Twilo

Twilo was a popular and, its critics charged, the most played-out nightclub to grace the streets of New York City since the germane Studio 54. The gigantic "megaclub" once located at 530 W 27th St in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan regularly attracted a crowd of thousands to its warehouse-like dancefloor. Playing host to dozens of legendary DJs from around the world, the club was instrumental in popularizing international styles of house and trance music within the United States.

Club Nights

Twilo usually kept at least one small room open most nights of the week, but the weekends were far busier. Friday nights saw a younger and more alternative straight crowd. Twilo regularly featured prominent American and European DJs playing trance, techno, and house music. Sasha and John Digweed had a monthly residency at the club, playing the last Friday of every month. Early in 2001 after Sasha suffered an ear injury in a car accident and was unable to DJ, John Digweed played the entire 8 hour time slot by himself until the closing of the club in May. Other DJs would play frequently such as Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Robert Fauver, Richie Hawtin aka (Plastikman), Danny Tenaglia, Merritt, Jeff Mills, Steve Lawler, DJ Dan, and Sven Väth. Many of these artists made appearances at Twilo before hitting the mainstream.

Saturday night events which were hosted by resident DJ Junior Vasquez, were extremely popular in serving a different clientele. In line with other superclubs like Tunnel and the Roxy, Twilo's Saturday nights were ostensibly gay-oriented but seemed to attract some straight partygoers .

The clientele at Twilo was likely the most eclectic of New York's large clubs. On any given night, one could get lost in a sea of college students, office workers, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, ravers, punks and even an occasional clump of goths, contributing to a frenetic energy and harmonious vibe the likes of which, according to nostalgic fans, has yet to be duplicated by any nightspot in the city. Celebrity sightings seemed to be less frequent here than at other Manhattan clubs, a fact that many Twilo regulars considered a plus.

Twilo was also equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system known as Phazon. This sound system, originally built by Steve Dash, was at the time unique to the venue. The sound system at Twilo was highly regarded by patrons and DJs alike for its sound quality. Some DJs went as far as momentarily leaving the DJ booth to hear their favorite records on the dancefloor. The sound system was sold to Club Shelter.

John Digweed on his Transitions radio show from September 4, 2009 plays an hour from one of his sets at Twilo from January, 2001 and is quoted as saying "I've dug into my vaults and I've found an hour from when I was playing at Twilo, that legendary club in New York City. It was just under nine years ago that I recorded this set, and I've gotta say without a doubt my favorite club that I've ever played in the world. Just unbelievable, those 5 years I've spent there alongside Sasha were just great, great time of my life, and the crowd that made those nights so special." and "It's definitely one of those legendary clubs that if you didn't get a chance to go, it was definitely a shame, because the sound system, the setup, the lighting, and the whole vibe was truly amazing."

Pictures

Closing

Twilo had been under pressure to close from then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani ever since the launch of his controversial quality-of-life campaign. Still, the club managed to hold onto its cabaret license until early 2001, when a spate of previous allegations re-surfaced in connection with a claim by city authorities that the club's manager had misused private ambulances to hide victims of drug overdoses. In fact, club management claimed that the ambulance was obtained by recommendation of the city.

Several run-ins with New York city authorities starting in 1998 concerning drug-related incidents apparently caused the city to stonewall the club's re-application in October 2000 for a cabaret licence, a requirement for all dancing venues in New York City. In July 2000 James Wiest, an undergraduate from Johns Hopkins University was found unconscious in a back room. He had allegedly been put into the lobby after passing out on the dance floor. He later died of a suspected drug overdose. The club was never charged in his death. This was not the first fatal overdose associated with Twilo.

In June 1998 a female named Brigette Murray had died, also from a drug overdose. The club's lawyer asserted friends of Brigette Murray had informed the police that while she had in fact visited the club earlier in the evening her death did not take place there. Another allegation was that undercover police during an eight-month period, also in 1998, had made 18 drug buys (of which two led to arrests). These older grievances were now brought back to life. Daniel S. Connolly of the New York City Law Department stated: "There are a series of serious public-safety issues that are of grave concern [...] We believe we are able to convince the court that this is not a responsible organization that should continue to operate. The fact that people are dying inside of there [demonstrates that] there is a pattern of reckless disregard of the safety of the clientele." Twilo general manager Mike Bindra on the other hand asserted that the club had done everything in its power to appease the city authorities even taking to extreme measures like hiring three undercover guards, "We pull people aside all night—we are literally on the verge of violating people's civil rights, just short of forcing them to give a blood test when they walk in." It was apparently in connection with the accusations against the club for its lack of response to the previous drug incidents that the decision to retain EMT ambulances at the club throughout opening hours was made.

During the early hours of May 6, 2001, Twilo was raided and its occupants were evicted. The authorities cited the reason for the closing was an expired Certificate of Occupancy. The club remained closed due to its inability to fulfill the long list of the city's mandates and regulations. Twilo's sound system, disco ball and awning were sold online soon after, ending any speculation that it may reopen in the near future.

Twilo Miami

On July 22, 2006, Twilo opened a location in the Entertainment District of Miami, Florida. Their mainstay Saturday nights attracted a largely gay clientele, even though the club encouraged a mixed crowd. DJs such as Junior Vasquez, Peter Rauhofer, and Miami native Abel played on a consistent basis. Danny Tenaglia held a monthly residency at the venue on the second or third Friday of every month, depending on his touring and studio schedule.

Like its New York predecessor, Twilo Miami was equipped with a custom Phazon sound system, with the club acting as an unofficial showroom for Phazon. State of the art lighting walls manufactured by Element Labs bookended each side of the dancefloor, and were programmed and operated by veteran lighting director Drew Bongiorno.

Due to economic pressures, Twilo Miami shut down in June 2007.

References

External links

A Video of Steve Lawler playing the song "Musak (Steve Lawler Remix)" by Trisco at Twilo]

Category:Defunct nightclubs Category:Nightclubs in New York City Category:LGBT nightclubs in the United States Category:Year of establishment missing Category:LGBT culture in New York City