In response to the news of Dance Tunnel’s closure, a host of DJs, promoters and attendees voice their thoughts

The news that Dance Tunnel will be closing in August due to rigid licensing laws has instigated a wave of shock amongst the capital’s clubbing community and further afield. While Dance Tunnel’s owners hope to regroup and move their operation to another location, questions are being raised as to the future of London’s nightlife as a whole. Alongside those expressing concern for the capital’s nightlife, the recent outpouring of bittersweet praise and support for the club and its team is testament to the lifeline it has provided since opening its doors in 2012.

In an attempt to reflect what made Dance Tunnel one of London’s best-loved venues, we asked just a handful of the club’s fans, from DJs to promoters to fervent attendees, to share their thoughts on the now-fleeting space.

ItaloJohnson

DJ and Producer collective

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
We don’t have to think twice about this one. A former girlfriend of one of our members who we were supposed to meet at the Dance Tunnel decided to reveal herself by performing a perfect split on the subwoofers, which were located right in front of the DJ booth at the time. The bouncer on site went a bit beyond the call of duty and tackled the 6 foot tall hotstuff off the subs. We had to do a lot of persuading and involve [Dance Tunnel’s owner] Dan Beaumont to convince the doorman that she was actually with us. Overwhelmed with positive emotions over our victory we decided to crank it up a notch and get quite lubricated… The whole evening and the set turned out so well that by the end of the night we got flushed out (by the same bouncer) together with the crowd without collecting our fee or bringing our jackets. Dan and Matt were kind enough to transfer the fee the very next day. Don’t get us started on the afterparty.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
The best things about playing at the Tunnel are: that you get to eat the legendary Cockblocker sandwhiches at Dan Beaumont’s burger joint / bar, the Dalston Superstore, aaand the Dance Tunnel has by far the bestest frozen margaritas we have ever had in our live-fast-die-young lives.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
The Tunnel is not closed yet, so let us hope there is something that can be done to keep this from happening – and in case it is happening, we are certain the lads will cook up an even sicker venue that will add much more to London’s nightlife.

Ben UFO

DJ

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
Dance Tunnel wasn’t a flashy venue. It was one room, you could fit around 200 people in there, the sound was pretty good, they booked consistently varied, interesting lineups and the vibe was always fun. It was the kind of venue that is totally essential to a healthy scene. As a promoter I would assume that the capacity meant it was a relatively low risk undertaking, and as a DJ it was lovely to play on a setup where you were so close to the audience.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
It’s a huge loss for London clubbing at a time where it feels as though there’s a rapidly widening gap between the prohibitively expensive, multi-room bigger spaces, and tiny, unreliable bar venues. Both have their own sets of problems, and to be honest in recent years Dance Tunnel felt like one of the last bastions of an alternative.

Lauren Martin

Editor at RBMA

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
My favourite memory is more of an overarching one than of a single night. I love that Dance Tunnel has given so many DJs their big break into the scene. When someone would announce on social media that they were playing Dance Tunnel, I’d always read it as having been told with genuine excitement. Seeing my little-brother-from-another-mother, Bake, play there for the first time, and again recently as a B2B with (let’s face it, his hero) Ben UFO, is right up there for me. Well, that and every time I ate a slice of pizza outside halfway through the night. Power up.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend?
It’s dark enough that you hug a wall and just listen, but then a foot away is a crew of high-energy nutters absolutely going for it – and you can exist in the same space. The sound rumbles around the walls in the right ways and the rare dickheads are swiftly taken care of by the staff, who are evergreen in their care for you. There’s always a balance that needs to be struck, and that balance is constantly changing, but I get that Dance Tunnel gives a shit, you know? Mostly, though, it feels like a sneaky enclave for weirdness under one of busiest roads in Hackney.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
Dan Beaumont speaks brilliantly about the myriad issues here, but personally I see this less as Council cronyism and more as a multi-faceted cultural onslaught against communities that defy or operate on the fringes of larger, more financially-driven entities. Developers sell neighbourhoods to people who move in, hike up the prices, have babies, and demand quiet for their money. It’s no coincidence to me that this monstrosity is nearly finished, right along the road from Dance Tunnel. For London nightlife, it means that we need to be more active and vocal than ever about the spaces we love, otherwise the 24-hour tube will be a ghost train.

Honey Dijon

DJ and Producer

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
I would say the Studio 89 party where I got to spin the music that formed me and the DNA of house music i.e disco. The energy was amazing and such a perfect venue and atmosphere electric. Intimate, dark, sweaty, and sexy.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
Dance Tunnel was the essence of what an underground should be. Bare bones, minimal lighting, a simple space with the focus on the music. I also loved the feeling of walking into a basement down a long corridor to the dance floor. That alone creates tension and excitement.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
With all the gentrification happening in London it seems that the very thing that gives the city its flavor and character is slowly being eroded away. How is it that dancing and celebrating life is less important than shopping and living in overpriced housing??? Venues like Dance Tunnel bring people together and its a loss not only for the dance community but for the fabric of the city.

