Taking Club Night feels from the Ministry of Sound to a library near you

BOOKCLUB (@bookclubrecords) are looking to rewrite the story of UK nightlife, taking over Kent libraries with a series of gigs showcasing the skills of the county’s up-and-coming DJs.

Having launched a matter of months ago, the brand has already achieved residency at one of the UK’s most iconic dance music venues, Ministry of Sound, and interest in their unique, library-based, video mix series is growing rapidly.

“A lot of event brands and promoters tend to play it a little bit safe and we really wanted to bring something truly new to the table,” says founder Sam Cockburn, who goes by the DJ name PAGE 97, which is inspired by a message left in a book of poetry by his late grandfather.

“On the inside cover, he wrote ‘Enjoy life, but please read page 97’. The poem on that page meant a great deal to me and I took the meaning and name forwards through my life and career.

“I used that as a springboard to break clichés, and libraries are known to be a strictly quiet place.”

The series involves shutting down one of the 92 public libraries in Kent for the day (with approval from the authorities, of course) and transforming the spaces into full-on clubland experiences with DJs from Select Radio (Kruel Intentions and Joey Tempo), High Definition (Amy Lauren), Data Transmission (Dipz Mistry), Audio Grooves (James Cooper) and Ministry of Sound (PAGE 97) having already featured on the series.

“We also are very keen to shake up the drinking culture at events and put more non-/low-alcohol drinks on offer,” says Sam. “As a teetotal DJ myself, I’d love to bring some more options to the table for health-conscious and designated drivers at events.”

While the library takeovers have a strict invite-only policy, Bookclub are already looking forward to inviting all their friends and fans to their first event scheduled at Ministry in May, with three or four more in the pipeline.

“We’re working hard to bring this number up as we continue to grow our community and are really looking forward to bringing the party to Ministry of Sound on a regular basis,” says Sam.

www.bookclubrecords.co.uk