8 Fragrances, 8 Discothèques.
The disco of the ‘70s and early ‘80s was more than just a dance floor. It was a way of life. A place where misfits and elites, icons and wallflowers could all come together for the love of music. It was inclusive exclusivity, the dance floor the great equalizer. One night could be legendary. One moment euphoric. One underground club could spawn genres and define an era. It was a place that could make a generation while the DJ played their anthem.
Our candles are designed to give you a little piece of those legendary parties, those cult-favourite clubs, those nights to remember. The feeling is in the fragrance. Each candle is designed to evoke that pure, deep bliss of the dance floor in colours as layered and vibrant as the disco that inspired it.
The Discothèque: Chez Castel
PARIS, FRANCE
1969 - PRESENT
“J’aime les filles, de chez Castel,” sang Jacques Dutronc in 1983, paying homage to the private club Jean Castel set up and eponymously named.
Originally a convenience store in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the labyrinthine bar was set over three floors and filled with free-flowing champagne. Internationally renowned for witnessing the best of the ‘60s and the ‘70s in Paris.
The mythical institution has seen the crème de la crème of the Parisian cultural scene, frequented by icons such as Salvador Dali, Mick Jagger, Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Pierre Cassel.
CHEZ CASTEL
£54, 220G CANDLE
The blink of a Godardian eyelash, the pages of Proust, smoky curls of incense, the spark of a lemon drop cocktail, Parisian tongues and art deco jade, amber flames crackling to the sound of spilled champagne.
The Discothèque: Paradise Garage
NEW YORK CITY, USA
1978 - 1987
"The Paradise Garage was like church. People who came from all over the tristate area and beyond to spend the weekend at the Garage. That was the congregation, and Larry was the minister. He was preaching through his records. You always knew what type of mood Larry was in depending on what he played. If he was pissed at somebody he'd send them a message through whatever it was he was playing. And if he was feeling good, people knew he was feeling good. He was the Pied Piper. Nobody did it better.”
— BERNARD FOWLER
PARADISE GARAGE
£54, 220G CANDLE
Mouthfuls of purple rain, a taste of blackcurrant and honey, a blooming orange blossom, rapture in an 8-track, that sacred second between songs, violet and amber lights, a cyclone on the dance floor.
The Discothèque: Mudd Club
NEW YORK CITY, USA
1978 - 1983
“If you started saying, ‘How long do we have to wait?’ that was a strike against you. If you said, ‘Is there a line?’ that was a strike against you. If you said to me, God forbid, ‘Studio 54 lets us in,’ that was the kiss of death.
“A teenage Basquiat going wild on the dance floor, Jeff Koons approaching the door as a still-unknown. Jim Jarmusch pressed against the wall nursing a beer and Mapplethorpe flaunting full leather, straddling the edges of notoriety and fame.
“There were no rules and no grand plan: the vibe was anything goes.”
— RICHARD BOCH, MUDD CLUB’S DOORMAN
MUDD CLUB
£54, 220G CANDLE
A warm fever pitch, swirling vanilla clouds, a peach-flavoured cocktail, the balmy breeze of paradise, a Maplethorpe flower, elegant, depraved and frozen in time, a night that you don’t want to end.
The Discothèque: Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s
LONDON, ENGLAND
1959 - PRESENT
Upstairs at Ronnie’s, or Ronnie Scott’s, was started in 1959 in the heart of Soho by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. The club is known for being one of the most historic jazz clubs in the world and was the first to have primarily Black artists take the stage.
Scott regularly acted as the club's Master of Ceremonies, and was known for his repertoire of jokes and one-liners. Bringing New Orlean’s jazz to London and capturing some of the ’50s speakeasy spirit, the club epitomized prestige, class and sophistication.
Jimi Hendrix's last public performance was at Ronnie Scott's, in 1970.
UPSTAIRS
£54, 220G CANDLE
Soft pink lipstick shimmering through raindrops, a hint of freesia in the air on fresh wet pavement, the sound of jazz piano, warmth with a faint scent of clove, a burning voice that croons what have you done to my heart?
The Discothèque: Crisco Disco
NEW YORK CITY, USA
1975 - 1985 (APPROX.)
Crisco Disco was an important gay club that opened in a multi-floor converted warehouse in the Meatpacking District. But its most recognizable architectural feature was inside: a mock giant can of Crisco that served as the DJ booth. The club didn’t have a liquor license, so you had to buy tickets which you could exchange for drinks, or you could BYOB (if you knew the right people).
When Crisco Disco closed in the ‘80s, the warehouse that housed it sat unoccupied for over 30 years until it was bought and turned into a restaurant.
CRISCO DISCO
£54, 220G CANDLE
Whipped cream foam, a suede jacket, the scent of cedar, blood orange, the lyrics burn baby burn as your heart floats in a fluffy vanilla sky, the night you fall in love in the Meatpacking District.
The Discothèque: The Haçienda
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
1982 - 1997
“A lot of people thought the Hacienda was a bit of a weirdo club. Other clubs had a dress code, but in there you could do absolutely whatever you wanted, dress exactly how you wanted. It was like a utopia for us. We felt at home.”
— BEZ (PERCUSSIONIST, DANCER, HAPPY MONDAYS)
HACIENDA
£54, 220G CANDLE
A warm shock to the system, honey-colored light, a red-apple heart with an electric synth beat, violet eyes, a utopia for misfits, for wallflowers to bloom, almond tree blossoms on a crisp autumn night.
The Discothèque: Le Baron de Paris, Tokyo
TOKYO, JAPAN
2006 - 2015
The most recent of the lot, Tokyo’s exclusive nightclub was opened following the success of the legendary Le Baron Paris.
Like its predecessor, Le Baron De Paris became known for attracting socialites, celebrities and even royalty... if they could find it. It was hidden down an alley in Aoyama, only recognizable by a small neon ‘B’ at the entrance. Inside, you were met with a moody velvet interior and a tiny dance floor that everyone would manage to fit on. The night started here around 1 AM and if you were lucky, you’d sneak in some karaoke songs in one of the secret rooms.
LE BARON DE PARIS, TOKYO
£54, 220G CANDLE
A siren’s song in sapphire waters, a fresh sprig of jasmine growing through a crack in blue asphalt, spinning happy flowers of a Murakami kaleidoscope, unfolding and opening to you like tuberose in spring.
The Discothèque: Milk!
MANNHEIM, GERMANY
1990 - 1993
“Although it only lasted three years, Mannheim’s Milk! Club established a legacy that lasts to this day.
“When it opened in 1990, its genres of choice were still a joyous, chaotic mass of many different sounds ... but soon most German clubbers started stomping to a techno beat, while a fiercely loyal crowd, known as the notorious “Milk! Posse”, liked their beats broken, their bass heavy, their pianos anthemic and their hands in the air. Thus the club embarked on a mission that laid the foundation for drum & bass and other breakbeat styles in Germany.”
— FINN JOHANNSEN, FOR AN ELECTRONIC BEATS COLUMN
MILK!
£54, 220G CANDLE
A lush jungle of sound, tense snares, hot skin, leather, hard white strobes, obsidian cliffs, knotted trunks of juniper, a dense forest floor, dancing between trees as the sun sears the horizon and paints a tangerine sky.