 

Aurora Mitchell

Writer at Dummy, FACT, The Fader, Impose, Juno Plus and more

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
Over the past couple of years, Dance Tunnel has become one of my most visited clubs. Despite it being a 2-hour bus journey back to my home once the lights come up and the music stops, I’ve travelled that way to see people from Ben UFO, Call Super and Galcher Lustwerk play smile-inducing sets in the Dalston sweatbox. However, my favourite memory is from a FWD night last year – Kuedo blended Usher’s Climax into a Jlin track and it completely blew my mind.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
Dance Tunnel has consistently been able to pull in some really strong, sometimes surprisingly big bookings while keeping things intimate and I’ve always really respected that.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
It’s become evident that just supporting London’s clubs and visibly opposing the licensing laws, noise complaints and building developments that are destroying some of the capital’s most well-loved rooms isn’t enough. Council and government legislation is proving stronger than the people fighting against it for the inhabitants of London to keep their homes and their favourite night-time spots and it’s really difficult to see a proper way out while under the Conservative rule. The capital is currently in upheaval and we’re in danger of our clubbing scene going into decline like New York did in the 90s, aided similarly by a rise in unaffordable accommodation. Hold the “Clubbing in London is dead” thinkpieces though, because while Dance Tunnel certainly won’t be the last in shocking club closures, new spaces will continue to establish themselves, despite increasingly difficult conditions. This piece from Vice back in January about Dalston specifically and how nightlife shapeshifts under the strain of gentrification feels even more significant now.

Matt Hesselworth

Promoter at Tief

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
So many!! We did a party after Found Festival a few years ago which ended up in a b2b2b2b with Axel Boman, Midland, me and Chris Gold which was pretty electric. Thunder parties are pretty unbeatable down there, Hunee being a personal favourite. I have also seen Patrice Scott play a complete stormer, oh Black Madonna on one particular occasion too – magic. The Madlib party that Mr Beatnick played at was insane too, one of those parties that you just know will never be replicated.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
Hmm, one of those things you cant put your finger on. When it is happening down there it really happens. I guess the layout of the place means there is so much focus which means so much energy when the stars align.Playing there is an absolute pleasure and if you cant mix in that booth, you cant mix at all. Although the location is such where you should get loads of passing trade, somehow it tends to only attract people who are there for the music.. that coupled with the booking policy which is second to none, means the crowd are pretty much always great, open minded and appreciative.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
One less platform for quality artists to play quality music to quality people. It really is a shame.

Nic Tasker

DJ / Whities label boss

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
We did a lot of the first Principals nights there, and one moment that particularly stands out was Stand on the Word being played as the last tune to a crowd who were all hugging each other and smiling from ear to ear. I also got into the habit of listening to all my test pressings there so I’m definitely going to miss that…

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
Probably that first and foremost it’s a small dark room with a decent sound system. I also like that the DJ is on the same level as the crowd and you can’t really see them unless you’re in the first two rows. It means people tend to forget about watching the DJ and lose themselves in the sound more easily.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
There’s obviously a wider social problem that happens to affect our scene quite prominently at the moment. Cultures and communities driven by forces which aren’t predominantly financial are being consistently displaced and stifled. In terms of nightlife, things will evolve and people will find new ways to make it work, as always, but it’s disheartening to see. Small venues, the DJs, the promoters and the crowds that drive them are a vital force for both emerging and existing scenes to flourish.

Gabriel Szatan

Editor / Music Programmer at Boiler Room

What is your favourite memory of Dance Tunnel?
Probably Palms Trax on a warm October evening two years back, with a big group of assorted international mates for whom the club instantly became the gold standard of going out in London. Mr Trax was a bundle of nerves beforehand (sorry Jay!) but nailed the set as always. I don’t remember much of it to be fair beyond his exhausted, elated face at lights up. It was like a bouncy castle that night. Total joy.

What makes Dance Tunnel such a pleasure to attend/play?
It’s like a bouncy castle every night.

What does Dance Tunnel’s closure mean for London nightlife?
Hard to say. The quality of the bookings has hardly ever faltered, week in week out, ever since they’ve been running. So in the long term all those DJs need to go somewhere, and it could disrupt the recent pivot away from over-stuffed line ups in the capital. Maybe another space with an inclusive attitude and an unencumbered floor for dancing and a killer system and a witty slice of pizza upstairs will spring up tomorrow. But it’s pretty fucking unlikely. In the short term? A lot of people like myself and the names flanking me in this piece are going to feel pretty downcast; it doesn’t bode well. Obviously no-one deserves to have the rug pulled from underneath them like this – but Matt and Dan especially didn’t. Condolences to all the Tunnel Dancers. Life suxx.

Read Dance Tunnel’s latest statement here

Words: Anna Tehabsim + Sammy Jones

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