Switch Pocket Club

The pocket club of Gràcia

In contrast to multi-story nightclubs, Switch Pocket Club concentrates Barcelona's electronic nightlife into a minimal, almost clandestine disco-bar on Carrer de Francisco Giner. Barcelona Cultura places it a stone's throw from the Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia and defines it as a venue as small as its name suggests: a pocket club and DJ booth, not a concert hall. The street-level metal shutter does not hint at the interior: a long bar, low lighting, and a single room where the DJ is just a few inches away from the dancers.

From Gusto to Pocket Club

The space already had a tradition of sessions when it was called Gusto, around 2001. In October 2009, it reopened as Switch. In March 2013, Sergi Mañá (DJ Deckard) and David Miró took the reins and added the surname Pocket Club to delve deeper into electronic clubbing, featuring less visible local DJs and the occasional international guest, far from commercial offerings. Deckard, who has been on the decks since the nineties, remains the filter for who gets into the booth.

Vinyl, series, and neighborhood scene

The venue stakes its reputation on vinyl and fixed nights that have turned the club into a calendar: Pure Plastics with Deckard and Fede Zerdán, HiFi, Bobare Wednesday, or The Dijous Saved My Life alongside Arildo. Figures of the Barcelona electronic scene such as Josep Xortó, Sau Poler (who played his first live set there), or Abu Sou have passed through that booth. El Salto once considered it one of the city's musical emblems. There are no multiple rooms or VIP boxes: there is a narrow dance floor, a bar, and Technics turntables.

Sanctions, Verkami, and the music that doesn't stop

In 2016, after being recommended in the British press and receiving a weekend crowd that the capacity could not handle, the City Council sanctioned the club for exceeding capacity, and it closed for six months. The team launched the Switch ON crowdfunding campaign to cover the downtime, improve soundproofing, and reopen. During the pandemic, Deckard promoted the Home Switch Home compilation on Lucasian Records, a label created to support the venue. The seventh anniversary was celebrated at the Moog club because the Pocket Club could not hold the crowd. The venue continues to program house, techno, electro, and italo in Gràcia, with a usual closing time around 03:00.