Miniscule of Sound

Miniscule of Sound
Formation 1998
Type Theatre group
Purpose Performance art
Location
Website http://www.minisculeofsound.com
Don Letts at The Miniscule of Sound, in Fuji Rock Festival in Japan in 2011

The Miniscule of Sound has been defined as a theatre performance piece by the British Council,[1] and is usually presented as a small disco.[2] It was devised in Hackney, London in 1998.[3] It was created to parody established superclubs, with the name referring to the Ministry of Sound, and bills itself as The World's Smallest Niteclub. This led to representatives from the Ministry of Sound considering legal action, though in following communications an amicable agreement was reached. DJ magazines reported on this incident (e.g. Carl Loben's article for DJ Mag[4]).

The 'niteclub' itself takes the form of a prefabricated wooden construction that is transported to venues, set up and operated as a small nightclub. The performers take the role of the staff, acting as the disc jockeys, bouncers, bar staff and cloakroom staff. In keeping with the parody of a real night club, the bouncers operate an idiosyncratic and opaque door policy, refusing entry to some visitors[5](for example refusing to let DJ Fat Boy Slim play until he'd sent in a demo tape).[6] The construction occupies an area of 4 feet (1.2 metres) by 8 feet (2.4 m) with a dance floor of 2 square metres.[7]

It had its first performance in August 1998 originally in the changing booth of a disused outdoor swimming pool, London Fields Lido in Hackney, and has since performed at a wide variety of events, predominantly at music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival[8] (UK), Fuji Rock Festival[9] (Japan), and the Big Day Out[10] (Australia).

The Miniscule of Sound has been operated both in its own right (e.g. representing British culture in China for the British Council in 2005[11] ), and also participating as a sideshow at larger events. Originally it performed in local events in Hackney, east London, growing from the squat and rave party scene, with originators active in these subcultures and connected to similar artistic performance groups such as the Mutoid Waste Company.

In 2000 Guinness World Records named it the "Smallest mobile nightclub", a record it held until 2010, when the record passed to "Rumors".[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ Driscoll, Tracy. "UK's Miniscule of Sound, the smallest nightclub in the world, hits the streets of Beijing!". The British Council. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Rappelkiste mit DJ". Der Spiegel 5/1999 published 01/02/1999. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Rouse, Alisha. "World’s ‘smallest disco’ set to arrive in Stoke Newington". Hackney Gazette. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Loben, C. "Mighty MoS vs. Miniscule", DJ Mag, September 2001
  5. ↑ "We like it like this", p.35, The Guardian newspaper, 22/05/2004
  6. ↑ Aubrey, C. and Shearlaw, J. (2005).Glastonbury: An Oral History of the Music, Mud and Magic. Ebury Press, London. p.205. ISBN 978-0091897635
  7. ↑ "Miniscule of Sound website (bookings section)". Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Glastonbury Festival 2000: Miniscule of Sound Interview". Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Miniscule of Sound: Build Small, Think Big". Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Maley, Jacqueline. "Ready to rock". Sydney Morning Herald, January 23, 2004. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "UK's Miniscule of Sound, the smallest nightclub in the world, hits the streets of Beijing!". The British Council. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "SMALLEST MOBILE NIGHTCLUB". GWR. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Guinness World Records 2001. Guinness World Records. 2001. p. 83. ISBN 9781892051011.

External links

Coordinates: 51°32′34.31″N 0°03′40.29″W / 51.5428639°N 0.0611917°W / 51.5428639; -0.0611917

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