The zap
Encyclopedia
The Zap Club first opened at the New Oriental Hotel Brighton in April 1982. Founded by Neil Butler Patricia Butler and Amanda Scott the Zap was an experiment to mix radical art with cutting edge entertainment. The first shows were presented in a cabaret format mixing performance art, poetry, comedy, dance and theatre with the opening night featuring Ian smith, Roger Ely and the band Resident Zero. It soon moved to the Escape and then to the Northern before finally arriving at its own home in Kings Road Arches in October 1984.
The Club was organised by the four directors: Neil and Pat Butler. Dave Reeves and Angie Goodchild.
Ian Smith was the resident MC and in the new venue the Club started to develop a music policy that won acclaim for its live music and its place at the forefront of the late 80s House boom.
Meanwhile the Zap continued to promote and commission radical art and entertainment through its regular performance programmes, commissions and festivals.
See Zap: 25 years of cultural innovation http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/category_id__1372_path__0p116p169p.aspx
The club's commitment to New Art for New Audiences led to a range of projects across the UK including curating seasons of performance at the ICA and London South Bank and developing the Streetbiz Street Arts Festival as part of Glasgow's 1990 Year of Culture Celebrations. These external projects were managed by Zap Productions where the Zap Directors were joined by Robin Morley. In 1994 Zap Productions joined with Edinburgh's Unique Events to create Glasgow based UZ Events. UZ went on to create a range of festivals and events including the Shine On Festival Glasgows Hogmanay and Millennium celebrations, Big in Falkirk , Glasgow Art Fair and Glasgow's Merchant City Festival. Internationally UZ created programmes for the Scottish Government (Executive) in New York Canada and Sweden and a range of projects on nearly every continent.
The original Zap directors sold the club in 1997 with Zap Productions continuing for some years before handing over all projects to the charity Zap Art which continues to create programmes and commission artists and companies in the field of Street Arts.
Where are they now?
Neil Butler is Artistic director of UZ Events www.uzevents.com
Dave Reeves is Chief Executive of Zap Art www.zapart.co.uk
Angie Livingston works with Cherie Blair
Patricia Butler is a teacher
Robin Morley is Director of Magnetic Events www.magneticevents.org
Ian Smith is Artistic Director of www.mischieflabas.co.uk
The Zap and clubbing
The Zap is a dance club in Brighton
that became famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for large "acid house
" dance parties that were held there, for example Tonka, with DJ Harvey
, Choci and Rev (Mondays), Protechtion (Fridays) with DJ Eric Powell, and Coco Club, with DJ Chris Coco
(Saturdays).
Located in the arches on the Kingsway (seafront) in Brighton
, many people would party all night at the Zap, and then sleep on the beach during the day. The Zap is mentioned in the book The Black Album by author Hanif Kureishi
.
A large part of the Zap Club's appeal has undoubtedly been its location. This has allowed visitors to the club, to have a close view, from the balcony windows of the beach, while indulging in a spot of chill out
.
, and then US Garage.
, during the 1990s. While other Acid House
clubs like The Haçienda
in Manchester hit trouble after the heyday of Acid and early rave, the Zap adapted, and thrived, well into the era of the newer, larger type of dance club - the Superclub
. This was despite the fact that the Zap only had a capacity of about 500.
While the club continued the previous policies of harder house, and techno (Red), on Fridays, and house and garage (Pussycat Club) on Saturdays, Monday nights were given over to a range of nights, showcasing everything from Trip hop
to Trance music
. The Zap was instrumental in bringing Trance, then emerging from the Frankfurt
underground, to the UK, with regular Monday night sets from Sven Vath
and DJ Dag (of Dance 2 Trance
). Popular European DJs such as Laurent Garnier
and CJ Bolland also DJed at the Zap around this time.
