Godskitchen
Encyclopedia
Superclub
Superclub is a term used to refer to a nightclub owned and managed by a dance music record label, such as The Haçienda club, which was owned by Factory Records...
brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
which is associated with dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
and organises events, particularly in the UK and US. The company runs a club night of the same name at their nightclub AIR
AIR (nightclub)
AIR is a 2,000 capacity superclub located in Digbeth, Birmingham in England. AIR originally started out life as a spray shop for buses, when in 2000 the building was bought by Godskitchen and converted into a club, originally named CODE. In 2003, CODE had a complete refit and was renamed AIR, with...
, in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England and has an in-house music label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. This label annually releases compilation albums, in addition to supporting new artists whom they believe bring something new to the genre.
Roots
Godskitchen's roots date back to the golden era of the UK raveRave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
scene of the early 1990s.
First events
They held their first event in the UK at the Junction Nightclub in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, launching a series of sell out nights across the UK. Thereafter, Chris and Tyrone decided they would launch Godskitchen on a regular basis. In May 1996, Godskitchen began to hold weekly events in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. Godskitchen sold out week after week, soon filling the 1,500 capacity Planet Nightclub in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
every Friday night.
Scaling up in Milton Keynes and Birmingham
In 1997 Chris and Tyrone staged an event for 4,000 people at the Sanctuary Music ArenaSanctuary Music Arena
The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK. It opened its doors on December 6, 1991 to ESP promotions event called Dreamscape...
in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. Billed as Britain's first "stadium house music event" the party sold out in advance at a venue that fellow superclubbers Cream
Cream (nightclub)
Cream, based at the Nation nightclub in Liverpool, is one of the best-known night clubs in the UK. Cream began life as a weekly house music night at Nation, and ran in this format for 10 years, from October 1992 to June 2002...
had failed to fill only 12 months previously.
Looking for a "somewhere to call home", Godskitchen moved to the 2,000 capacity Sanctuary Nightclub (formerly the Digbeth Institute
Digbeth Institute
Digbeth Institute is a civic building in Digbeth, Birmingham, England.It is now operated as the hmv Institute, a 2,400 capacity music venue...
) in Digbeth
Digbeth
Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into...
, Birmingham. Godskitchen filled the Sanctuary week after week. 1999 saw Godskitchen take their clubbing to the Amnesia
Amnesia (nightclub)
Amnesia is one of several internationally renowned clubs in Ibiza due to Joseph Murphy who created Cream in 1996 and was awarded Best Global Club in the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 International Dance Music Awards for the respective previous year at the Winter Music Conference in Miami...
Nightclub in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, pulling in 5,500 revellers every Tuesday night. Godskitchen continued to flourish on Ibiza for another three seasons, moving to Eden in San Antonio for one summer in 2002.
Back in Birmingham, Godskitchen continued to go from strength to strength. With industry heavyweight Neil Moffitt
Neil Moffitt
Neil Moffitt is the chairman and CEO of the international company Angel Management Group, an organization that provides services in event production, nightlife consulting, artist management and interactive design.-Biography:...
on board, Godskitchen began work on a nightclub of their own, the superclub "CODE", which opened its doors in the autumn of 2000, turning away over 20,000 people on its first night. With Friday's Godskitchen fast becoming synonymous with the trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
sound, Godskitchen launched two further clubbing nights at CODE. Saturday night saw Babooshka filling the 2000 capacity venue for a second time each weekend, entertaining the masses with its glamorous style of U.S. house music
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 UK garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
, while Sundays played host to the mixed night Polysexual, which continues to be one of the UK's most successful names in hard dance.
Expanding into the north of England, the first Godskitchen night was launched at Club Mission
Club Mission
Club Mission is a late-licensed nightclub located in Leeds city centre. Spanning six railway arches and with a legal capacity of 920, the club has a unique underground feel which creates an "electric atmosphere" for clubbers who travel from all over the UK to attend its events.Mission hosts some of...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
on February 8, 2008, and has become a monthly occurrence at the club.
GlobalGathering
In the summer of 2001, Godskitchen staged their first outdoor festival, Godskitchen GlobalGatheringGlobal Gathering
GlobalGathering is an annual dance music festival by Angel Music Group. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronica artists from across the globe...
