Fabric (club)
Encyclopedia
Fabric is a nightclub
in London
, United Kingdom
. It was voted number 1 in DJ Magazine's "Top 100 Clubs in the World" poll in 2007 and number 2 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. It is located on Charterhouse Street
opposite Smithfield meat market
on the southern boundary of the London Borough of Islington
.
Fabric occupies the renovated space of the Metropolitan Cold Stores. Smithfield Meat Market stands and operates from a site directly opposite. The area's construction took place in Victorian times alongside nearby landmarks Holborn Viaduct
and Fleet
Valley Bridge.
Fabric has three separate rooms with independent sound systems; two of the rooms feature stages for live acts. A feature of the club is its vibrating floor in Room One: known as a "bodysonic" dancefloor, sections of the floor are attached to 400 bass transducers emitting bass frequencies of the music being played.
In 2010, Fabric briefly went into administration after its sister club Matter, with whom it had a cross-guaranteed loan, announced it would close for the summer due to financial difficulties suffered as a consequence of continued delays with TfL upgrade of the Jubilee Line. Fabric was put on the market on 1 June 2010. On 24 June it was announced fabric was no longer in administration and had been bought by Fabric Life Limited "a consortium who fully back [fabric] founders Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie's vision."
, breakbeat
, dubstep
, drum and bass
and electro
. Fabric's Saturday nights showcase house
and techno. Craig Richards
and Terry Francis
are the club's resident DJs. Richards is also one of the Directors of Music Programming, selecting the lineups for Saturday nights, which have featured appearances by DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos
, Carl Craig
, Ellen Allien
, and many others.
Sundays at Fabric are promoted by Wetyourself, a Polysexual event that has been running since February 2009. The music policy is underground house and techno, with the occasional live PA.
fabric has been using Ticket ABC , a white label ticketing and venue management solution to sell their online tickets via fabric's website since August 2010 .
, Michael Mayer
, Akufen
, and Ewan Pearson
.
The full list of titles is the series can be seen at Fabric discography
, it was their first project outside of Fabric. Matter has since closed.
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was voted number 1 in DJ Magazine's "Top 100 Clubs in the World" poll in 2007 and number 2 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. It is located on Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street is a street in Smithfield, on the northern boundary of the City of London, forming the boundary with both the London Borough of Camden and the London Borough of Islington...
opposite Smithfield meat market
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
on the southern boundary of the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
.
History
The club was founded by Keith Reilly (the vision behind the concept) and Cameron Leslie and opened on 29 October 1999.Fabric occupies the renovated space of the Metropolitan Cold Stores. Smithfield Meat Market stands and operates from a site directly opposite. The area's construction took place in Victorian times alongside nearby landmarks Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct is a bridge in London and the name of the street which crosses it . It links Holborn, via Holborn Circus, with Newgate Street in the City of London, passing over Farringdon Street and the now subterranean River Fleet.It was built between 1863 and 1869, at a cost of over two million...
and Fleet
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers. Its two headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath; each is now dammed into a series of ponds made in the 18th century, the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds. At the south edge of Hampstead Heath these two streams flow...
Valley Bridge.
Fabric has three separate rooms with independent sound systems; two of the rooms feature stages for live acts. A feature of the club is its vibrating floor in Room One: known as a "bodysonic" dancefloor, sections of the floor are attached to 400 bass transducers emitting bass frequencies of the music being played.
In 2010, Fabric briefly went into administration after its sister club Matter, with whom it had a cross-guaranteed loan, announced it would close for the summer due to financial difficulties suffered as a consequence of continued delays with TfL upgrade of the Jubilee Line. Fabric was put on the market on 1 June 2010. On 24 June it was announced fabric was no longer in administration and had been bought by Fabric Life Limited "a consortium who fully back [fabric] founders Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie's vision."
Style
The musical genres played there vary. FabricLive is a Friday-night "soundclash", including tempos from hip hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
, dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
. Fabric's Saturday nights showcase house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno. Craig Richards
Craig Richards
Craig Richards is a tech house DJ, also known as part of Tyrant alongside Lee Burridge. He is Fabric's musical director and resident DJ along with Terry Francis...
and Terry Francis
Terry Francis
Terry Francis is a British Tech House DJ and producer. Francis won Muzik Magazine's "Best New DJ" award in 1997. In October 1999, at the club's inception, he started a residency at London's Fabric, which has continued ever since....
are the club's resident DJs. Richards is also one of the Directors of Music Programming, selecting the lineups for Saturday nights, which have featured appearances by DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos is a Chilean-German electronic music producer and DJ. He is well-known for his work in the minimal techno and microhouse genres, and is one of the most significant figures in today's minimal techno scene....
, Carl Craig
Carl Craig
Carl Craig is a Detroit-based producer of techno music, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJs...
, Ellen Allien
Ellen Allien
Ellen Allien, born Ellen Fraatz , is a German electronic musician, music producer and founder of BPitch Control music label. She lives in Berlin, Germany. She sings in both German and English. She has said that one of the main inspirations for her music is the culture of reunified Berlin; her...
, and many others.
Sundays at Fabric are promoted by Wetyourself, a Polysexual event that has been running since February 2009. The music policy is underground house and techno, with the occasional live PA.
fabric has been using Ticket ABC , a white label ticketing and venue management solution to sell their online tickets via fabric's website since August 2010 .
Performances
Although the club has had many top DJs and established artists play, Fabric also books less well-established names on the UK and international circuit, being one of the first UK venues to book Ricardo VillalobosRicardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos is a Chilean-German electronic music producer and DJ. He is well-known for his work in the minimal techno and microhouse genres, and is one of the most significant figures in today's minimal techno scene....
, Michael Mayer
Michael Mayer (musician)
Michael Mayer is one of the key figures of Cologne, Germany's electronic music scene. Mayer is a remixer, DJ, and producer, and has released a small handful of his own singles on the Kompakt music label that he helps run with founder Wolfgang Voigt...
, Akufen
Akufen
Marc Leclair, better known by his stage name Akufen, is a Canadian electronic musician. His music is electronic music that is often described as minimal house, minimal techno, glitch, or microhouse....
, and Ewan Pearson
Ewan Pearson
Ewan Pearson is an English electronic music producer/remixer who works under various aliases including Maas, Sulky Pup, Villa America, World of Apples, and Dirtbox. He is also in Partial Arts with Al Usher. He has remixed for artists such as Cortney Tidwell, Seelenluft, Ladytron, Depeche Mode,...
.
Fabric Records
A CD series was launched in 2001. It rotates monthly between Fabric and FabricLive, with the series showcasing established and emerging DJs. It is entirely independent and operated solely by Fabric.The full list of titles is the series can be seen at Fabric discography
Matter
On 19 September 2008, Reilly and Leslie opened the 2,600 capacity music venue Matter. Located in The O2The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
, it was their first project outside of Fabric. Matter has since closed.