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Fabric (club)

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Fabric (stylized as fabric) is a nightclub in Farringdon, London, England. Founded in 1999 on Charterhouse Street opposite Smithfield Market, the club was voted World Number 1 Club in DJ Magazine's "Top 100 Clubs Poll" in 2007 and 2008[2] and ranked World Number 2 in 2009, 2010 and 2017.[3][4]

fabric
Entrance in Charterhouse Street (2020)
Map
LocationFarringdon, London, England
Coordinates51°31′10.05″N 0°6′10.36″W / 51.5194583°N 0.1028778°W / 51.5194583; -0.1028778
OwnerFabric Life Limited
TypeNightclub
Capacity1,600[1]
Opened1999 (original open date)
2017 (reopen date)
Closed2016 (reopened)
Website
fabriclondon.com

Fabric was closed down and its license was revoked by Islington Council in 2016, after two drug-related deaths at the club. Following a campaign to save the club[5] it was permitted to be reopened with increased security and restrictions.

History

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The club was founded by Keith Reilly[6] and Cameron Leslie and opened on 29 October 1999.[7]

Fabric occupied the renovated space of the Metropolitan Cold Stores. Smithfield Meat Market stands and operates from a site directly opposite. The area's construction took place in Victorian times alongside nearby landmarks Holborn Viaduct and Fleet Valley Bridge.

Fabric has three separate rooms with independent sound systems; two of the rooms feature stages for live acts. A feature of the club is its vibrating floor in Room One: known as a "bodysonic" dancefloor, sections of the floor are attached to 400 bass transducers emitting bass frequencies of the music being played.

In 2010, Fabric briefly went into administration after its sister club Matter, with whom it had a cross-guaranteed loan, announced it would close for the summer due to financial difficulties suffered as a consequence of continued delays with TfL upgrade of the Jubilee Line.[8] Fabric was put on the market on 1 June 2010.[9] On 24 June it was announced Fabric was no longer in administration and had been bought by the Fabric Life consortium.[10]

2016 closure and reopening

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On 7 September 2016, after a review into the drug-related deaths of two people in the club, Leslie appeared in front of the licensing board to defend Fabric's way of handling drugs and drug dealers at their club.[11] Fabric's licence was revoked and it was announced that the venue would be closed permanently.[12][13] A campaign was launched to secure the club's future, backed and popularised by DJs, musicians, venue-goers and several politicians.[13] London's mayor Sadiq Khan criticised the decision and placed it in the context of the city having lost 50% of its nightclubs since 2008, a "decline [which] must stop if London is to retain its status as a 24-hour city with a world-class nightlife".[14]

Following the closure, supporters of the club launched a social media and crowdfunding campaign supporting reopening the club. Over £200,000 was raised toward a legal fighting fund to appeal the council's decision.[15] In November 2016, news reports stated that the council and the club's management were working on an out of court settlement that might lead to the reopening of the club.[16][17] On 21 November 2016, Fabric and Islington Council reached agreement that the club could reopen with stricter conditions: a new photo identification system, covert surveillance, a lifetime ban for anyone found dealing or possessing illegal drugs, and no under-19s allowed between Friday 8pm to Monday 8am.[18]

Shortly after these changes were made, it was announced that Fabric would halve the number of "FABRICLIVE" bass-driven nights, which included their famous Playaz drum and bass residency, which spiked controversy among fans.[19]

Style

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Fridays: FABRICLIVE

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The musical genres played at Fabric vary. Friday nights (known as "FABRICLIVE") are dedicated to bass music genres, being mainly drum and bass since its inception. FABRICLIVE also features genres including grime, breakbeat, dubstep and bassline.[20]

Saturdays: Fabric

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Saturday nights, (known simply as "Fabric") showcase genres such as house, techno and disco, and feature the club's resident DJs Craig Richards and Terry Francis. Richards was also one of the Directors of Music Programming, selecting the line-ups for Saturday nights, which have featured appearances by DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos, Carl Craig, Ellen Allien, and many others.[21]

Sundays: Wetyourself

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Sundays at Fabric are promoted by "Wetyourself", a polysexual event that has been running since February 2009. The music policy is underground house and techno, with the occasional live PA.[citation needed]

Other ventures

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A CD series was launched in 2001 under Fabric Records. It rotates monthly between Fabric and FABRICLIVE, with the series showcasing established and emerging DJs. It is entirely independent and operated solely by Fabric.[22] The full list of titles in the series can be seen at Fabric discography.

