Marco Polo Club (ex Odeon, KGB, Cream)

In the late 1980s, the idea emerged that Nova Gorica, as a young city, urgently needed a youth centre, a role that had until then been partially fulfilled by the club CRMK in nearby Šempeter. A new generation of Nova Gorica residents—born and raised in the city—felt the need for new ways of spending their free time. The youth centre, built behind the Perla building in a joint project by the Municipality of Nova Gorica and the company Hit, was conceived in the late 1980s as a daytime venue for various youth activities, evening events, and concerts.

However, within a relatively short time, and through a series of circumstances about which little is known, the original youth centre evolved into the Odeon discotheque, with a capacity of around 800 people. It soon established itself as one of the main nightlife hubs of the Primorska region, responding to a growing demand for hedonistic, consumer-oriented entertainment.

Unfortunately, this chapter of Nova Gorica’s nightlife remains shrouded in mystery, as—aside from personal memories—there are very few written records dedicated to this vibrant period or to the music programme of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Alongside legendary local DJs such as DJ Cvere, who regularly entertained dancers, the club also hosted various bands during the 1990s and into the new millennium. In 1996, for example, the theatrical American heavy metal band Gwar stopped there as part of their Ragnarok and Roll Tour. Online, one can also find photographs from 2000 of a very young Tomi Meglič, frontman of Siddharta, stage-diving into the Nova Gorica crowd.

Over the years, Odeon changed its name several times—first to KGB, then to Cream, and finally to its current name, Marco Polo, which has been in use since its relaunch in 2011. Since the early 2000s, the discotheque—now privately owned—has no longer operated a regular programme, with a few exceptions. Among the more consistent events, the techno series Reload Events, launched in 2007, stands out. Since then, it has brought some of the biggest names in techno to Nova Gorica and its surroundings, including Chris Liebing, Adam Beyer, Sven Väth, Nina Kraviz, Gaetano Parisio, Dave Clarke, Monika Kruse, Sam Paganini, Joseph Capriati, and Marco Bailey.

The driving force behind the series is local DJ and promoter Damir Hoffman (also known as Chiko), who significantly contributed to the visibility of the Goriška techno scene by connecting with Italian actors, especially the Cantera club in Sistiana. During the rise of so-called “business techno” between 2010 and 2020, Nova Gorica was one of the few places in Slovenia to regularly host leading names of this scene. In addition to Reload, the venue occasionally hosts student parties, events featuring Balkan pop and rap stars (Devito, Voyage, Relja Popović, Sandra Afrika, Designerica), concerts by Slovenian commercial artists (Joker Out, Drill, Miran Rudan, Mambo Kings), and events by music schools.

Avtor: Jaša Bužinel

Kraj: Nova Gorica

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