Anyone remember SPACE?

[BoJaNgLeS]

Back when i was in highschool I once went to a "party/rave" called Space, it was in some abandonded warehouse...i think i heard it was busted an ran by some Russian who were making e and lsd in another warehouse across the street? I was only at space once and i was young and did not drive. Anyone remember this?????or know what happened?

[trikaya]

funny you mention space. it wasn't an abandoned warehouse...it was a club. "space" closed down, "motion" moved in. it's closed now, though. it was more of a meeting place for people usually going to Gods, or Gods Basement, a "pre-party" if you will, for the later parties, which WERE underground. damn, man. that was YEARS ago. i'm glad i moved back out this way from chicago (where i was raised in the scene in the early 90's.)
peace.

[BoJaNgLeS]

I remember hearing about Gods Basement....I was like 14-15 back then so I was lucky to even get in...did you ever hear about that Russian mob who was supposedly running Space and making drugs to sell to the people who came to the party...or was that a rumor???

[trikaya]

i never heard anything definite. i moved back to chicago when space was still happening. the bouncers were known for taking dealers' supplies and selling them along with their own. fishy? nah...i've been all over the country earlier in my life-shit happened everywhere: owners paying security to sell for them. it's too bad you didn't go to gods-great underground dj's, and one of the best vibes. i just moved back out this way, and i'm curious to know what the underground is up to these days. transit be damned.

[ewok]

gods basementoh what place im not to sure if yous know but the underground scene is wonderful there is a party at gods on the .ummmm..........27th it my friends birthday and bring your skates!

[Gicky]

I used to work at space as a promotor.. It was crazy times indeed.. I'll leave it at that.. Good ol' 953 N. Front St..

[LemonCrush]

I just moved back here from AZ after years of being away... its been about 6yrs! but I remember a lot of young kids going there. I used to go to the raves w/a friend of mine named Jon who DJ'd some times... don't remember his DJ name any longer and lost touch yrs ago. But the scene has really changed alot!

I have spent the last 3yrs in Az and spent the last 2 of them as a Rave vendor selling glowsticks, candy and jewlery, water, etc. at desert and warhouse parties in AZ- EVERY WEEKEND for the past whole year I have have been at a RAVE in AZ or CA dancing my ass off when not working the party and the last 2 months of not hitting parties have been HELL!!!

I NEED to Rave...

I can't wait for 'Urban DK' !!

[Jeff Heart]

