A new music and events venue is moving into the space formerly occupied by Cafe Dekcuf on Rideau Street in late November. Farid Dagher opened his flagship music venue Gridwrks at 221 Rideau St. in March, taking over the former home of Mavericks Bar, which closed its doors last December. Around the same time, Cafe […]
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A new music and events venue is moving into the space formerly occupied by Cafe Dekcuf on Rideau Street in late November.
Farid Dagher opened his flagship music venue Gridwrks at 221 Rideau St. in March, taking over the former home of Mavericks Bar, which closed its doors last December.
Around the same time, Cafe Dekcuf, the cheekily-named upstairs neighbour to Mavericks, shuttered as well, after more than 20 years as a live music destination.
When Dagher opened Gridwrks, the space Cafe Dekcuf once occupied was still vacant, leading him to wonder what might fill it.
“The (Cafe Dekcuf) space had been vacant for a few months. The two spaces share the same entrance. We felt it was a lot to take on another project, but we thought that it was kind of our calling to do so that it would be curated properly. Sharing the same entrance and not knowing what kind of demographic or programming goes in there could lead to conflicting sounds and limit the experience in either (of the) spaces,” said Dagher, who also owns of City At Night, a small events venue on Bank Street that specializes in electronic music, and Afterlight, a speakeasy bar. “It was initially a defence process.”
So, wanting to be sure of what would come through the front door of 221 Rideau, Dagher and his team decided to take over the space to create Annx, a low-key lounge-style space that will serve as both an electronic music venue and an events space.
“When we looked at the space we saw how much potential there was. At our first project, City At Night, there is a similar capacity of just over 100 people. We found that, over the years, it’s kind of a sweet (spot) number for Ottawa, for the appetite of some of the more niche events,” he said.
In transforming the space, Dagher said he wanted to keep the “raw” esthetic left behind by the former tenant.
“It’s a very raw space with lots of exposed brick. The ceilings are open and the old wood is exposed. There was a very good base to work with.”
The physical form of the space isn’t the only nod Dagher wants to make to Cafe Dekcuf. As he opens Annx, Dagher said he wants to carry on the former venue’s legacy by hosting similar events and artists.
“Obviously (Cafe) Dekcuf has an amazing history and a legacy in Ottawa. We can’t replace Dekcuf, but we figured that this was a place that brought people together and that’s what we want to do,” Dagher said. “The action on the two floors could create a bit of a hub for people to have a better night out.”
Dagher added that he wants to bring in independent and underrepresented artists and sounds to the venue, something Dekcuf was known for.
“Collectives that experiment in what we call forward or cutting-edge facets of electronic music don’t necessarily appeal to a 300-plus-capacity venue,” he said, adding that the space will also host vinyl nights.
While Gridwrks on the first floor of 221 Rideau will cater to larger, higher-energy crowds, Annx will be more laid-back, Dagher explained.
“Unlike Gridwrks, which is more of a performance venue, we’re treating (Annx) as a space that can accommodate a performance but it can also accommodate a gathering of a different style. With that, we plan on it being a little bit more bare, although there are couches and ottomans that allow you to be comfortable while hosting something more soulful and loungy,” he said, adding that a newly installed sound system will mean that guests won’t have to be close to the stage to enjoy the music.
The choice to make Annx more than just a music venue stemmed from what Dagher has observed about Ottawa’s nightlife since the pandemic.
“The pandemic was kind of a game-changer in the sense that there was an appetite for nightlife but also different venues,” he said. “There has been a renaissance since the pandemic … My interpretation (of Ottawa’s nightlife now) is that it’s rich. There are a lot of wants for how people get together.”
Dagher said he expects to see people booking the space for holiday gatherings or event after-parties, but he’s open to any type of event.
“(Annx) is intimate, but it’s also versatile … Right now, it’s kind of a blank canvas to try different things, and we’re capable of accommodating people with the different directions they want to go in,” he said.
When Annx opens in late November, it will be Dagher’s fourth establishment in his venue portfolio – and possibly his last, he said.
“There are definitely no plans for more. This one was already a bit of a stretch for us in the sense that we were happy with focusing on Gridwrks and letting the space build its reputation and momentum,” he said. “I think we want to focus on (having) the most balanced programming. We haven’t even seen all the seasons at 221 Rideau yet. We learned a lot this summer and fall and we’ll continue to (learn) this winter. We’re going to focus on quality and finding where the gaps are in Ottawa.”
Dagher added that his team is in “constant discussion” with the city’s nightlife office and Nightlife Commissioner Mathieu Grondin, though in a less hands-on way than when Dagher opened Gridwrks earlier this year. When OBJ spoke with Dagher in March, he said he anticipated creating synergies with the upcoming History Ottawa music venue, a 2,000-guest capacity venue less than a kilometre away from 221 Rideau. But now, it won’t be the only nightlife project he wants his programming to complement.
The nightlife office recently announced the return of Nuit Blanche, an all-night festival which ran in Ottawa from 2012 to 2015, next fall. Nuit Blanche will take place around the ByWard Market in its first year and grow to different parts of the city in ensuing editions.
“That proximity allows us to better understand what opportunities we can adapt for and try to align our programming with it,” Dagher said of Nuit Blanche.
He added that the growing number of nightlife businesses and events, combined with more investment by the city, gives him confidence that Ottawa’s nightlife economy is on the right path.
“(Ottawa) is a striving area for micro events and initiatives, but in parallel, seeing the city prioritizing and welcoming bigger initiatives, seeing the Live Nations of the world investing in Ottawa means that we’re going in the right direction.
“It’s connecting the arts with the economic side and making nightlife less taboo and less isolated. The more collectives are curating and hosting their own events, the less we’re going out just to go for a drink. There is more essence behind events. We’re seeing more people going out for more than just socializing … They’re coming together to dance and to experience music or some sort of spectacle. There’s more intention behind the events taking place in these spaces now.”