On 19 September 2008, Reilly and Leslie opened the 2,600-capacity music venue Matter.[23][24] Located in The O2, it was their first project outside of Fabric. Matter has since closed.[25]

Houndstooth is a record label from Fabric, started in February 2013.[26]

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The nightclub was used as a filming location for the first season of the BBC America thriller series Killing Eve (2018–present), doubling as a Berlin nightclub in the episode "Don't I Know You?"[27]

Awards and nominations

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DJ Magazine's top 100 Clubs

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Year Position Ref.
2006 1 [28]
2007 2 [29]
2008 1 [30]
2009 2 [31]
2010 2 [32]
2011 2 [33]
2012 8 [34]
2013 4 [35]
2014 4 [36]
2015 15 [37]
2016 15 [38]
2017 2 [39]
2018 9 [40]
2019 15 [41]
2020 24 [42]
2021 13 [43]
2022 13 [44]
2023 17 [45]
2024 7 [46]

International Dance Music Awards

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Year Category Work Outcome Ref.
2005[A] Best Global Club Fabric - London UK Nominated [47]
2007 Nominated [48]
2010 Nominated [49]
2011 Nominated [50]
2012 Nominated [51]
2014 Nominated [52]
2015 Nominated [53]
2016 Nominated [54]

International Nightlife Association's Top 100 Clubs

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Year Position Ref.
2015[B] 10 [55]
2016 27
2017 32
2018 32 [56]
2022 17 [56]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Category Debut
  2. ^ 2015 saw the debut of the chart.

References

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  1. ^ "fabric".
  2. ^ djmag.com (1 February 2008). "Top 100 Clubs 2008". DJmag.com.
  3. ^ djmag.com (1 February 2009). "Top 100 Clubs 2009". DJmag.com.
  4. ^ djmag.com. "Top 100 Clubs 2017". DJmag.com.
  5. ^ "Join the campaign to save our culture. Donate to fight with fabric". Fabriclondon.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Best of British: Outstanding Contribution - Keith Reilly & The fabric Team | djmag.com". djmag.com. 11 December 2009.
  7. ^ "Fabric: An oral history". RA.com. 9 October 2009.
  8. ^ "Further delay to Jubilee Line upgrade". London: BBC. 10 August 2010.
  9. ^ "fabric nightclub put up for sale". NME. 2 June 2010.
  10. ^ "fabric: Out of Administration". RA. 24 June 2010.
  11. ^ "Fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie's licensing hearing speech is now online". Mixmag. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. ^ Rosney, Daniel (9 July 2016). "'Culture of drugs' at London's fabric nightclub causes licence to be revoked - BBC Newsbeat". BBC News.
  13. ^ a b Rawlinson, Kevin (7 September 2016). "London nightclub fabric to close permanently after licence is revoked". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  14. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (8 September 2016). "'Landmark clubs are evidence of creativity and energy in a city': why fabric's closure matters". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  15. ^ Aron, Isabelle (23 September 2016). "The crowdfunding campaign to save Fabric has raised more than £210,000". Time Out London. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  16. ^ "The owners of fabric are reported to be in talks aimed at saving the venue". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  17. ^ COUVÉE, KOOS; COOPER, JOE (18 November 2016). "Deal to reopen fabric at advanced stage after secret talks over nightclub's future". islingtontribune.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  18. ^ Jamie Bullen (21 November 2016). "Fabric nightclub to reopen after deal struck with Islington Council". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  19. ^ "NEWSFLASH: Friday Nights Are Changing In EC1 – fabric blog". fabric london. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  20. ^ "About fabric". fabric london. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Club (About)". fabriclondon.com. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  22. ^ "Label (About)". fabriclondon.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  23. ^ "Exclusive: inside Fabric's new club Matter". Time Out. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  24. ^ "fabric duo take Matter into their own hands". Music Week. 17 June 2008.
  25. ^ "Fabric's Cameron Leslie speaks out". London: RA. 13 July 2008.
  26. ^ "Label of the month: Houndstooth".
  27. ^ "'Killing Eve' Filming Locations You Can Visit Around the World". 5 April 2019.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2006". djmag.com.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2007". djmag.com.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2008". djmag.com.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2009". djmag.com.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2010". djmag.com.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2011". djmag.com.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2012". djmag.com.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2013". djmag.com.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2014". djmag.com.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2015". djmag.com.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2016". djmag.com.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2017". djmag.com.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2018". djmag.com.
  41. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2019". djmag.com.
  42. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2020". djmag.com.
  43. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2021". djmag.com.
  44. ^ "DJMag.com Top 100 Clubs - 2022 - Position 1: Hï Ibiza". DJMag.com. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  45. ^ "DJMag.com Top 100 Clubs - 2023 - Position 1: Hï Ibiza". DJMag.com. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2024". djmag.com.
  47. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  48. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  49. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  50. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  51. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  52. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  53. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  54. ^ "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2018 - WMC 2018". Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  55. ^ "World's 100 Best Clubs". www.international-nightlife.com.
  56. ^ a b "The World's 100 Best Clubs - Nightlife Association". www.nightlifeinternational.org. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
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