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++ OFFICIAL STATEMENT ++
TURNMILLS
THE LAST DANCE
EASTER WEEKEND 21-23 MARCH 2008
WWW.TURNMILLS.CO.UK
After 23 years and more than 3,000 club nights, Turnmills will be saying a fond farewell to clubland this Easter as the much-loved Clerkenwell club will be closing its doors for good. Over the weekend of 21-23 March 2008, Turnmills will be going out on high as we present ‘The Last Dance’ and a series of celebratory events spread across 3 very special nights featuring the DJs who’ve made Turnmills the proud clubbing institution it is today.
Turnmills Director Danny Newman reveals the reasons behind the clubs imminent closure... “The most important reason is of course that the lease is nearly up and the landlord wants to develop the site. To be honest it’s been on the cards for a couple of years now, we’ve always wanted to leave on our terms and it just seems like the right time to go - from a business and personal point of view. So many different people love Turnmills for so many different reasons and the Easter Weekend allows us to do everything we want to do properly, for all the acts, DJs, promoters and friends along the way that have made it such a very special place and more importantly to do it the right way... our way (line up to be announced very soon). The landlord’s have been understanding and I’ve got nothing but respect for them. They’ve allowed us to do what we wanted over the past year while we were deciding what to do, then recently they presented us with a deal that felt right, at the right time, and it was the obvious choice to move on. It feels as though it’s come to a natural end, and we are finishing on a high. The club has been the best and busiest it’s been in its history, and that’s the way I want it to be remembered. I’m really proud of what we’ve done and been through at Turnmills; the club will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll miss it dearly, as it will so many people. Thanks to everyone that ever came down, it was YOU that made the place what it was, we were just doing what we do behind the scenes. Take care, hopefully we’ll see you all for one last dance at Easter. Thank you... and goodnight XXXXXXXX.”
To read the full and ONLY exclusive interview with Danny Newman, head to www.datatransmission.co.uk from Friday 1st February (more on that below).
Since its inception as a wine bar back in 1985 by John Newman, Danny’s father, Turnmills has established itself as one of the world’s leading nightclubs. It was in 1989 that Turnmills became the first venue of any kind in the UK to secure a 24 Hour Music & Dance Licence and from that moment, the modern day Turnmills as we all know and love was born.
Over the years Turnmills has been responsible for some of the most prestigious and ground-breaking club nights in the land, grooming the freshest new talent alongside a wealth of superstar DJs. From The Chemical Brothers’ weekly Heavenly Social residency, to the globe’s definitive gay after-hours club, Trade and of course the 14 year old beast that is The Gallery... Turnmills will always have a special place in everyone’s hearts and will be dearly missed. To this day, The Gallery remains London’s longest-serving and best-loved weekly Friday all-nighter, witnessing the rise of many of the biggest names in dance music – from Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, to Judge Jules, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk, alongside a stellar supporting cast of residents including (co-owner and talisman) Tall Paul and Faithless’ Sister Bliss. Other notable events through the ages include the electronic excellence of Headstart and Together – the former featured residents & regular guests like Fatboy Slim, Josh Wink, Darren Emerson and Aphex Twin, whilst the latter remains the flagship Saturday night at Turnmills, offering a multi-roomed, mini-festival every month with past guests including Justice, 2manydjs and Mylo. On a housey tip, look no further than Danny Rampling’s iconic London Calling and Metrogroove parties or the soulful sounds of City Loud with CJ Mackintosh, which would both welcome house heavyweights like Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries and Masters at Work amongst many others, plus Roger Sanchez’s five year Release Yourself residency and the fabulous Disco Tech of Bob Sinclar. On a more rock n’ roll vibe, cult mid-weeker Get Loaded not only paved the way for the Get Loaded in the Park festival, but it also brought the sound of Madchester down the M1 to London as The Happy Mondays’ renowned pairing of Shaun Ryder & Bez began their love affair with the club.
