The Cielo nightclub in NYC, at 18 Little W 12th Street, Manhattan, Meatpacking District, was active from 2003 to 2018, and it represented the last discotheque of the Big Apple with a global popularity, and a global impact for the dance music industry. To say the truth, there’s still in NYC a namesake venue, at a different address, that’s extraneous to the page you’re reading. The original Cielo, a word that means “sky” in Spanish and in Italian, was opened by DJ Nicolas Matar, whose name is bound to the Pacha disco in Ibiza. The resident DJ was a native New Yorker, of Puerto Rican ancestry, Mr. Louie Vega, nicknamed “Little”. Some superstars DJs performed at the Cielo, among whom I can cite François K., Kevin Hedge, Tedd Patterson, Carl Cox, Deadmau5, Afrojack, Gareth Emery, Gabriel & Dresden. Thus, the sky was the limit of the excellence of DJ performances at the Cielo. Of course, I’ve listed some tracks suitable to the cited dancefloor of the Meatpacking District, and I can attempt a general description of the kind of music. The prevalent genre was deep house, often with Latin-Tropical rhythms, and with a clear tendence towards a soulful content.
I care to deepen the cultural origin of the name “Cielo”. In my opinion, the source of inspiration was an Italian song of the year 1960, reprised even by Pharrell Williams, for his hit song of 2013 titled “happy”. The song by Pharrell Williams contains the verse: “Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof”. Well, the Italian song, written by Gino Paoli for the great female singer Mina, is titled “il cielo in una stanza”, and talks about the happiness of a lover for the nearness of the partner. I translate into English the crucial verses as follows: “When you, my love, are here with me, this room seems to have no wall, and I can imagine the wonder of the sky”. The similarity of the concepts is evident. In effect, according to the two songs, happiness is a blessing of the sky. Back to the discotheque, the “Cielo” promised an analogue feeling to frequenters. However, there are two linguistic differences I can underline. In Italian, the word “felicità” hasn’t two meanings, while in English “happiness” is a synonym of “gaiety”, also relatable to sexual preferences. In English, the word “room” hasn’t two meanings, while in Italian “stanza” can mean either room or separate group of poetic verses.
Angelo Poliziano was the initiator of humanism into the Italian language named “volgare” (into English, “the language of common people”). The most appreciated and studied work of Poliziano is “Le stanze de messer Angelo Poliziano cominciate per la giostra del Magnifico Giuliano di Pietro de Medici”, an incomplete poem that dates back to the years from 1475 to 1478. About that, I initially thought to record a short tribute mix dedicated to the Cielo discotheque, enriched with a stanza taken from “Le stanze” by Poliziano, in order to underline the cultural origin of the above. Nevertheless, the cited poem has revealed unsatisfactory for my purpose, while the theatral work by Poliziano himself titled “La fabula di Orfeo” (into English: “the short fable of Orpheus”) contains parts able to spectacularize my recording. The “Fabula” doesn’t include any stanza, because it is not a piece of poetry, but it was written for the Gonzaga family, that was ruling my hometown Mantua, and has a homosexual and misogynous content suitable to the Cielo nightclub. For that, I’ve preferred the “Fabula” and I’ve got the Cielo without a stanza. More clearly, I’ve united my short mix with an introduction taken from the “Fabula” itself, and I’ve created vocal effects with another excerpt of the same work, that recites: “Le rime tue che per tutto rimbombano”. It means: “Your rhymes are loudly resounding everywhere”. Perfect for a closed nightclub named Cielo, isn’t it?
File name is “Max Look’s mini-mix, the Cielo without a stanza (end of Feb 2026)”, length about 18’, it’s a tribute mix dedicated to the Cielo nightclub NYC, definitely shut down in the year 2018. It contains two samples of the theatral work by Angelo Poliziano, above described. The introduction is about a bucolic scene, inclusive of animals, nymphs, and young lovers delighted by the beauty of the landscape and the fairness of the weather.
The Cielo is the limit again, the playlist:
Intro: “La fabula di Orfeo”, excerpt
Louie Vega feat. Blaze – Joshua’s jam (Nico’s dub 2006)
Okain – scream (Nina Kraviz mix 2012)
Parker & Pooley – feel the same (2016)
DJ Pippi, Willie Graff, & Tuccillo – sabroso (2009)
Louie Vega starring Caron Wheeler feat. Jazziedd Patterson – hubble (2009)
François K. – enlightenment (2004)
Kenny Bobien – set them free (Rocco Spectral mix 2008)
Kevin Hedge feat Rick Galactik – follow your heart (2012)
Louie Vega feat. Blaze – love is on the way (2004)
Deadmau5 with Kaskade – move for me (2008)
Gabriel & Dresden – Arcadia (2005)
Afrojack – Pacha on acid (2010)
Carl Cox with Norman Cook – that’s the bass (2006)
Gareth Emery – sanctuary (2010)
