A Beirut-born strictly-vinyl clubnight dedicated to rare ’60s-’80s dancefloor records. Tracing connections across global scenes.
Now in its 16th year, the Beirut Groove Collective (BGC) is a London-based collective of vinyl DJs and crate diggers behind the BGC All-Nighter – a cult clubnight dedicated to obscure and underground dancefloor records from the 1960s to the 1980s, spanning the SWANA region, Africa and beyond. Rooted in Beirut’s formative decades as a cosmopolitan musical crossroads, the night draws on pioneering records and subcultures of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The BGC’s floor-shaking vintage sets trace sonic links across global scenes – from Arabic and African funk, Lebanese ’60s beat and bellydance disco to Latin tarab, Armenian estradayin, Anatolian rock, Ethiopian and Sudanese jazz and rare soul, funk and psychedelia from around the world.
Founded in Beirut in 2009, the BGC is led by Lebanese DJ, record collector and NTS host Ernesto Chahoud and British DJ, music researcher and writer Natalie Shooter, who DJ
alongside a rotating circle of guest DJs from their international collective. Over more than a decade, the BGC helped shape Beirut’s alternative nightlife, launching one of the city’s first underground strictly-vinyl clubnights dedicated to lesser-known records and underrepresented music cultures and scenes. Now based in London, their residencies at grassroots venues including the Jago have become a fixture of the city’s underground, alongside appearances at clubs, festivals and community spaces across Beirut, Europe and internationally.
Over the years, the BGC has built a devoted following and international reputation for its deep crates, adventurous sound and inimitable dancefloor energy. The night brings together DJs, producers, diggers and tastemakers from its ever-expanding global collective, cultivating a worldwide community of music heads, dancers and curious listeners. The BGC also has a longstanding tradition of original poster artwork for each clubnight, through longstanding collaborations with artists and illustrators worldwide.
Beyond the dancefloor, Chahoud and Shooter share their research and record digging through curated compilations and archival reissues focused on SWANA music history and interconnected global scenes. Their work extends across radio – including Ernesto’s monthly Beirut Daze on NTS – talks, listening sessions and writing on music history, record culture and underground movements. Their latest release, in collaboration with Now-Again, is Une Voix M’Appelle, a deep dive into the modern Lebanese musical adventure through the Voix De L’Orient label catalogue (1967-1984). They have released multiple reissues and compilations, including the cult album Houdou Nisbi with We Want Sounds by Ziad Rahbani and Taitu, a compilation of Ethio-jazz on BBE. A forthcoming compilation, also with BBE, explores the pioneering compositions of Lebanese maestro Ihsan Al Mounzer. Their writing has appeared in Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera and various other books and publications.
