Welcome, DUQO – frohfroh – electronic music from leipzig

Good news for Leipzig: DUQO opens on May 10th – a place where bar, easy food and clubbing merge seamlessly. Here you can find first insights, voices and information from the new location.

Lagerhofstraße 2 – somewhat hidden east of the main train station – is an address that has repeatedly played a role in the history of Leipzig club culture. In the mid-2000s, the Chrome Club hosted Hard Tek and Schranz parties here, and later the Lagerhof club became more stylistically diverse. Mjut opened its doors in spring 2018 and experienced some ups and challenges until the end of 2023. After four months, a new chapter is starting at Lagerhofstrasse 2: DUQO. With some renovations, a completely new crew and a fresh concept. And it is an extremely promising chapter. Because the DUQO is more than just a club. I wanted to clarify what exactly in the interview.

At our first virtual meeting, around half of the new DUQO core team is on the Zoom call – Paula from public relations, Soey from booking, Gregor from design and Robert from team planning and the conception of the supporting program. You are part of a group of friends who have been thinking about opening a club at some point for a long time:

“This has been a long-standing dream for us. We were looking for other locations in Leipzig for a long time. But the Mjut, as it was called back then, was very well suited to what we wanted to do in terms of infrastructure. Because we don’t just want to create a club. We attach great importance to creating an interdisciplinary space. A place where you can come in the afternoon and stay until six in the morning, where you can listen to concerts and attend listening evenings. And I think because of the basis that was already there, it was just an incredibly great place to realize what we were thinking about.”
– Soey –

Interdisciplinary means: During the week in the potentially warm months (from May to October) there is an outdoor area with drinks and fresh food, and on weekends there is also “club service” indoors.

What's going on can also be recognized from afar by three different flags: If the blue and white flag is flying, the beer and wine garden with listening sessions and the indoor bar on the former lower Mjut floor are open. If the star flag is hoisted, you are also welcome to dance. And if the white and green flag can also be seen, there is food in the DUQO – with smashed burgers, tapas, antipasti and finger food. “Easy food” is what Robert calls it. There will also be a special kitchen day on Sunday. Then an external kitchen crew arrives and brings even more culinary discoveries to the DUQO.

The concept is intended to create an “independent event venue that is intended to give Leipzig back a certain relaxed and carefree attitude,” says one of the first descriptions. But that doesn't mean that the DUQO shouldn't be a political place. Not primarily with political statements, at least, but:

“We definitely see ourselves as a left-wing, progressive and diverse place where we combine different concepts and which we want to make as safe as possible for everyone. We weren't founded by a political group, but we all have a political background and want to use it. For example, we would like to organize public feedback meetings to which we invite various, sometimes marginalized, groups. We want to question what is already going well and where we can do something better.”
– Gregor –

And Paula adds that the DUQO “should offer a place for exchange and political discussions, where debates can take place at a common table. At the same time, things like an awareness concept or obtaining feedback are simply a basic requirement for a place like this, so that people can come together in a relaxed and relaxed manner.”

This openness is also desired musically. Framed in a very broad house focus:

“We just love house music, it’s a bit under the radar in Leipzig at the moment. But we have a broad, genre-fluid approach here. We will be holding two in-house and two invites events per month. Collectives, labels and other clubs are also invited. And beyond that, we want to offer a concert evening and two listening evenings once a month.”
– Soey –

But there shouldn't be any really fixed guidelines. In the end, it's about harmoniously curated events where new things can be tried out. Over time, a line can develop where bass and techno should also fit into the musical face of the club.

By the way, there are a few changes in the layout of the floors compared to Mjut. As mentioned above, the previous lower floor is now a cozy bar with a new lighting concept, which will be open during the week and during club evenings in the winter months. Dancing can be done upstairs and downstairs in separate areas. In this way, the DUQO creates a space that can be visited for a simple bar evening as well as for dancing or a bar evening plus. Definitely a novelty in Leipzig that enables flexible and casual evening and night planning.

The crew found inspiration for this multifunctional concept all over Europe:

“It was clear to all of us from the start that we wanted to liven up this place for more than just nightly raves – so the conceptual idea came very much from ourselves. But of course there are a handful of shops that do it well. In Amsterdam, for example, there is Bret, a very nice place where you can eat and drink during the week and where there are parties on the weekend take place. Otherwise there are or were also places in Paris and Prague that combine a beer garden atmosphere and party vibes.”
– Robert –

It all sounds very, very exciting and should not only enrich the east of Leipzig, but also attract some attention beyond it. I wanted to know whether the name DUQO – pronounced Duko – has a hidden meaning? Gregor says: “It was very important to us to find an unbiased name. A word that doesn't yet exist, which leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Short and sweet and visually appealing.” Mission accomplished!

We wish you a good start and say: Welcome, DUQO!

The program for the DUQO opening – May 10th – 12th, 2024

The DUQO opens next weekend with a three-day program. This is what is planned:

Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m
Garden: Gladee, Nugget
Downstairs: Shejust_Left, Dolphins, Floss, Miss Take

Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m
Garden: Nell, Gili, Hannie Phi
Downstairs: Jennifer Loveless, Fafi Abdel Nour, Oliv b2b Jewelry
Upstairs: D.Tiffany, DJ Carroum

Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m
Garden Hang Around

All photos by Tim Karolczak.