Nation (nightclub)
Encyclopedia
Nation was a live music/club venue, located at 1015 Half Street SE, in the Navy Yard/Near Southeast
neighborhood, of Washington, D.C.
It was larger than any other club in the D.C. area, with three levels indoors and a multi-level outdoor patio. Its large rooms, sound and lighting systems made it a popular club for the rave
, goth
, drum & bass and gay
communities.
and Lords of Acid
being among the first acts to take the stage. The club was located near the other seminal Navy Yard club called Tracks, a large gay club
at the time. The Capitol Ballroom began hosting "Buzz" nights on Fridays, which hosted a number of national and international talent in dance music. It eventually became one of the country's largest weekly dance party/rave hybrid. On Saturdays, the party "Industrial Revolution" hosted by D.C. DJ "Mohawk" Adam brought industrial and dark electronic acts. Nation became recognized locally for highly diverse concert events. Nation was also recognized on a national and even international level for its three weekly DJ and theme driven nightclub parties.
Due to its large size, The Capitol Ballroom did host many top-selling musical acts during its four-year tenure, but it also had a sparse schedule, as the neighborhood, located in the area of Near Southeast in D.C., was notorious for its high crime rate in the mid-1990s. In 1999, The Capitol Ballroom changed management and became known as Nation.
Nation was managed by Primacy Companies, Inc. On July 16, 2006, the club closed after longtime lot owners Potomac Investment Properties decided to move forward with a planned 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) office building on the site. In July 2007, Potomac Investment sold the site to Opus East for $41.5 million, and in spring 2008 construction began on the office building. The area is now considered part of the "Ballpark District" due to the fact the Nationals Park stadium has been built two blocks away. As of January 2010, Opus East is insolvent and construction has been halted.
to Rage Against the Machine
.
The final event at Nation featured Mindless Self Indulgence
Technical staff at Nation included lighting director Kevin Clark, sound technician Jeff Night and production manager Joe "Shaggy" Conroy. The main room was equipped with a 40 feet (12.2 m) stage, a large mezzanine walkway, and a third level skybox was added in 2000 for VIPs. The lighting in the main room consisted of 8 Studio Spots, 12 Studio colors, 72 par-cans, 6 lekos, 5 Studio 250s, and 6 MAC 500 moving heads; all controlled by a Hog 1000 with the pars and lekos going through a leprechaun dimmer rack. Video was processed through an Edirol v-4 mixer and fed to the upstage, downstage, circular, and rectangular trusses for projection. The sound was legendary and consisted of EAW cabinets and drivers, amplified by Crown, and fed by a post-processor in the DJ booth that received signal via a Pioneer 500 mixer or, if the talent on hand preferred something a little more "old-school", a Rane mixer. Front of house sound was managed by contracted third parties, usually Springfield Sound or MSI.
Nation did many shows of their own such as concerts, sporting events, trade shows, and even a six week run of The Rocky Horror Show
. It was home to events such as "Alchemy/Alias" (Thursday), "Buzz," and alternately "Cubik" after a brief move to Redwood Trust in Baltimore (Friday), and gay night "Velvet Nation
" (Saturday).
"Alchemy" was one of the country's weekly goth/industrial nights. Tony Tribby led a team that created Alchemy and used Nation's multi-room layout to combine music ranging from industrial, ebm, goth, 80s, punk, electro-clash, trance, alternative into a package with a Goth aesthetic. Alchemy had hosted VNV Nation
, Icon of Coil
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Juno Reactor
, Shiny Toy Guns
and others at their Thursday night event, and put on annual events such as Goth Prom in the Spring and Freaks United every July 4.
"Buzz" and "Cubik" were named the country’s top electronic dance music events numerous times by international publications such as Urb and BPM. Buzz and Cubik hosted the world’s top electronic house, drum and bass, breakbeat and techno djs such as Paul Oakenfold
, Tiesto
, Sasha and Digweed, Dave Clarke
, Dieselboy
, Andy C
, The Freestylers, The Chemical Brothers
, The Crystal Method
and Paul Van Dyk
as well as live acts such as Rabbit in the Moon
and The Prodigy
.
