Photo - Bríd O’Donovan
Disco Dána is a fun, no-notions party for people who love dancing to different genres over the course of a night out, which I host from time to time in intimate venues around the country.
“Nuair a stadann an ceol, stadann an rince.”
During Covid restrictions, I recorded a mix and called it Disco Dána Vol 1 (currently not online). The loose idea behind it was to make a fun, feelgood mix that you could play at your lockdown house parties. Not long after I made it, it occurred to me that Disco Dána would be a great name for a club night. I’ve always loved club-nights that incorporated the word “disco” in their titles, from ‘Death Disco’ to ‘Horsemeat Disco’, so I thought that when (or, if, as was the case at the time), spaces in which to dance might ever open up again, I’d use that name for my parties. The word ‘dána’ also has many connotations in Irish - it can mean bold, adventurous, naughty, cheeky, impish, anarchic.
After restrictions lifted, I played at a number of bar gigs around the country and stuck Disco Dána on the e-flyers. Most were low-key events in small spaces, as well as a few private parties. Without consciously making an effort to push it, I soon realised that the name was beginning to stick. I overheard people asking their friends if they were going to ‘Disco Dána’. I saw the name pop up on online comments. I heard people who don’t normally speak Irish use the phrase.
And it has continued to grow. Once you get yourself a lightbox displaying your logo for your parties, you know you have - loathe as I am to say the word - a ‘brand’. And believe me when I say it’s not easy to build up a ‘brand’ in the world of clubbing. I’ve tried a few times since I was involved with nights such as 110th Street and Boogaloo in the noughties, but never quite succeeded when trying out new names for club nights. Elsewhere, I’ve seen prominent DJs try and establish new names for club nights. Many didn’t succeed and they eventually had to resort to using the club name (or ‘brand’), that they were best known for.
Disco Dána parties have become occasions to dance with friends, old and new, as I freestyle through my record collection, spinning disco, house, techno, Italo, post-punk, indie, half-forgotten classics and dreamy bangers. No party works just because the DJ wills it so. The reason that Disco Dána parties have become such a joy to play at is because of the folk who make a point to be there. Sound, open-minded souls, happy to dance to both known music and music they may have not yet heard: they are the beating heart of Disco Dána.