Author: Darren Ressler

Another Victim of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Washington, D.C.’s U Street Music Hall Shutters

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u music hall closes Washington dc

Washington, D.C. clubbing institution U Music Hall announced today it had closed for good. During its ten-year run, the club hosted events that featured artists from every genre of electronic music, including house, disco, techno, bass and electro.

U Music Hall’s management broke to the news in a heartfelt post on the venue’s Facebook page.

“When we closed our doors to the public this past March, just days before we were to celebrate our club’s 10-year anniversary, none of us could have imagined at the time that we would still be closed nearly seven months later with no return date in sight because of an unrelenting disease called COVID-19,” read the missive. “But we kept our hopes up even in the face of an impossible situation because we love what we do so much: presenting the best music in the world for the best fans in the world. It was our mission to return.”

The news of U Music Hall’s closure comes after D.C.’s 18th Street Lounge shuttered in June, citing economic woes brought on by the pandemic.

Read the club’s full statement below.

Dear U Hall friends and family,

There is no easy way to say this, but here we go: It is with tremendous sadness that…

Posted by U Street Music Hall on Monday, October 5, 2020

Junior Jack Recalls Last Gig Before COVID-19 Lockdown

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junior-jack-Adesso Music

Next up in our Last Set series, where we’re talking to a wide range of artists about their final gig before government-ordered lockdowns and travel bans went into effect in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic Vito Lucente, is better known by his musical alias Junior Jack.

The globetrotting Italian DJ/producer has a lengthy discography of dance floor heaters. He recently released “Klimax” with Pat BDS on their Adesso Music imprint. The sleek tech-house track features remixes a pair of forthcoming remixes from Darius Syrossian and Patrice Bäumel.

We connected with Lucente about his last DJ set before lockdown and what he’s been up to since clubs and festivals shut down due to the pandemic. Continue Reading →

UK House Music Pioneer Pete ‘Woosh’ Birch Has Died

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Pete Woosh-Death-The Peaceful Ones

The global house music community is mourning the passing of DJ/producer/promoter Peter ‘Woosh’ Birch, who died on October 2.

Birch, who was one-half of Digs & Woosh, was a founding member of DiY Soundsystem. The grassroots collective were instrumental in creating a thriving underground party scene in Nottingham, England in the late ’80s and ’90s.

Birch was diagnosed with a highly aggressive head and neck cancer on December 15, 2015. He declined chemotherapy and radiotherapy to embark on a path of self-learning and healing, using cannabis oils and other treatments.

Birch explained at the time, “After a lifetime of djing, drug-taking and bad lifestyle choices the news hardly came as a surprise.”

He added, “I decided to look into natural cancer treatments and plant medicines due to a personal belief that cancer can be managed naturally and holistically in ways which will have less impact on the individual.”

In 2019, a collective of DJs including The 2 Bears’ Raf Rundell, Crazy P’s Hot Toddy and French producer Brawther joined Birch’s free-party collective The 52 Card Trick, a weekly-drop of music by the Spirit Wrestlers label over 52 weeks to raise funds and awareness for natural healing and holistic approaches to living with cancer, recovery and prevention.

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Dubstep DJ/Producer Cookie Monsta Has Died

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Cookie_Monsta_death

Tony Cook, better known to the world as dubstep artist Cookie Monsta, has passed away. News of Cook’s death was shared today via a post on Circus Records’ social media accounts. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

Hailing from Nottingham, England, Cook began his forway into dubstep after hearing Rusko’s FabricLive 37. He began exploring the genre and incorporating random beats with a grime sound.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

No paywalls, free to all. Help us remain 100% independent and unbiased. Please give to Big Shot by making a secure one-time donation to help us continue covering DJ culture and electronic music like we’ve done since 2003.