The London Dance Scene

Being home to some of the country’s finest, and long-standing nightclubs, the London dance scene continues to thrive for many generations of people seeking a great night out. The London dance scene really exploded in the 1980’s, during the New Romantic movement, where young people pushed fashion boundaries, with men wearing make-up and women wearing men’s suits, while listening to the likes of Visage, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran.

The late eighties saw the rise of acid house, which fused elements of Detroit techno, itself influenced from the disco sound of the 1970’s. It was to these beats and bleeps that the dance scene first heard the DJ technique of ‘beat mixing’, where two records would be blended perfectly to produce a continuous sound, whereas previously the records were faded into each other, regardless of tempo.

As the club scene in London continued to grow, the house music of the mid-nineties became progressively more commercial, and clubs such as ‘The Gardening Club’ in Covent Garden, and ‘Club UK’ in Wandsworth were able to offer some of the capitals finest clubbing nights.

The ‘Superclub’ was now born, and London had its own when the now legendary ‘Ministry of Sound’ opened in September 1991. It was the first club to be built solely around the sound system, and even had a sprung-floor. The Ministry of Sound continues to host some of the finest nights, with world-famous dj’s such as Roger Sanchez, David Guetta and Pete Tong.

‘Fabric’ nightclub, which opened in 1999, is situated in a former meatpacking warehouse opposite Smithfields market, and continues to be one of London’s most popular nightspots. It has three separate rooms, including one with a ‘bodysonic’ dance floor, where sections actually emit bass played by the dj’s records. Fabric often books lesser-known djs to play their sets, rather than star names, which has led to a more eclectic mix of music to be heard.

The London dance scene has a musical genre to suit any taste, from House, dubstep, bassline, drum and bass, through to retro 80’s, indie-disco, electro and funk.

As well as the large established clubs, the London dance scene continues to thrive in smaller venues such as ‘Cargo’ in Shoreditch, which offers various club nights and live music from emerging underground artists. ‘Heaven’ nightclub has become London’s longest running gay club, while ‘Pacha’ in Victoria, continues to offer the Balearic experience found on the white sands of Ibiza, right here in central London.