Last Thursday we partied like it was 1999, and 1991, and every year between then and now to celebrate the launch of our 20:20 Exhibition. Running Tuesday-Friday until 1st April at our world-famous club in south London, the exhibition is part of The 20:20 Project, an extensive range of activity throughout 2011 to commemorate our 20th anniversary and our past, present and future.
Where could you begin but the Box; the room that has held so many memories over the years. Walking in and seeing a giant mirrored Ministry of Sound logo hanging in the middle of the room reminds you that this is where it all began back in 1991. Accompanying it are actual pieces of our history, from the priceless rotary Urie mixer favoured by likes of Larry Levan (Paradise Garage) or Burt Bevan (Studio 54) when they played the club to the Rane MP2016Eac fitted to meet the needs of Soul Heaven and Rulin’ favourites Masters at Work, Erick Morillo and David Morales. We've worked together with Martin Audio, the company responsible for our world-renowned unique soundsystem, to highlight our position as one of the leading pioneers of audio technology and give you a sense of just what went into all those legendary nights.
Speaking of which, every Thursday night you have the chance to get in the DJ booth and actually play a track on the club’s soundsystem and experience what it feels like to stand in the shoes of the world’s superstar DJs, accompanied by projections, CO2 cannons and sound effects to recreate a Saturday night headline slot. The power!!! It's amazing how good just being up there feels...
In keeping with the audio theme, there's also an audio commentary in the Box from key individuals and DJs including the club's founding partners Justin Berkmann & Humphrey Waterhouse and original residents including CJ Mackintosh, Jazzy M, Gareth Cooke and Frankie Foncett, who were intrinsic to the club’s creation and development. Listening to how it all began and exactly what the club means to the individuals involved is a surprisingly emotional experience...especially when intercut with some of the all-time anthems that have rocked the Box throughout the years. The presentation is projected onto screens throughout the Box and also the 5.5m L.E.D. wall at the back of the DJ booth that was made by Martin; as you'd expect, the sound is banging so this really is an outstanding recreation of our history.
The Baby Box has been returned to its original incarnation as a cinema, playing two short films containing video interviews from the club's founders, original resident DJs, promoters and door staff as well as more recent faces, from Gareth Cooke, CJ Mackintosh and Smokin' Jo to Pete Tong, Mark Knight, Paul van Dyk and many more. As these leading figures in clubland explain what the club stands for in their eyes, their experiences here and what they think the future holds, it's another powerful testimony to the incredible legacy of the club to date.
The 103 meanwhile has been totally transformed; the walls are adorned with famous Ministry of Sound album covers and club flyers of old, and the room is dominated by a 15-metre long installation featuring a year by year audio timeline where you can listen to some of the tracks that defined each year (as selected by resident and guest DJs from each year) and view an archive of rare photography, memorable milestones and a snapshot of key events. On top of that, the installation also showcases some of the technology that has helped keep music at the heart of our lives even outside of the club, from the Sony Walkmans and mixtapes we were all listening to when the club launched in 1991 through to the first generation iPod in 2001 and the iPad.
It was the 103 that was the heart of last week's launch party; while the exhibition took centre stage for the first half of the evening, appropriately for the second half it was time to let the music do the talking! Playing half an hour each, the sets were split between original residents Gareth Cooke, Justin Berkmann, Jazzy M and new generation Richard Murray, Michael Woods and Joe & Will Ask? From some proper old skool 90s house to club classics to latest dancefloor destroyers, everyone had a smile on their face and their hands in the air - a fitting celebration of the club at its very best.
An outstanding guide to the music, the people and the events that have brought Ministry of Sound, dance music and all our fans to where we stand today, the 20:20 Exhibition is a unique retrospective of all things good and glorious in dance music over the past 20 years - here's to the next 20!
For more information on The 20:20 Project and the 20:20 Exhibition, click here.
To view the interactive 20:20 Timeline on our website, click here.
