Tales Between The Grooves: Flipside [Bucharest] : Half Is Enough

Out of nowhere. Looking from outside Romania’s underground, this is the overall perception of how fast and influential Romania’s electronic scene grew up to become world famous in the mid 2000s. Yet, looking from inside, there is a longer story to tell, going back all the way to the 90s, when venues like The Web, Studio Martin or Propaganda have layed the foundation for a young culture, constantly searching for ways to express Romania’s notorious creativity when it comes to music. But what happened when Sunwaves and Guesthouse Club took over and became synonymous with Romania’s electronic underground? Well, it sparked a different kind of interest and allowed Romanians to experiment with different sounds and grooves. Although not world wide famous, a few party brands have managed to grow an intimate and passionate crowd around them in the past years. And probably the best example is Flipside, a party series based in Bucharest at Platforma Wolff. Run by Twodoor and Barbu, Flipside escaped from the horrifically named RoMinimal tag with interesting lineups, featuring record selectors like Laurine, Cecilio, Evan Baggs, Onirik, Unai Trotti or Suciu.

Just in time to celebrate summer this weekend, Platforma Wolff hosts Flipside’s anual open air / long running party. Party starts on Saturday afternoon, the 28th of June and will stretch all the way to Sunday morning. As for the lineup, you won’t be disappointed: Mayell & Sibil, Alexis Boevik and Flipside’s residents and founders, Twodoor and Barbu.

Curious about the driving force behind Flipside, we went backstage with Tudor and Barbu for a little chat. A nice read that explores the Romania’s underground current state and how does Flipside fit into it. Dive in and check the tiny track selection that captures Flipside’s groove (at the end of the interview).

Flipside inception: how did the idea appear and how did it become reality?

Tudor: After hosting a few intimate and private gatherings under the name of Hărmălaia festival, in the hills of Vâlcea, the idea for Flipside was born. We came together, motivated to bring forward a sound that represents us and is less showcased in Bucharest. We often focus on bringing fresh artists and sounds, in order to offer a much-needed diversity to the local scene.

Who’s behind flipside?

Tudor: Behind flipside are Tudor and Barbu and various other friends who are willing to join and help grow our small community.

In the specific landscape of Bucharest’s electronic underground, with a handful of already established places like Guesthouse or Control Club, how does flipside fit into? What does it bring to the “table”?

Tudor: Clubs like Guesthouse & Control shaped our youth and we are grateful for their commitment to the scene, however we don’t see other venues as competitors but rather as colleagues. For the scene to thrive you need more opportunities for the listener to enjoy and experiment. Our scene nowadays is lacking the diversity and alternative spaces and promoters we once had in Bucharest.

What we bring to the table is an experience of 15+ years of being on the dancefloor in Romania and beyond, that led to what flipside sound is today. We try to keep our lineups fresh and bring artists that never played before in Romania, but also invite some established names that we highly respect and are inspired by, although some played before in Bucharest.

Barbu: We also tried last year and for our next party on the 28 of June, to introduce a part-daytime part-nighttime event and we strive in the future to do some only during the day. Partying under the sun was always something we liked doing at festivals, but also as we grow older and we are seeing a more health-conscious public. Avoiding losing nights seems not as such a bad idea.

Define the flipside groove in 3 words.

Colorful, Diverse, Precise.

From your perspective, how has Bucharest’s club scene changed in recent years? Can we still call it as strong and influential as it was 10 years ago?

Barbu: The influence of the minimal scene has faded, and with it, the strength of the local scene.
I remember that ten years ago, there were so many promoters, small clubs, venues, even afterparty dedicated spots. You had countless options for going out and a wide range of promoters, from the so-called rominimal scene to Balearic, Techno, House, and Leftfield Electronics. The electronic scene felt vibrant, alive, and inspiring for us as youngsters.

Today, the scene has shrunk in terms of venues, promoters, and musical diversity, which is a big loss for local nightlife and for younger generations. The pandemic played an important role, both here and globally.
Clubbing has become less appealing and more expensive, people’s lifestyles have changed, and we’ve also noticed that the underground dance scene holds less relevance for the younger crowd.

Almost all flipside parties were at PW? Is there something at PW that perfectly fits the flipside vibe?

When we first started our project in 2023, we experimented with many small places. We were looking for an intimate venue with a good sound system. We found a home in Platforma Wolff as their space and overall musical philosophy matches ours. They offered us trust and a platform to share our vision, and our collaboration organically grew from there.

Any plans in expanding flipside to other venues?

Yes, we are always on the lookout for spaces in Bucharest and outside, and some new ideas are already “cooking” for this summer, outside of Bucharest. Unfortunately, there aren’t many spaces which are inviting or that match our needs, but we are always open for new collaborations.

One flipside party that you could easily name it as memorable. That perfectly captured flipside’s vibe.

Two parties come to mind. The one where Evan Baggs missed his flights and we handled the musical journey b2b all night long. It turned out to be probably our best party to date in terms of atmosphere and emotions shared with the crowd, that energy and night still lingers in our memory.

And last year’s day & night event with Laurine & Cecilio, Miss I and Prichindel, which was a real success. It was the first ever daytime event at Platforma and bringing for the first time in Romania some of our musical heroes, the slowlife founders.

Give us a few names that headlined flipside in the past years.

Anthea, Unai Trotti, Evan Baggs, Laurine & Cecilio, Onirik, Matthias, Sofi, Andrew James Gustav, Velasco, Bobby. just to highlight a few.

What’s cooking for the 2025 summer season?

This Saturday we have our annual day & night event, with Mayell & Sibil premiere b2b. We don’t want to ruin our surprises for the summer, however in July 25 we will have a veteran DJ & producer from Italy gracing our decks and in September for our last party of the season, we have a special showcase of a label we deeply admire from Frankfurt.

I am a techno tourist in Bucharest, willing to enjoy a proper dancefloor weekend. Besides going to flipside for the night, recommend a few spots in Bucharest for: a quick & delicious dinner before going to a party, an afterparty location, a post-party breakfast…

Quick and delicious: Soro-lume, Energiea, Maya Fresh, Papila.

afterparty: Club Guesthouse

post-party breakfast: Arome

5 tracks that capture the Flipside groove just perfectly

Spike – Sport Model