Haha, I was one of the resident DJ's at Space and the general Manager & Sound and Lighting Technician. For the record, there were no Russian Mob guys or Russians at all that ran anything in Space. It was The Owners Tom & Jeff (Jeff was cool and Tom owes me thousands), Myself, Lee Jones (at the very beginning), John Shah (the original resident dj) his girlfriend who was the booking agent (later murdered by supposed gun shot to the head), and the working staff along with other resident DJ's. Mark Hickton was also an original manager who also ran skyline at one point. The owners did have some shady deals with house dealers and alot of riff raff bewteen security and pay offs. It was definitely full of illegal activity.
God's Bassment was run by Mr. Rob who at the time lived on the street and was involved in many big musical venutres with many popular acts. SPACE was not the "pre" party for the later after parties. The later parties were the AFTER parties for the main night of Space where everyone seemingly got wrecked. God's was formed further down the line after Space generated a new culture for Philadelphia and provided a base to support those types of parties. As bad as Space was, it was the catalyst for underground music in Philadelphia.
Space came to an end when the law tightened down and too many bad things were happening including a bunch of crap that the owner pulled and alienated many of the people and crews who helped run the place, including Substitution, who was responsible for all the top Drum N Bass nights that Space brought. Eventually, so many bridges were burned internally at the same time as the crackdown from the government on Rave events, it caused Space to come close to an end. Patrons thinned out and internal bullshit involving drugs caused decomposition of the working elements. THe FBI came looking for Tom so he dissapeared for a while and in the midst of it all, A man named Jim who had a lot of money and previous successful club experience (on an over 21 club level...not rave scene) stepped into the picture. Jim and myself brought in our Sound and lighting and upgraded everything a few months before the end of SPace's reign. Jim put in computer controlled audio processing which had Tom by the balls because the system would shut off if the rent wasnt paid. Jim also has a high power team of the cities best legal advisors and slowly tightend the grip on the club and eventually worked a deal out to take over and move Tom out of the picture with all the trouble he was in.
Finally, Space was closed so we could prepare for the re-naming and re building of the lighting, video and audio systems as well as a mimd sized renovation of the building. It was repainted Blue (used to be plain brick) and the DJ booth was redesigned by me with Jim's construction help for the ranking of one of the top booths in the country for international talent to visit. Then Motion was born! WHen reopened, the old system was still in place and the new sound systerm wasn't turned on until midnight on new years eve (i forget the year...2001..2002?). It was the start of the new underground culture in Phila.
The rave laws were in effect and the management of Motion was much cleaner (along with the building not being a dirty rat den anymore) so despite a club that was 10 times better, only a few parties held the power of rememberance as compared with Space. THats because drugs were no longer the souce of main entertaiment. It wasnt removed, but it was controlled and kept out 50 times better than Space. Everyone on the new staffing was legit and no one was any longer on the take. Im sure a few may have slipped by my sight but for the most part it was a whole new ballgame.
As more time went by, the scene started failing along with Motion as new ideas were developed. Local 13 was hired to manage and lasted for a while until they went their own way as well. More commercial nights were integrated and the club started being known as "typical" as the rave nights were now only on Fridays. I ended up back in the driver seat again along with key staff members also helping manage. It lasted a few months longer after that and then it just couldnt generate the income it needed anymore.
Jim said he wanted to close for renovations again and add a new floor. We closed the doors and many of us waited for the renovation to start but it never happnened and then one morning, many of us woke up and realized that it was over. ever since then, it has become just a dream and a part of history that many of us will cherish as a wild ride through the fast paced club culture of small time fame, drugs, music, and parties. Minus the drugs for me! All though I had my very small trial period of 2 substances in my lifetime because of that place.
There may be some people I missed in the story so feel free to chime in if you know something I forgot. It's been a long ride in what seems a long time ago. Theres alot more I left out because I can literally type a book on the stuff and the poeple who were involved throughout the timeline.
I was there since the beginning when it was just boards and no walls, when I came in for my original intention, whicg was to rent them sound and lighting. I'm letting you know that so you can tell that if you want accurate info on the club, I have it better than anyone.
As for God's bassment, that has been revived even though Mr. Rob now lives on the Islands managing clubs of his own with partners. THe venue is known as God's because of his parties. The original parties were indeed called God's Bassment at Lancaster Hall. These days the parties have their own names but the venue is called God's Bassment so it kinda got twisted through time. This Friday is Urban DK at God's which should be a really good party. DJ Venom is spinning. Wiggle Productions (my crew) is supplying sound and lighting and I guarantee you it rattles the ceiling tiles out of place. Using some of the stuff that was in Motion plus new gear for 2006.
Lastly, I am in the planning stages for an official Space reunion party. Minus the drugs! don't even think about bringing them. We're gonna supply one of our larger systems to make sure it's a night to remember. It's still just in my head, but it will develope for sure. Just be ready.

Hope that gave you something interesting to read on this topic.

Take Care,
Jeff Heart
Wiggle Productions LLC.
Audio/Lighting/VIdeo/DJ's

[myllennium]

Holy shit Jeff!!

WOW!!!

That is my 1st response to such an intricate tale of mystery, music, undergroundness, and intrigue!

I need to be the 1st person to THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of this VERY THOROUGH background info, and for stating it like it was: the facts -- both good and bad -- need to be out there! This info needs to be disseminated for all people that heard rumors, for those that were there, and for those (like me) who were not, but were always curious what was truly up with the underground Philly scene of days gone by. Almost ALL ravers and DJs, when writing about something, whether historical events/parties, or their opinions, write such brief messages, that a lot goes unsaid. I VERY MUCH appreciate the time and involvement you had with the scene, and with this post - and many others will undoubtedly also!