Nevertheless, the Zap's Monday nights, during the mid 1990s also provided plenty of opportunity for American and British DJ's. US House legends David Morales
and Frankie Knuckles
played at the Zap's Monday night, while DJ's Sasha
and John Digweed
, already superstars in the North and Midlands of England, brought their magic to the South Coast, with the launch of their 'Northern Exposure' night, in the autumn of 1993. These parties, and the progressive style that Sasha and Digweed brought to the club's turntables were a huge hit with the Zap crowd, and the atmosphere in the club evoked, and even surpassed the frenzied energy and positivity of the clubs' earlier years. Despite the Zap's sound system often being criticized, Sasha was quoted in a dance music magazine, as saying his two favorite clubs were the Hacienda and the Zap.
In the mid 1990s, Danny Rampling
began a monthly residence, called 'South' that showcased his new, trancey, Euro style. Again, this ensured long lines outside the club, and Rampling often gratefully mentioned the positivity and friendliness of the Zap crowd, on his Radio 1
Show. Saturday nights also adapted, bringing a more 'pumped up', Superclub
style of House music
to the club. Accordingly, superstar DJ's such as Paul Oakenfold
and Jeremy Healy
often played in the club, during these years.
The Club was organised by the four directors: Neil and Pat Butler. Dave Reeves and Angie Goodchild.
Ian Smith was the resident MC and in the new venue the Club started to develop a music policy that won acclaim for its live music and its place at the forefront of the late 80s House boom.
Meanwhile the Zap continued to promote and commission radical art and entertainment through its regular performance programmes, commissions and festivals.
See Zap: 25 years of cultural innovation http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/category_id__1372_path__0p116p169p.aspx
The club's commitment to New Art for New Audiences led to a range of projects across the UK including curating seasons of performance at the ICA and London South Bank and developing the Streetbiz Street Arts Festival as part of Glasgow's 1990 Year of Culture Celebrations. These external projects were managed by Zap Productions where the Zap Directors were joined by Robin Morley. In 1994 Zap Productions joined with Edinburgh's Unique Events to create Glasgow based UZ Events. UZ went on to create a range of festivals and events including the Shine On Festival Glasgows Hogmanay and Millennium celebrations, Big in Falkirk , Glasgow Art Fair and Glasgow's Merchant City Festival. Internationally UZ created programmes for the Scottish Government (Executive) in New York Canada and Sweden and a range of projects on nearly every continent.
The original Zap directors sold the club in 1997 with Zap Productions continuing for some years before handing over all projects to the charity Zap Art which continues to create programmes and commission artists and companies in the field of Street Arts.
Where are they now?
Neil Butler is Artistic director of UZ Events www.uzevents.com
Dave Reeves is Chief Executive of Zap Art www.zapart.co.uk
Angie Livingston works with Cherie Blair
Patricia Butler is a teacher
Robin Morley is Director of Magnetic Events www.magneticevents.org
Ian Smith is Artistic Director of www.mischieflabas.co.uk
The Zap and clubbing
The Zap is a dance club in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
that became famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for large "acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
" dance parties that were held there, for example Tonka, with DJ Harvey
DJ Harvey
Dj Harvey, , is a DJ from Cambridge, England. He has achieved a following the world over including places such as Singapore and Japan...
, Choci and Rev (Mondays), Protechtion (Fridays) with DJ Eric Powell, and Coco Club, with DJ Chris Coco
Chris Coco
Chris Coco is a club/radio DJ, producer and music critic.As a club DJ, he is perhaps best known as the resident, at the hugely popular Coco Club. This underground Saturday night house music event ran from 1989 to 1994, at The Zap Club in Brighton.He is also now also playing full time in...
(Saturdays).
Located in the arches on the Kingsway (seafront) in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, many people would party all night at the Zap, and then sleep on the beach during the day. The Zap is mentioned in the book The Black Album by author Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi CBE is an English playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker, novelist and short story writer. The themes of his work have touched on topics of race, nationalism, immigration, and sexuality...
.
A large part of the Zap Club's appeal has undoubtedly been its location. This has allowed visitors to the club, to have a close view, from the balcony windows of the beach, while indulging in a spot of chill out
Chill out
Chill out may mean:*Chill out music, a laid-back style of music*Chill Out, an album by KLF*Chill Out *Chill Out, an album by John Lee Hooker...