This collaboration with the Mondays lead to the recording of the bands’ latest album ‘Uncle Dysfunktional’ in the Turnmills Recording Studio (hidden deep within the labyrinth of the club!), and a year later, Pete Doherty’s band Babyshambles recorded their newest LP ‘Shotter’s Nation’ in the very same Studio. The Turnmills Studio also played an important part in the musical development of those closest to the club with Tall Paul’s former record label Duty Free Records based at Turnmills and featured music from the likes of Lottie, Fergie and Paul himself. Aside from the club itself, Turnmills was also known for its high class cuisine, with former restaurant Gaudi, voted the ‘Best Spanish Restaurant in London’ and featured in the Michelin Guide. Plus at the back the club, we ran a very popular female only gym called Juno Lucina, which would later be replaced by the ‘Juno Rooms’ and a new fully functional live music room which saw the likes of The Gossip, The Kills and The Horrors all perform live.
As with all venues of this size and stature, Turnmills has had its fair share of high jinks and capers from hazy nights gone by. Michael Jackson and Alexander O’Neil both celebrated their birthdays at the club, Bjork and Madonna (in disguise) regularly turned up at Trade, Robbie Williams and his entourage would drop by at The Gallery and Noel Gallagher and Keith Allen were often propping up the bar at Get Loaded! Other sightings include many a wedding proposal on one knee by a (brave!) club member or the sprinkling of ashes on Turnmills’ hallowed main room floor. But these tales don’t even scratch the surface of what the closure of Turnmills will mean to the thousands upon thousands of clubbers who’ve danced their heart out at the club over the years.
What now?
In 2005, Turnmills Director Danny Newman launched music events company Lock N Load Events together with Andrew Mattle (9Lives Events) and Damian Gelle (Heat Events). Responsible for summer festivals South West Four (London & Cardiff), Get Loaded in the Park (London), Electric Gardens (Kent) and Cardiff Calling (Cardiff), plus a number of exclusive London club shows including Release Yourself, PUSH and Swedish House Mafia (all Koko), Bedrock (Heaven) and HeatUK (Brixton Academy)... Lock N Load Events will continue to push the musical envelope into 2008 with a continuation of some of the events mentioned here, alongside some exciting new (as yet unannounced) projects for the New Year.
We can reveal that Turnmills’ illustrious in-house events The Gallery and Together will both be continuing at a club near you very soon, so watch this space for the full official announcement.
On Friday 1st February 2008, we’ll be launching a brand new online dance music magazine called Data Transmission: www.datatransmission.co.uk. With an existing database of over 250,000 people, this comprehensive new site will cover the full spectrum of dance music, without prejudice – providing the perfect platform to get your music heard, your events listed and your news & features read by the masses. Be sure to check it out. An extensive interview with Danny Newman will be available to read exclusively on the big launch date, as he reveals the full story behind the Turnmills closure, reminisces on the history of the club and relives some classic tales from yesteryear.
And so then it’s with a tear in our eyes that we must now say goodbye, and look forward to this magical and historical final weekend ahead to give Turnmills the proper send-off it truly deserves. Full details of these farewell events will be announced very soon on the Turnmills website: www.turnmills.co.uk.
We would like to THANK everyone who has queued up come rain, wind or shine and danced their socks off in front of that laser... everyone who has supported Turnmills and helped create this unique family club... all the artists that have played for us over the years and have given us so many unforgettable memories... the local community for embracing us... all the Agents, the PR’s and the Media for the ‘love’... and most of all, we’d like to thank all our dear friends and family for putting up with us for so long!! You know who you are.
On behalf of the Turnmills team – Danny and Paul Newman, Chesh, Terry, Stix, Ed, Gavin, Grahame, Tom (on the door), Tom (at The Gallery), Nik, Dean, Mario, Craig, Malcolm and Carson... thanks for all the good times. It’s time to say goodbye. Get ready for ‘The Last Dance’. Turnmills love YOU.
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