The most notorious dancing Antwerp has ever had: the life story of Zillion in three parts (Antwerp)
That facade, those naked women in that aquarium, those fireworks under the dance floor and even the visionary and unpredictable manager Frank Verstraeten. Zillion, in the Jan Van Gentstraat from 1997 to 2001, must be the most talked about disco in Antwerp. That’s also a reason why they made a film about it, from October 26 in the halls. We present Zillion’s life story in three parts. Or to put it with a sample from back then: This is Zillion live.
Greg Van Roosbroeck
Zillion’s life story in three parts
PART 1: How mega-discotheque Zillion was born out of revenge
Zillion’s roots grow out of revenge when Frank Verstraeten is bowled over on a difficult night out dancing Carré in Willebroek. The computer genius from Meise starts his own shack, with his own ideas and his own fantasies. And he will straighten his dancing himself too. “I saved his life during the renovations. To the regret of some people.”
READ HERE PART 1. How mega disco Zillion arose out of revenge: “We knew a trillion, we had never heard of a zillion”
PART 2: The Zillion train has left
Faithless, Paul van Dyk, showcases from music channel TMF, party concepts from London, the MTV Music Awards with Prince Laurent as a guest. Frank Verstraeten gets everything right. Not least well-known Flemish, who come to Zillion like a wasp to a well-filled glass of Trappist. Tanja Dexters is there, Véronique De Kock, Joyce De Troch, Brigitta Callens – Verstraeten’s girlfriend – and Charisse Verhaert, the ex-wife of the Spanish singer Julio José Iglesias.
READ PART 2. The Zillion train has left: “Sniffing, pooping: everything was going on on the roof terrace”
PART 3: The End of the Infamous Zillion
A bloody homejacking, way too many lawsuits and dozens of kilos of fireworks under the dance floor. Zillion boss Frank Verstraeten is more often in the news with extra sporting problems. At a certain point, he has a separate lawyer for each domain. “Zillion is the nail in my coffin,” said Mayor Leona Detiège. On October 19, 2001, the most infamous dancing Antwerp has ever had.
READ PART 3 HERE. The end of the infamous Zillion: “That dancing is the nail in my coffin”
Zillion, a film by Robin Pront with Matteo Simoni, Geert Van Rampelberg, Charlotte Timmers and Jonas Vermeulen, will be in theaters from 26 October.