Saturdays played host to Velvet Nation, a gay dance event. The event was respected as one of the top events of its kind in the US. For many years it hosted circuit event DJs and talents such as Junior Vasquez
, Abel Aguilera, Alyson Calagna, Mike Reeze, Manny Lehman, Tony Moran, Victor Calderone
, The Pet Shop Boys, KD Lang, and The Village People. It was also known for its theme events such as Madonnarama, a night of all Madonna
music and video.
Navy Yard/Near Southeast
Navy Yard, also known as Near Southeast, is a neighborhood on the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, D.C. Navy Yard is bounded by Interstate 395 to the north, South Capitol Street to the west, and the Anacostia River to the south and east...
neighborhood, of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It was larger than any other club in the D.C. area, with three levels indoors and a multi-level outdoor patio. Its large rooms, sound and lighting systems made it a popular club for the rave
Rave
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...
, goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, drum & bass and gay
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
communities.
History
Built in 1924, the building initially comprised the front entrance of what became Nation, serving as a carriage factory. The building later expanded as it changed hands, at one point serving as a warehouse for the military and finally as a factory for Hurley Boiler before it was ceased operations. The club first opened its doors as The Capitol Ballroom in August 1995, with The Ramones, BjörkBjörk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
and Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
being among the first acts to take the stage. The club was located near the other seminal Navy Yard club called Tracks, a large gay club
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
at the time. The Capitol Ballroom began hosting "Buzz" nights on Fridays, which hosted a number of national and international talent in dance music. It eventually became one of the country's largest weekly dance party/rave hybrid. On Saturdays, the party "Industrial Revolution" hosted by D.C. DJ "Mohawk" Adam brought industrial and dark electronic acts. Nation became recognized locally for highly diverse concert events. Nation was also recognized on a national and even international level for its three weekly DJ and theme driven nightclub parties.
Due to its large size, The Capitol Ballroom did host many top-selling musical acts during its four-year tenure, but it also had a sparse schedule, as the neighborhood, located in the area of Near Southeast in D.C., was notorious for its high crime rate in the mid-1990s. In 1999, The Capitol Ballroom changed management and became known as Nation.
Nation was managed by Primacy Companies, Inc. On July 16, 2006, the club closed after longtime lot owners Potomac Investment Properties decided to move forward with a planned 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) office building on the site. In July 2007, Potomac Investment sold the site to Opus East for $41.5 million, and in spring 2008 construction began on the office building. The area is now considered part of the "Ballpark District" due to the fact the Nationals Park stadium has been built two blocks away. As of January 2010, Opus East is insolvent and construction has been halted.
Notable events
Nation had been host to hundreds of bands and solo acts, from David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
to Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
.
The final event at Nation featured Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
Technical staff at Nation included lighting director Kevin Clark, sound technician Jeff Night and production manager Joe "Shaggy" Conroy. The main room was equipped with a 40 feet (12.2 m) stage, a large mezzanine walkway, and a third level skybox was added in 2000 for VIPs. The lighting in the main room consisted of 8 Studio Spots, 12 Studio colors, 72 par-cans, 6 lekos, 5 Studio 250s, and 6 MAC 500 moving heads; all controlled by a Hog 1000 with the pars and lekos going through a leprechaun dimmer rack. Video was processed through an Edirol v-4 mixer and fed to the upstage, downstage, circular, and rectangular trusses for projection. The sound was legendary and consisted of EAW cabinets and drivers, amplified by Crown, and fed by a post-processor in the DJ booth that received signal via a Pioneer 500 mixer or, if the talent on hand preferred something a little more "old-school", a Rane mixer. Front of house sound was managed by contracted third parties, usually Springfield Sound or MSI.