.
Acid House, Rave, and the early Dance Music era
Tonka nights continued, for five 'fantastic' years, ending in the Summer of 1993, and Protechtion finished later the same year. The following year, Chris Coco bought his Saturday nights to an end with a packed, and extended house party. Throughout these years, these three nights had continually played music that had showcased the newest and best sounds of underground dance. While Tonka straddled the Acid House, and early Trance eras, Protechtion went for a more British style of Techno, championed by Eric Powell, that was later more fully developed by DJ's such as Dave Clarke, and Powell's Bush Records label; and a happier, British house sound, played by London DJ Paul Newman (better known as 'Tall Paul'). Additionally, Chris Coco's night showcased a more American style of dance music, at first House musicHouse 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 then US Garage.
The Zap Club in the 1990s
Having ridden the acid house wave, and added its own chapters in the story, the Zap continued to showcase emerging DJ's and newer styles of electronic dance musicElectronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, during the 1990s. While other Acid House
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
clubs like The Haçienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
in Manchester hit trouble after the heyday of Acid and early rave, the Zap adapted, and thrived, well into the era of the newer, larger type of dance club - the Superclub
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...
. This was despite the fact that the Zap only had a capacity of about 500.
While the club continued the previous policies of harder house, and techno (Red), on Fridays, and house and garage (Pussycat Club) on Saturdays, Monday nights were given over to a range of nights, showcasing everything from Trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
to Trance music
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...
. The Zap was instrumental in bringing Trance, then emerging from the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
underground, to the UK, with regular Monday night sets from Sven Vath
Sven Väth
Sven Väth is a Frankfurt-based DJ who has produced an extensive range of work since his career began in 1982. From 1985, he was part of the band OFF which released the hit "Electrica Salsa" in 1986...
and DJ Dag (of Dance 2 Trance
Dance 2 Trance
Dance 2 Trance was a German trance duo composed of Rolf Ellmer and DJ Dag Lerner. They had a small number of hit singles in the mid 1990s and were associated with Jam & Spoon.-Musical career:...
). Popular European DJs such as Laurent Garnier
Laurent Garnier
Laurent Garnier , is a French techno music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJ-ing in Manchester during the late 1980s. By the following decade, he had a broad stylistic range, able to span deep house, Detroit techno, trance and jazz...
and CJ Bolland also DJed at the Zap around this time.
Nevertheless, the Zap's Monday nights, during the mid 1990s also provided plenty of opportunity for American and British DJ's. US House legends David Morales
David Morales
David Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
and Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...
played at the Zap's Monday night, while DJ's Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
and John Digweed
John Digweed
John Digweed is an English DJ, record producer and acclaimed actor.-Biography:John Digweed began DJing around age 4...
, already superstars in the North and Midlands of England, brought their magic to the South Coast, with the launch of their 'Northern Exposure' night, in the autumn of 1993. These parties, and the progressive style that Sasha and Digweed brought to the club's turntables were a huge hit with the Zap crowd, and the atmosphere in the club evoked, and even surpassed the frenzied energy and positivity of the clubs' earlier years. Despite the Zap's sound system often being criticized, Sasha was quoted in a dance music magazine, as saying his two favorite clubs were the Hacienda and the Zap.
In the mid 1990s, Danny Rampling
Danny Rampling
Danny Rampling is a British House Music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene. His long career began in the early 1980s playing hip-hop, soul and funk around numerous bars and clubs in London.-Ibiza:...
began a monthly residence, called 'South' that showcased his new, trancey, Euro style. Again, this ensured long lines outside the club, and Rampling often gratefully mentioned the positivity and friendliness of the Zap crowd, on his Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Show. Saturday nights also adapted, bringing a more 'pumped up', Superclub
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...
style of 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...
to the club. Accordingly, superstar DJ's 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...
and Jeremy Healy
Jeremy Healy
Jeremy Healy is an English DJ and singer. He is a former member of the 1980s pop group, Haysi Fantayzee.-Career:...
often played in the club, during these years.