Thank you for not sugarcoating anything in your report here, also. The drug info, for instance, may not be good if any law enforcement people are reading this, but it is important to correct the rumors and state the facts from someone who was on the inside, though not involved with that shit. Everyone must always remember that the govt, with their anti-rave legislation and bullshit "war on drug" tactics, are likely to target our scene *even more* if we keep speaking so openly about these things, without tact or keeping it somewhat hidden (like using 'dank' or 'nugz' or other slang, for instance). Although, since they'll probably read this message at some point anyway, THEY NEED TO ALSO REALIZE THAT THERE IS AS MUCH OR MORE DRUG USE AT EVERY OTHER CONCERT, MUSIC OR ENTERTAINMENT EVENT THAN THERE IS AT ANY RAVE!!! Also, our country's precious Constitution and an innumerable number of laws state that they *Cannot* violate our Rights to Freedom, and "the pursuit of happiness." We as a culture need to fight back if they EVER do this shit, unfairly targeting us like what occurred at the infamous Utah Mountain rave:
if you haven't seen the SWAT raid of this 100% legal party and the police brutality, or even if you have, check it out again at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
the video is the very 1st link, and worked as of 2-25-06
Does anyone have any updated info on this?? This writer said that the ACLU was taking the govt and involved officials to court, but this happened in 2004 or 05...

Jeff, I do have some questions for you:

1) Did any such occurences - raids, unfair targeting of parties/ravers, illegal searches, etc etc - ever occur at Space/Motion or Gods?

2) Do you foresee any of this happening now or in the future?

3) What is the current state today of *true underground* in Philly: any warehouse/0utlaw events?

4) Are the Local13 (Whistle/Bang at Shampoo) and God's Basement events pretty much the only thing Philly has going down (other than the excellent Vaudeville Theater events which are on hold due to building renovations for anyone who doesn't know)?

5) Do you ever believe Space as a venue will reopen, under any type of managment? Are there any other warehouses that could open as a club or be used for 0utlaws? Are there any people (DJs, business entrepreneurs, club managers, ravers, etc) thinking about doing such a thing??

6) What do you personally think about the Number and type/quality of ravers Philly events bring today? After a long period of lack of events (after Space and until last yr, for instance), it seems that the scene has gone through a rejuvenation. The couple Gods and Vaudeville events I heard about were reported to be well-attended, with a good vibe, and a lack of any drug PROBLEMS! This is what we need!!

7) I won't be able to make the party this wk at Gods, but will you be supplying the sound/lighting/visual shit for future events there? PLEASE do so, as I can't WAIT to hear/see your impressive new stuff!!

8) As far as the Space reunion party, do you have any ideas for a venue? Shampoo is definitely the coolest, biggest, and most underground feeling venue (when used for all Electronic music), as it IS an old big fucking warehouse with just the right # of rooms. Unless you have any bigger/better/new underground venues, you should have it there. That way it's legal, insured, and has the appropriate level of security. The last thing you want is to plan a huge, excellent event, and get it shut down in a hot minute. And you don't want to give the authorities any more reason to target your event. They might, if they were ever knowledgeable of the shit that went down at that venue (i realize its not your fault), or if they especially read this post. Just a heads up, though i'm sure you probly thought of this already.

I look forward to talking to you at some upcoming event - do you know if you're spinning at Whistle/Bang/Local 13 events in the future?


Anyway, Jeff, once again THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING AND BEING INVOLVED FOR MANY MANY YEARS IN OUR BELOVED ELECTRONIC MUSIC SCENE!!!!


Peace,
--myllennium--

[Jeff Heart]

Originally Posted by myllennium

Holy shit Jeff!!

I need to be the 1st person to THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of this VERY THOROUGH background info,

......Your quite welcome. Just thought I should help put an end to the rumours and crap talkers (at least the few who may migrate to this forum anyway)....