Nation did many shows of their own such as concerts, sporting events, trade shows, and even a six week run of The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
. It was home to events such as "Alchemy/Alias" (Thursday), "Buzz," and alternately "Cubik" after a brief move to Redwood Trust in Baltimore (Friday), and gay night "Velvet Nation
Velvet Nation
Velvet Nation was a gay dance event that took place at the Nation nightclub, formerly known as The Capitol Ballroom, located at 1015 Half Street, SE in Washington, D.C. The party name was derived from the venue name and "Velvet", an ode to the gay community. This event was hosted weekly on Saturday...
" (Saturday).
"Alchemy" was one of the country's weekly goth/industrial nights. Tony Tribby led a team that created Alchemy and used Nation's multi-room layout to combine music ranging from industrial, ebm, goth, 80s, punk, electro-clash, trance, alternative into a package with a Goth aesthetic. Alchemy had hosted VNV Nation
VNV Nation
VNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...
, Icon of Coil
Icon of Coil
Icon of Coil is a Norwegian electronic music band. The band was established as a solo project in 1997 by Andy LaPlegua who was joined by former Sector 9 bandmate Sebastian Komor to perform live. With the release of Shallow Nation, the band's first single, Komor joined full-time. In 2000, Christian...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
, Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns is an American indie rock band that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles, California. They released their first studio album We Are Pilots in 2006, after recording it two previous times. It featured three singles that peaked inside the top 30 in the Alternative Songs Chart. We Are Pilots...
and others at their Thursday night event, and put on annual events such as Goth Prom in the Spring and Freaks United every July 4.
"Buzz" and "Cubik" were named the country’s top electronic dance music events numerous times by international publications such as Urb and BPM. Buzz and Cubik hosted the world’s top electronic house, drum and bass, breakbeat and techno djs such as Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
, Tiesto
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
, Sasha and Digweed, Dave Clarke
Dave Clarke
Dave Clarke is an English techno producer and DJ, often given the title, 'The Baron of Techno'.-Life and career:...
, Dieselboy
Dieselboy
Dieselboy is the stage name of Damian Higgins, an American drum and bass DJ, producer, remixer, founder of the Human Imprint music label, and co-founder of its sublabel SubHuman : Human Imprint which launched in September 2010...
, Andy C
Andy C
Andy C , born Andrew John Clarke, is an English DJ and producer and co-founder of the RAM Recording Studio. He is the son of Mick Clarke, bass player and founder member of the Rubettes, who had hits in the seventies like Sugar Baby Love, Tonight and I Can Do It.He is considered a pioneering force...
, The Freestylers, The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
, The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...
and Paul Van Dyk
Paul van Dyk
Matthias Paul, better known by his stage name Paul van Dyk is a German Grammy Award-winning Electronic Dance Music DJ, musician and record producer...
as well as live acts such as Rabbit in the Moon
Rabbit In the Moon
Rabbit in the Moon was an American electronic music group. Their style draws from psychedelic trance, house music and breakbeat, along with other diverse influences.-History:...
and The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
.
Saturdays played host to Velvet Nation, a gay dance event. The event was respected as one of the top events of its kind in the US. For many years it hosted circuit event DJs and talents such as Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
, Abel Aguilera, Alyson Calagna, Mike Reeze, Manny Lehman, Tony Moran, Victor Calderone
Victor Calderone
Victor Calderone is a house music producer, DJ and remixer.-History:Raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, Calderone was introduced into New York City's nightlife by his older brother, Cesar, who was very active in the club music business. Calderone began to dabble with turntables and...
, The Pet Shop Boys, KD Lang, and The Village People. It was also known for its theme events such as Madonnarama, a night of all Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
music and video.
External links
- Nation Nightclub homepage
- Alchemy DC -- the country's largest weekly goth/industrial night
- Buzzlife -- DC's largest weekly Electronic Dance Music night
- Nation Nightclub: Press Statement