Le Smart sur Dijon

I went to Smart and I'm still wondering if I was alive or just in a bad dream with music playing in the background. The entrance felt like a secret passage to a parallel world… but not the cool kind: the kind where you regret your choices. Inside, the air was a cocktail of old sweat and questionable perfume. The lights flickered with the precision of an electrical malfunction, making you feel like your brain was about to short-circuit. The floor felt sticky as if everyone had decided to leave their past behind, literally. The DJ? I think he was trying, but his music sounded like a mix between a broken fan and a cat screaming in a bucket. The people… people were moving, but not really. More like puppets forgotten by their puppeteer. The cocktails were chemical experiments: not bad, not good, just… suspicious. The bar seemed to have a life of its own; the bartenders were smiling, but their eyes were saying, “You shouldn’t have come here.” The toilets were a labyrinth where time stood still and the smell followed you even outside. I left wondering if I'd simply attended a party or survived a post-apocalyptic art installation. The Smart: where the night hits you, but not in a good way.

The only club in Dijon that actually comes close to the vibe of nightclubs from bigger cities in Europe. It's small, but the prices are good, bartenders are friendly and the DJ is fun, mixes well and even takes music requests. The bathrooms were surprisingly clean and the bouncer was completely normal/respectful with me (and I'm a foreigner).