Russian "Madchester"

It is no secret that Moscow's club life has already lived through more than one evolutionary stage. From basements, squats and Houses of Culture, lovers of music and dancing moved into clubs, from clubs to open spaces and country houses, then back again. Kilowatts of sound have visited nearly every space in the city and beyond it that is suitable for parties - on the water, underground and high above it. The organisers have had to face all sorts of difficulties, and by overcoming them one event or another gained an incredible resonance and was talked about in Moscow and beyond for a long time.

Today the entertainment industry has, in a sense, stabilised and even reached a new stage of development. Life in the capital now rivals many foreign megacities in its intensity and variety. To keep the nocturnal city-dweller from getting bored, club promoters and event agencies are constantly searching for unconventional solutions. Thus arose the trend of taking over the spaces of former plants and factories - and creating a unique atmosphere within them.

Artists, designers and promoters began settling these venues one after another. They can be roughly divided into those where, on ordinary weekdays, a life of its own goes on - offices, galleries, open cafes and shops - and where sometimes on weekends the spaces are partly turned into rave halls. And those where parties happen regularly or, on the contrary, only now and then, but this is practically the only function of the premises.

An excursion into history: Sound Factory (New York)

An excursion into history: the 13th anniversary of Sound Factory (New York)

Out of the old silk factory "Krasnaya Roza" (Red Rose) on Timura Frunze Street grew the design centre Artplay - and the street with its red-brick European-style buildings noticeably came to life. In the first year after it opened, the centre was talked about often and loudly, and the venue was remembered as one of the very first in this genre. Over time the interest cooled, and Artplay settled into a quiet office-and-gallery life, receiving guests at the Keks cafe and the Suzy Wong bar.

Soon word got out about the existence of Denis Simachev's club, the "Lyuba" cafe and "Gazgolder" on the territory of the "Arma" plant, where the gasholder workshops had previously stood. No one was troubled by the contrast between how industrial the territory looks and the kind of public that gathers there. The fashion for kitsch and London's creative quarters did their work. Somewhat later a more down-to-earth space appeared there, Gazgallery, where the loudest techno raves are held today.

In the same district nearby, over a couple of years, the old vaulted cellars, workshops and tasting laboratories of the "Moskovskaya Bavaria" brewery (later a wine plant) in Syromyatniki were reconstructed and given the name of the "Winzavod" Centre for Contemporary Art "Winzavod". Anyone can, for a set fee, use the venues for their own events, which enjoys quite steady demand.

What next? The roof of the Badaevsky brewery on Tarasa Shevchenko Embankment was turned into the club "Krysha Mira" (Roof of the World) and is considered a place where the very cream of the Moscow club crowd gathers. It has one especially pleasant distinguishing feature - the view of the surroundings, which in the morning can bring on a sentimental mood. Just watch your step on the stairs!

For the well-known Moscow promoter Andreas, the situation turned out somewhat unexpectedly. On "Zolotoy Ostrov" (Golden Island), on the territory of the "Krasny Oktyabr" (Red October) chocolate factory, in the building of a former sweets warehouse, the club Queen was to open, but a fire broke out. Everything burned down except the walls - and that made it possible to carry out a lavish reconstruction of the building. So, to the delight of the glamorous public, a combined project was created: the club "Ray" (Paradise), the Elysium concert hall and the Heaven Bar.

The previously little-used factory street Ordzhonikidze became a problem for car drivers in the evenings once the club B1 Maximum appeared there. Before it, the worldwide show De La Guarda ran there. And today at B1 you can catch concerts by the most famous bands and musicians.

It happens that the public can be lured beyond the Garden Ring. For example, into the spaces of the Danilovskaya Manufactory, next to the Vietnamese market. In the autumn of 2006 the "Svet Vokrug" (Light All Around) festival was held there within black walls. Guests were also lured there into a mysterious gloom for the presentation of a new Audi model, and fashionistas for the showing of the White.Trash.For.Cash clothing collection.

And perhaps the most active collector of unconventional venues has been the promo group Zeppelin production, known for such dance events as its fifth-anniversary celebration on the Bagrationovsky Bridge, the New Year party in the "Bashnya-2000" (Tower 2000), the Valentine's Day celebration at Artplay, the street-culture festival at "Winzavod" and a host of events at the "Gaudi" club.

The search for unconventional venues goes on non-stop. Recently I received an sms inviting me to an after-party at 7 Khokhlovsky Lane. There stands the building of the former Khokhlovskaya Manufactory with the currently operating "Original" House of Culture - a repository of art projects. I didn't make it to the party, but by all accounts - it was good.

All the above-mentioned places are located mainly in Moscow's industrial zone, which is being actively reconstructed and, according to the State Plan, moved out beyond the ring road (MKAD). One can assume that one day the process will be completed, and modern business centres and parking lots will rise where the lofts once stood. But while that has not yet happened, the opportunities can be used. It doesn't matter whether these will be raves like those at The Hacienda in the Madchester era or glamorous private parties. The main thing that unites everyone in this is the striving for new sensations, of which one always wants more and more.

An excursion into history: The Hacienda (England)

An excursion into history: the construction of The Hacienda (England)

We decided to put one and the same question to club promoters and party organisers: "What pluses and minuses do you see in holding events at unconventional venues, former plants and factories? What are the prospects?"