Ministry of Sound

Ministry of Sound, commonly referred as MoS, is a club based in London and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010 and eighth in 2011. As well as the club in London, there is another in Egypt and Malaysia. The Ministry of Sound brand also includes various other products such as dance music compilations and clothing. Ministry of Sound is owned by MSHK Group Limited, whose Chairman is James Palumbo. The company also owns the Hed Kandi, Euphoria, and Hard2Beat brands.

The club opened on 21 September 1991. Berkmann partnered with James Palumbo and Humphrey Waterhouse to bring the concept to life on a bus garage, located in Elephant and Castle in London.
Opening sets from American house DJs such as  David Morales, C+C Music Factory, Roger Sanchez and Tony Humphries, the UK’s first 24-hour dance license, and a greatly power consumption needy sound-system of 150db, led Ministry of Sound to grow in popularity, despite the lack of an alcohol license for the first three years and the notoriously strict door policies.

It has five main areas. The Bar, the Baby Box, the VIP and the Loft. Today, the club remains at the forefront of the global dance music scene, with DJs playing mix sets every Friday and Saturday night. Since 2008, Fridays have been hosted by The Gallery, with sets from leading hard house and trance DJs.

Southwark Council has a policy for the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle area. Ministry of Sound has run a campaign to prevent the residential development of sites near to it. In October 2011 Southwark council refused permission for a 41 floors tower, but the following month the council approved a nearby proposal for a 22 floors tower ,which the club had also opposed.

Ministry of Sound record label was established in 1995 along with the release of The Annual, a compilation album of various dance music tracks mixed by UK DJs Boy George and Pete Tong. Ministry of Sound also delivers albums and singles via its compilation brands including The Annual, Clubber's Guide and Anthems. In 2006, the company purchased record label Hed Kandi.

In 2005, Ministry of Sound expanded its network of own-brand venues with nightclub franchises starting with the Ministry of Sound Egypt. Aside from this, Ministry of Sound runs 600 international events per year across The UK, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Europe.

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Dance Clubs

Dance clubs have led the whole dance scene to a different level. Their growth and technical evolution has given a great push for clubbers and DJs to keep the spirit of dance music alive and kicking. They have come a long way, from playing just a jukebox for people to dance, to Djs with their own laptop, laser shows, smoke sprinklers and many more.

The entry on each club depends on many factors like the age, the dress code or the guestlist, which is used to make the status for a club more "exclusive". Being on the guestlist allows you to enter the club for free or at a reduced rate and often on different queues and entrances.  It is true that quite often, there are no clear policies governing entry to a nightclub, thereby allowing the doormen to deny entry to anybody at their discretion. The dress code is also important factor for a club. It ensures a certain type of clients for the club and the exact dress code differs from one club to another. The person you will surely find in all clubs is the “bouncer”. The man who controls the door and decides who gets in or who gets out, not politely sometimes…

The history of clubs goes way too back on 1970 with famous clubs such as Manhattan's "Studio 54", which was operated by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. Studio 54 was notorious for the hedonism that went on within. The balconies were known for sexual encounters, and drug use was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with an image of the "Man in the Moon" that included an animated cocaine spoon. Other famous 1970s discothèques in New York City included Xenon, The Loft, the Paradise Garage, and Aux Puces.The emergence of the "superclub" created a global phenomenon, with Ministry of Sound (London), Cream (Liverpool) and Pacha (Ibiza).

A recent trend in club industry is the usage of video. Instead of audio-only, DJ's are now using video and "mixing" music videos and related songs together in an audio/visual presentation.

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