Niwango, the company that operates the internet video sharing website Nico Nico Douga, announced that it will open Nicofarre, a disco club, in Roppongi of Minato-ku, Tokyo. The name seemed to ring a bell, and I was reminded of Velfarre, the notorious large-scale disco club that used to be located in Roppongi. Nicofarre will in fact occupy the first basement floor of the building constructed on the former site of Velfarre.

Velfarre was a clubbing destination representative of the late 90s and served as a driving force for the “Para Para” dance boom in which clubbers would dance in eurobeat rhythms with synchronized body motions. The legendary disco closed its doors in 2007 and RREEF of the Deutsche Bank Group and others subsequently developed a retail building on the site.

Niwango opened a Noco Nico Douga live studio at Nico Nico Honsha, the former site of Harajuku Ruido, a live music venue which was central to the band boom in the 80s, and now they will open Nicofarre in place of Velfarre. It will be interesting to see what kind of nostalgic place the company will choose for their next new culture spot.