Abbey Road opened its doors to something entirely new: the first ever rave inside Studio One.
Curated by Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele - better known as Soulwax and 2manydjs - Abbey Road After Hours welcomed more than 300 ravers for a world-first experience.
Studio One, a room that has hosted countless musical milestones since 1931, was transformed for the night by the DEEWEE soundsystem. The line-up featured 2manydjs, Erol Alkan, Nadia Ksiba and Laima Leyton - personally selected by the band - turning the legendary space into a pulsing, immersive club space.
But this wasn’t just a rave. It was a creative experiment in real time.
In the 24 hours leading up to the event, Soulwax used Studio Two as a live creative lab. Writing, recording and performing with their full ensemble, the band created brand new material, cut it directly to vinyl, and prepared it for its debut downstairs in Studio One that same night.
At 11PM, the Dewaele brothers entered Studio One with an acetate in hand. They placed the freshly cut plate on the turntable and moments later, a brand new Soulwax record was shaking the foundations of the studio.
“Studio One is soon awash in a pulsing, rhythmic architecture that existed as a mere idea just days prior. The crowd’s reaction is rapturous.”
Wallpaper Magazine
For those who couldn’t be there in person, the full night was filmed and will premiere globally on the band’s YouTube channel on 5 March, free to watch.
You can also discover more about the night in the full feature on Wallpaper*
here.The sessions were engineered by
John Barrett with
Tom Ashpitel assisting.
Debs Jeandet was the runner and
Christian Wright cut the vinyl that was played later that evening.
