jberg Podcast

The final Happy Hour of the season began quietly. By the time the last Friday arrived, the younger summer crowd had long since gone home, leaving behind a smaller group of mostly retired guests enjoying their final evenings at Esterel. So this one was a slow burn. For more than five hours, the music gradually found its way into the room — familiar grooves, warm house, disco touches and deeper soun...

Sunday was always going to be a quieter affair. The season is winding down, and with fewer people around, there was no reason to try to lift the roof. Instead, this one was for the House heads. Starting deep with Lovebirds, Dam Swindle, Anja Schneider and Kerri Chandler, the set settled into a relaxed groove before wandering through soulful house, disco touches and some beautifully atmospheric dee...

September is getting late on the French Riviera, but somehow the rooftop was still full of happy faces. Band night had moved to Saturday, so once again Happy Hour had to wrap up early to make room for the live cover band. With that in mind, this set stayed firmly in familiar territory — soulful house, deep grooves, disco touches and plenty of tracks that could bring a smile without demanding too m...

Another Friday evening on the rooftop, with the season slowly winding down and a more mature crowd settling in for the sunset. The atmosphere was relaxed and sophisticated, with plenty of familiar faces enjoying drinks while a few younger guests — and three determined French moms with their kids — kept things interesting. The moms were still campaigning for “Bam Bam,” but tonight called for someth...

Sunday brought another intimate late-season gathering on the rooftop. With the younger summer crowd already heading home, the atmosphere was relaxed and unhurried — exactly the kind of evening where the music could breathe. This was a smooth journey through Deep House, House and Nu Disco, moving between soulful grooves, familiar favorites and a few understated club moments. Nothing needed to be fo...

The season was winding down, and you could feel it on the rooftop. The younger crowd had already headed home to get ready for the return to work, leaving behind a smaller, more relaxed Saturday gathering. So there was no need to lift the roof tonight. Instead, this set settled into something warm, familiar and effortlessly groovy — Sade, Nu Disco, Deep House and plenty of soulful House woven toget...

Friday evening on the rooftop, with clear skies, warm Mediterranean air and another live band waiting in the wings. I opened the evening with a warm, soulful selection of House and Deep House, gradually building the groove as the rooftop settled into the weekend. From the deeper sounds of S.A.M., Chris Stussy and Saison to familiar favorites and a few more disco-leaning moments, the set was all ab...

Sunday surprised us. What started as another relaxed Happy Hour on the rooftop quickly turned into something much more energetic. A group of new faces discovered the music — and apparently discovered an unlimited supply of dancing energy along the way. From warm Deep House and soulful grooves through Nu Disco, House and Afro House, the rooftop gradually became a little Sunday dancefloor of its own...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Saturday. Instead, the rooftop ended up full for the entire afternoon, with some guests even discovering there wasn't a seat and coming back later. So I settled into the groove. Starting with warm Deep House and soulful rhythms, the set gradually moved through House, and deeper grooves without ever pushing too hard. The idea was simply to create the kind of...

Clear blue skies, a warm Riviera sunset, and one of those late-summer afternoons that seemed to ask for nothing more than a cold drink and some good music. This session started deep and understated, gradually bringing in jazz, soul, disco and funky house as the afternoon slipped toward sunset. From St Germain and Dr Packer to Rock With You, Lady (Hear Me Tonight) and Free, the energy slowly found...

The final night of August, and the final Happy Hour for this particular group of guests. After Sunday's intimate rooftop session ran well past sunset, Monday brought back the same crowd for one last evening before they headed home. Knowing it was their last night, I decided not to ease into things quite as slowly as usual. We started with a little more energy, found the groove early, and never rea...

The end of August brings shorter evenings to the Côte d’Azur, but there was still plenty of life left on the Esterel rooftop. Sunday’s Happy Hour was another intimate gathering, with a few new faces settling in and gradually becoming new fans. The set started deep and soulful, slowly building through house, disco and funky grooves as the afternoon slipped toward sunset. By the time Mark Knight & F...

The rain had moved in, and with the season winding down, the rooftop gave way to the bar for another indoor edition of Esterel Happy Hour. The crowd was smaller this time, and the atmosphere was decidedly relaxed — cocktails, cold beers, and a few people settling in for the evening. So rather than forcing the room into party mode, I leaned into the weather and the mood with a deep, melodic journey...

