and/or devolving into rampant commercialism (sound familiar?), Nicolas Matar decided to give up his residency at world-renowned Pacha in Ibiza and return to the city to open a new nightclub.

Five years on, the Lebanese-born DJ’s decision to create Cielo has been proven spot-on. The venue regularly hosts the likes of Francois K and Richie Hawtin, and is known as a clubber’s club, with an intimate vibe, heavyweight sound system, and innovative music policy that’s still grounded in the New York deep house tradition.

Matar’s commitment to house music reaches back into his childhood—his father was an original member of the infamous New York club Studio 54. “Dad was a hobbyist DJ who had an incredible collection of disco, funk and soul records,” he recalls. “I grew up with a mini club in my basement. My parents used it to entertain their friends with my Dad behind the decks.”

Matar brings Cielo’s fifth anniversary celebrations to Air with a new Japan-only mix CD in hand. The smooth segues and subtle build-ups of Azul, released on Japanese DJ Studio Apartment’s Apt. International label, don’t give it up early, but instead establish an air of restrained anticipation and mystery. The tracklisting runs from storied house producers like Teddy Douglas to less well-known units such as Halo & Kemal.

In a recent interview, Matar reflected on five years of Cielo. “Thankfully, business is very good, the main factor being that electronic music has moved to smaller rooms,” he said. “People who used to hang out in larger clubs when they were younger in the heyday of club culture in New York City… they still like to go out and dance, but then want to do so in a smaller, more intimate setting. We’ve captured that scene of DJ-driven electronic music. By being open nightly, bringing DJs from around the world, we’ve featured more new talent than any other venue in North America in the last five years.”

With Japanese who experienced the ’90s dance explosion aging and the youth population imploding, Japanese club impresarios could do well by taking a page out of Matar’s playbook. The passing of Velfarre and Yellow in the last two years means that Tokyo’s last big box clubs, Womb and Ageha, have their work cut out for them.

Cielo Live in Tokyo Azul Release Party@Air, June 28. See club listings for details.

Got something to say about this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

Listen to the Metropolis Podcast, the coolest guide to what goes on this week in Tokyo.

Looking for international friends? Check Japan, Inc. Friends now - it's 100% free!