, which saw 25,000 partygoers descend upon Long Marston Airfield
Long Marston Airfield
Long Marston Airfield was a Royal Air Force base between 1941 and 1954, situated approximately 3 miles south west of Stratford-upon-Avon near the village of Long Marston in Warwickshire..It is now managed by Anthony Hodges, and is home to:...
on the Gloucestershire/Warwickshire border near Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
on a balmy July evening. The venue was a British summertime veteran, which had previously played host to the massive Phoenix Festival
Phoenix Festival
The Phoenix Festival was set up by Vince Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals...
and the Bulldog Bash. GlobalGathering was a major success, and Godskitchen finished 2001 by returning to one of their original homes, The Sanctuary Music Arena
Sanctuary Music Arena
The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK. It opened its doors on December 6, 1991 to ESP promotions event called Dreamscape...
in Milton Keynes. 2002 saw the capacity of GlobalGathering increase to 35,000 and in 2003 Godskitchen completely transformed their home venue CODE, renaming it AIR
AIR (nightclub)
AIR is a 2,000 capacity superclub located in Digbeth, Birmingham in England. AIR originally started out life as a spray shop for buses, when in 2000 the building was bought by Godskitchen and converted into a club, originally named CODE. In 2003, CODE had a complete refit and was renamed AIR, with...
. AIR now featured three rooms. As well as staging yet another GlobalGathering, 2003 saw Godskitchen embark on an arena tour, selling out parties at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and The National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
in Birmingham, the UK's largest venue.
International tours
After another successful year and GlobalGathering in 2004, Godskitchen took the party overseas to Ireland and the US, staging events across the continent. New Year's Eve 2004/2005 saw Godskitchen hold their last Friday night in Birmingham, moving to Saturdays in 2005 in order to compete in what many had come to see as a flagging market. The final jewel in the Godskitchen crown was to take place in July 2005: GlobalGathering was expanded to cover an entire weekend (complete with camping) and the Friday night saw a fresh music policy with more emphasis placed on live acts. The capacity was again increased to 45,000 and the following day saw Godskitchen take GlobalGathering to Ireland for a 15,000 capacity event in CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
.
Global Gathering 2006
Global Gathering 2006
Global Gathering 2006 took place on the 28th and 29th of July, at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. The festival was promoted by Angel Music Group, previously known as Godskitchen , to reflect their wide range of music-related interests, although the Godskitchen Arena was the...
was held in the downtown area of Miami, Florida on March 18 of that year. The success of that event spawned a second US festival held on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend (first weekend of September in the US) at Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
Godskitchen events are held at Club Bonbon in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
as well as in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines.
Australia held its first GlobalGathering in 2008 (a day rave for one day only) after many successful annual Godskitchen events.
In 2010, for the first time the event was held in Papaya Club on Zrce
Zrce
Zrće is a long pebble beach on the Adriatic island of Pag in the northern part of the Croatian coast. It is located near Novalja, about 4 kilometers from the town's center...
Beach in Croatia. It lasted three days, 11–13 August. Artist performed include Axwell
Axwell
Axwell is a DJ, remixer, record producer and record label owner from Sweden. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello...
, Steve Angello
Steve Angello
Steve Angello is a Greek-Swedish DJ, producer, and record label owner. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia.- Background :...
, Sebastian Ingrosso
Sebastian Ingrosso
Sebastian Ingrosso is a Swedish DJ and producer of Italian descent. Born in Grahamstown, South Africa but raised in Solna, Sweden. Sebastian spent his teenage years in his fathers studio learning how to make music, with his first official remix released on Mega Records in 1999...
, Gareth Emery
Gareth Emery
Gareth Emery is a trance-genre producer and DJ. In 2011 he was voted the #13 DJ in the world by DJ Mag Poll.-Background:...
, and Arno Cost.
Compilation albums
Godskitchen released their first compilation in 1999, Divine, and have since released a further 11 compilations, the most recent being Godskitchen Underground.The name
While trying to come up with a name for their new house night, promoters observed that the best house parties always seem to gravitate around the kitchen. They soon concluded that the very best parties would be held in God's kitchen, hence the name. This name was also used by the 1980s synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group Blancmange
Blancmange (band)
Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
who produced a song called "God's Kitchen", although the two may not have been connected.