The season was winding down, so the rooftop wasn't quite as busy as it had been earlier in the summer. But the people who did make it up were there for the music. Starting with deep house and gradually moving through soulful house, Nu Disco, funky grooves, and a few familiar classics, this became one of those smaller Happy Hours where the crowd and the DJ could settle into their own little world....

Esterel Happy Hour 2026-08-26 - Waiting Out the Storm The clouds rolled in early for Wednesday's Happy Hour, but a few brave souls decided they weren't going anywhere just yet. So we settled into a warm mix of deep house, soulful grooves, disco and familiar favorites - from Spooky and The Cure & The Cause to Bad Girls, Canned Heat, Everybody's Free and Out Of Touch. The rooftop may not have been p...

A beautiful, clear Tuesday afternoon at Esterel, with the rooftop filling up nicely for another Happy Hour session. This one stayed warm and relaxed, moving between deep house, disco, soulful grooves and classic house influences. Familiar touches from Santana, Little Boots, The Heritage Orchestra and classic house cuts were woven into a steady selection of newer underground sounds, keeping the moo...

With thunderstorms threatening the evening, Monday's Happy Hour moved indoors to the bar. Rather than playing it safe, I took the opportunity to change the mood completely — a contemporary journey through Organic House, Melodic, Progressive and Afro House. Starting deep and atmospheric with Amonita, Makebo, Marsh and Sébastien Léger, the set gradually built through hypnotic grooves, melodic textur...

Sunday called for a slower burn. Starting deep and atmospheric, this set settled into a warm rooftop groove as the afternoon faded into evening, gradually moving through deep house, disco and soulful house. As the sunset approached, the mood became a little more playful, with familiar touches from Dido, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Sade, Indeep and Inner City woven into the deeper selections. Toward the end, the...

Friday brought another sunset journey to the Esterel rooftop. The evening started warm and familiar, gradually moving through deep house, disco and soulful grooves before taking a few unexpected turns into deeper and more underground territory. A few of the later tracks may have been a little adventurous for the more mature crowd, but the journey kept moving, eventually reconnecting with some fami...

Wednesday's rooftop session went a little deeper, with a more underground house sound woven into the usual sunset atmosphere. Deep House, soulful grooves, disco, and classic vocal house moved gradually from the warm opening into a darker, more sophisticated middle section, with tracks from Jimpster, Franck Roger, Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, and The Journey Men. There were still plenty of famili...

The day after another Soirée Blanche, the rooftop was a little quieter than usual, so this set leaned heavily on familiarity. I opened with recognizable House favorites like Gypsy Woman, Sunny, Keep Pushin', Wake Up! and Show Me Love, gradually moving into a warm, disco-leaning groove. As the afternoon progressed, the set moved between classic House, Nu Disco and soulful grooves, with familiar tou...

A relaxed Sunday on the rooftop, and a fitting encore to the weekend. This one stayed on the subtle side - warm House, Deep House, Disco and increasingly melodic, atmospheric grooves as the afternoon moved toward sunset. Not every track needed to demand attention; some were simply there to create the right atmosphere. The centerpiece came around Star Odyssey, where the music became deeper, more in...

Another full rooftop at the campsite as the sun went down. This one was all about setting the tone for the evening - starting deep and soulful, moving through disco, funk, and house, then gradually bringing the energy up as the sunset gave way to night. As the crowd became a little more mature toward the end, I eased things back and let the groove do the work. A little Josh Wink, some Dave Lee, Dr...

Another full rooftop, another beautiful Riviera evening. This one started with warm House, Deep House and Disco grooves before gradually becoming more soulful, funky and club-oriented as the afternoon went on. Familiar voices, classic sounds and a few deeper left turns kept the vibe moving without ever rushing it. The rooftop stayed busy right through sunset, and the music followed the same trajec...

A beautiful summer afternoon turned into something a little more unusual. The set begins in familiar Esterel territory - soulful House, Disco and warm grooves - gradually moving through deeper and more atmospheric territory as the afternoon slips toward sunset. Then, toward the end, the eclipse arrived. The rooftop crowd gathered at the far end with their special glasses, everyone suddenly focused...