The ecosystem of clubs is like that of nature. Like trees falling and making way for new growth, they come and go.
There’s an organic element to clubs. Forces within and beyond our control make it a jungle. They arise, they grow, they crash, clearing the canopy for taller trees. In the last year alone we’ve seen great clubs close. Back in New York the closure of Verboten took many of us by surprise. Every other day a superclub in Ibiza is raided. Now Fabric, one of the greatest bastions of dance music culture in the world, is tangled up with London legislature.
But for every fall, there’s a rise. This summer of club closures and opposition has set the landscape for a reinvigorated focus on keeping dance music culture alive. In light of the collapses, it’s the growth that inspires us—which makes us all the more ready to welcome The Great Northern to the thriving ecosystem of Bay Area nightlife.
Founded by Chris Smith and Micah Byrnes, Bay Area legends who made their impact on the San Francisco scene five years ago with Monarch, The Great Northern has the potential to be one of the greatest clubs in the country. The space, which for ten years was home to another beloved club, Mighty, has been reimagined by Chris, Micah, and the designers at One Hat One Hand as a mecca of future deco. We find ourselves at the intersection of old and new, art deco columns and arches over a custom-designed 85,000 watt Void sound system, stained glass windows retrofitted with LED projection mapping. We could only imagine the grand sense of space The Great Northern will become a home to, honeycombed by the nooks and crannies of a club that make it so intimate and memorable. Our words could only do it so much justice; luckily the team just released a launch promo that leaves a little less to the imagination.
And of course, we couldn’t forget about the music. The Great Northern has partnered with Smoke N’ Mirrors to bring us Thugfucker for its opening night, joined by Shiny Objects, Galen, and DJ M3. To call this starting off strong is an understatement; what we have here is some of the best techno and house in the world, encompassing every element from Iceland to New York to California in what’s shaping up to one of the best nights of music in a long time.
This is your night, so join us. We’ll be bringing you live coverage of this inaugural event, interviews, and photos. Let this be the first step in your new musical journey.