Jeff, I do have some questions for you:

1) Did any such occurences - raids, unfair targeting of parties/ravers, illegal searches, etc etc - ever occur at Space/Motion or Gods?

......No, nothing unfair. Cops came a few times for investigation purposes but never raided. They were looking for specific Upper level management individuals who they had speculations about. Nothing ever came of it. All the attention by the authorities was well deserved. They knew what went on there and they were just trying to get a break in catching it with a massive take down. Never happened though. Individuals were targeted from time to time and taken away but never a full out raid.

2) Do you foresee any of this happening now or in the future?

......Things are looking better for the city. Parties are coing around again and they seem to be much much cleaner and organized as far as drugs are concerned. It still happens but it happens at any event from rave to rock n roll. Raves are targeted because the crowds are younger. The Govt. would much rather stop the madness amongst the minors before they ruin their lives. The police have not bothered many events in the past year or so but if parties continue to blossom they way they are starting to, then the "underground" type of events will eventually feel the hammer of the authorities again. It's just a matter of time. Events like Whistle will continue because they are legit in venues with dance hall licensing, liqour license, after hours permits, registered tax payers with business licensing, etc.... They way to not get shut down is to be legit (plain and simple). A venue that is rockin at 4-6am with kids all over in a neighborhood that has never seen a permit in their life to do what they are doing will be stopped when a cop drives by and wonders what the hell is going on. Maybe not that time, but they will surely put the word in at the presinct and with L & I to watch the venue and prepare to put the troops together. You want to get in BIG trouble, then do an event with one of the following taking place :
1 - party in a warehouse or establishment that has no zoning for dancehall.
2 - partying after 2 am (U damn well know the beat up building on the corner of the ghetto street does NOT have a late nite permit and so do the cops!)
3 - Doing the above and mixing 18+ crowds in a room with alcohol.
4 - Throwing a party at all anywhere without a business license. ANYONE who throws a party and makes money can easily be stopped if the police really wanted to be pricks about it. You paying taxes on that cash???


3) What is the current state today of *true underground* in Philly: any warehouse/0utlaw events?

......Current state is improving greatly. Not near as what it used to be but parties are developing steadily. Warehouse events are popping up sparatically along with outlaws and they are getting better. They wont develope to the degree the used to though because then it would be waay to obvious in the public eye and the means for a raid. Draw attention to a massive degree in an illegal event and you are just asking to be shut down.
Anything over 300 people better be in a legal venue and produced legally!

4) Are the Local13 (Whistle/Bang at Shampoo) and God's Basement events pretty much the only thing Philly has going down (other than the excellent Vaudeville Theater events which are on hold due to building renovations for anyone who doesn't know)?

......Yes, they are the only ones that are doing things the PROPER way. Other promoters and parties are popping up but only for once and a while events. Vaudville is actually no more legal than a warehouse party. Vaudville will not reopen for events either. Unless something has changed, the unmodified truth to that question about the Vaudville is that they wanted to sell. Parties do not pay the bills! It takes waay more than that. I highly doubt a new owner will cater to what was going on in the past. Don't hold your breath.

5) Do you ever believe Space as a venue will reopen, under any type of managment? Are there any other warehouses that could open as a club or be used for 0utlaws? Are there any people (DJs, business entrepreneurs, club managers, ravers, etc) thinking about doing such a thing??

