DELIRIUM!
“Delirium was a club before its time.”
(Adventures in Wonderland : A Decade of Club Culture, Sheryll Garrett, 1998)
Delirium was a legendary London nightclub that lasted only four years, from 1986 to 1989.
It pioneered on two fronts — first Hip-Hop, then House music.
During its' first year at the Astoria, Delirium hosted live acts every Saturday night, including Afrika Bambaataa, Divine, Change, Terence Trent D'Arby, Chuck Brown and the Soulsearchers. ​The video above shows the opening night with the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Run DMC.
Then, in 1987, everything changed. Delirium moved to Heaven and became the first nightclub in Europe to play House music and Techno. Founder Robin King invited DJ Frankie Knuckles over from Chicago for a six-month residency and over the next two years, live acts included Marshall Jefferson, Fingers Inc, Robert Owens, Ce Ce Rogers, and Derrick May.
Yet, Delirium was too idealistic and avant-garde to survive and in 1989, it went bankrupt.
Nevertheless, it conceived a movement and hundreds of other nightclubs took over.
DELIRIUM! PRODUCTS
