The Sound Factory was a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

first located 532 West 27th Street and then 618 West 46th Street in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. The Sound Factory was an integral venue during a peak period of

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

in New York. Prominent DJs, artists, and parties appeared at the club. It was in operation from 1989 to 1995. There were other reincarnations of the club until 2004.

History

In 1989, Christine Visca, Phil Smith and Richard Grant opened the Sound Factory in a converted warehouse at 530 West 27th Street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. DJ

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern; August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

‘s association with

vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

- ball houses the House of Xtravaganza and the House of Aviance helped bring the Harlem ballroom scene to the downtown club scene. Smith became increasingly involved in The Sound Factory Bar, a smaller offshoot gay club. After harassment by the police, the owners of the Sound Factory decided to close the club in 1995. In 1995, Smith converted the venue into the nightclub

Twilo View of the dance floor from the DJ booth Twilo was an American nightclub in operation from 1995 to 2001 in New York City, and from 2006 to 2007 in Miami. Closing View of the lighting from the dance floor Twilo had been under pressure to clos ...

, which closed in 2001. Grant reopened a new club called SoundFactory in a warehouse at 618 West 46th Street, but after facing legal issues in 2004, the club was closed.

The Sound Factory Bar

The Sound Factory Bar was an offshoot at 12 West 21st Street that was in operation from 1992 to 1997. The club was previously called Private Eyes which was a popular nightspot in the late 1980s and the early 1990s that for its time had an unusually advanced state-of-the-art video and sound system. In the mid 1990s Private Eyes was then purchased by 2 of the 3 owners of The Sound Factory, and, since the space was smaller, it was renamed the Sound Factory Bar. When the Sound Factory closed in 1995, the Sound Factory Bar continued to operate. Wednesdays housed the recently resurrected Underground Network parties, hosted and promoted by recording artist

Barbara Tucker Barbara Tucker (born March 19, 1967), is an American house and soul singer, songwriter and choreographer born in Brooklyn, New York, US. Tucker had six No. 1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and into the 2000s, and severa ...

and Don Welch, with

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

winner

Little Louie Vega Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer of Puerto Ricans in the United States, Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production ...

as resident DJ. On Thursday nights, "Factoria 21," a tribal house gay night with DJ Merritt and Lord G, and on Friday nights, "Godfather of House"

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...

helmed the decks. On Sunday afternoons, it was the host for "Body Positive Tea Dances," a social for HIV positive men and their friends. The DJs were Mark Cicero and Mark Thomas. Closing out the weekend on Sunday evenings, "Purgatory" a tribal and progressive house gay night with DJ Merritt and DJ Andrew Tonio. One of the most notorious events was a weekly party called MILK Mondays from DJ TPromix that after several years at this location went on to thrive for 9 years around the city. Also, (in the latter Cheetah years) Cafe con Leche, Cafe Futuro, and Asseteria were weekly Sunday parties. In 1997, the Sound Factory Bar was reopened as Cheetah. The club was closed in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Factory Bar, The Music venues in Manhattan Nightclubs in Manhattan Electronic dance music venues 1989 establishments in New York (state)

History

The Sound Factory Bar

See also

References