......We all think about it. I'm planning the Space Reunion to come up soon and it WILL happen soon...you can count on that. It will also be perfectly legit in a real venue. I am sacrificing the authenticity of putting it in a warehouse and going the proper route so the event last. Even if that means it has to end at 2am. It's taking a bit because I do want to try and find a venue that can get the 6am permit. I also do not want to use another club because having the SPACE niteclub reunion at another club is just silly. I'd rather use a venue that is an entertainment complex if anything, but not a club. The Space venue was thought about for complete authenticity but it's just not meant to be. Building is waaaay out of code and in the midst of an area in massive real estate developement with a condo and tenants living literally just 100 feet away. To those who hear the rumours.......STOP IT! Space will NOT reopen. Too many reasons on the internal side to go over. A friend of mine was looking into it just recently for shits and giggles and also decided not to persue it. It would be more trouble than it's worth! I think someone could possibly pull off a few parties there and then come to a screaching hault and a large pocket full of massive expenses. As the manager and resident of that place, you could imagine that if it were possible, I would have been on top of it a looong time ago. Not even worth the energy.
As for other venues being used for clubs....yes. I don't know which ones as they are everywhere. It just takes someone with the idea, money and the motivation. As of know, I think it would not be worth it though. Large "rave" clubs are not what is happening these days. It would be a VERY large risk. IN a little time, I think one lucky venue owner may be able to have a successful superclub for underground music like space was. Only one though! Too small of a town and the first one that pulls it off will get the exposure. Now is not the time though. Timing is the hard part. Not to mention it would have to be one hell of a club easily costing over a million to build.

6) What do you personally think about the Number and type/quality of ravers Philly events bring today? After a long period of lack of events (after Space and until last yr, for instance), it seems that the scene has gone through a rejuvenation. The couple Gods and Vaudeville events I heard about were reported to be well-attended, with a good vibe, and a lack of any drug PROBLEMS! This is what we need!!

.....Yes, the drugs are much more scarce. That is a great thing. More people coming for the vibe instead of drugs. The culture is cleaner for sure. The people coming out are "old-heads" and the new generation of those who were told about the days of Space and Motion, along with some late bloomers. Its a good mix of the old crowd for social purposes and fun along with the newcomers who are learning the ways from the old-skool attendees. Nitrous is still a problem though! the tanks need to fu**ing go away! Nitrous is pathetic unless it's in your car engine

7) I won't be able to make the party this wk at Gods, but will you be supplying the sound/lighting/visual shit for future events there? PLEASE do so, as I can't WAIT to hear/see your impressive new stuff!!

......yes, I have the account with Tru Skool. Every event will get louder, clearer and bigger. It's an onward theme we hope to keep winning over more attendees with. We're putting in sound and lighting that will rival the biggest room at any club in town with a permanent install. In other words, these parties are meant to show you that one-off's rule! Audio Systems that beat the best clubs in town!

8) As far as the Space reunion party, do you have any ideas for a venue? Shampoo is definitely the coolest, biggest, and most underground feeling venue (when used for all Electronic music), as it IS an old big fucking warehouse with just the right # of rooms. Unless you have any bigger/better/new underground venues, you should have it there. That way it's legal, insured, and has the appropriate level of security. The last thing you want is to plan a huge, excellent event, and get it shut down in a hot minute. And you don't want to give the authorities any more reason to target your event. They might, if they were ever knowledgeable of the shit that went down at that venue (i realize its not your fault), or if they especially read this post. Just a heads up, though i'm sure you probly thought of this already.

....please see above statement on this issue

I look forward to talking to you at some upcoming event - do you know if you're spinning at Whistle/Bang/Local 13 events in the future?

....yes.....I work with Deach periodically. See the Whistle posting.

Anyway, Jeff, once again THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING AND BEING INVOLVED FOR MANY MANY YEARS IN OUR BELOVED ELECTRONIC MUSIC SCENE!!!!

...thank you! sorry it took a while to get back to you.

Peace,
--myllennium--

Jeff Heart,
Wiggle Productions LLC.

[dj_mr_rob]

whats happining philly!!

wow it's crazy to me that 6 years later i can still go on ravelinks and see things about the basement.......

nice sum up jeff....good to see you still doing your thing!

wish i could get up to see you at whistle but living on an island, you know...

hope all is well with all the philly folks, things here in the caribbean are great!

as always,
peace & love,
mr rob
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

ps.. if anyone would like me to come to philly to dj, hit me up...i would love to get back up there to play some records!!

[Jru17]

haha wow I remember space and then motion, and I remember when the basement used to be upstairs in the two giant rooms, that would be awesome if one month Urban DK moved upstairs cause that was a bunch of fun, more room, a chill room, and even a third little room in the back, push for it