A man with (many) passions

It's Tuesday afternoon, the sun is shining and we have an appointment with Carlo Dries, whom everyone who knows him only calls Sloggy. It's a nickname he's had since childhood, but it's not due to the underwear of the same name, but to a teddy bear. At the time, little Carlo had grown so fond of the bear that he was soon known in his street only as Sloggy. A few years later, Sloggy would nevertheless become one of the main protagonists of the Esch underground scene.

The train ride to Esch is pleasant, and the route from the station to Sloggy's flat more than interesting. In contrast to the capital, where almost all of the rougher corners have long since been razed to the ground, there are still streets, squares and backyards here that you might come across in a foreign city. The industrial charm along the elevated railway line, where the new Konschthal is also located, has a very special appeal.

The South Bronx of Esch

When we had asked Carlo Dries two weeks earlier whether he would be interested in talking to us ("Esch 2022 is just around the corner. You have always lived in Esch and you still live in Esch. You were involved in the Esch Schluechthaus scene. So. Are we talking?"), he was hesitant at first ("Ah, you want to write about a Has-been"), but then agreed two seconds later. He lives in the South Bronx of Esch, he told us with a smile, alluding to the South Bronx of New York, which is considered the birthplace of hip-hop and was a rather dangerous place in the 1970s, as Esch is often portrayed in public.