Every Friday we bring the wax that has been making our week work. These tracks can be left field techno, dubby disco edits or minimal electro productions. Basically anything goes as long as track has that special something, new or old. This week we have been listening to electronic duo, Maribou State and their new Kingdoms In Colour album on repeat. Therefore it is only fitting we include our favourite track from the album, ‘Turnmills’ in the weekly wax.
This is a track with a background and with out knowing the history of London rave, ‘Turnmills’ will be a word with little meaning to most. Back in 1990 London rave was booming and the government was trying to counteract the illegal parties by bringing them into licensed venues. Turnmills was the first London venue to get a 24-hour license. The warehouse operation became a must-attend hotspot for the cities fashionable dancers. Thanks in part to its non-stopping programming it attracted brands like Xanadu and Trade who bought their popular themed nights. As a result It was a rare sight to enter Turnmills and not see wall to wall revellers, whatever the hour.
In 2008, Turnmill was closed for good. Its lease had expired and would not be renewed. The warehouse was destroyed and turned into an office building. However its legacy lives on in the hearts of London’s artists and musicians. Including Maribou State’s Chris Davids and Liam Ivory.
“Turnmills was where we first experienced electronic music in a club setting.” Ivory is quoted in a press release. “It’s a totally different and transformative listening experience and that communal spirit, atmosphere and feeling has inspired the way we’ve made music. Clubs are such important hubs for music discovery. Especially of songs that you might have overlooked in a different setting. Partly through the feeling in the room and also through the memories attached to the records you hear.”
The electronic duo broke a three-year silence with the new song inspired by and named after the iconic club. It’s a chill groove attempting to capture the feeling they once felt dancing all night in its hallowed spaces.
“We wrote ‘Turnmills’ the day after a Dama Dama label party at the East London club Shapes.” Maribou State‘s Chris is quoted. “Our studio is housed in the same building actually. The vibe of the night brought back memories of our formative clubbing experiences, and that energy ended up being channeled straight back into the studio the next day.”
