On Saturday the 15th December 2012 we will be celebrating 10 years of Cosey Club. It was an project I embarked on with my friend Sara Burn. In those days we didn’t have email accounts and social network sites didn’t exist. With our collaborators: fellow Geordie Jon Butterworth and Caoimhe McQueen we designed and printed out hundreds of letters, posters and flyers. We hit the streets and promoted in the dozens of record shops and fashion boutiques all over the capital. Stood outside countless damp club doorways. Many no longer exist, swept away by globalisation, the recession and the rise of digital media. The first record I played was the full 12” of ‘Bela Lugosi’’s Dead in On The Rocks, then a rough and ready strip joint. We had no idea if it would last past the first night…
Since then many of my favourite DJs have graced the decks. Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner, Trevor Jackson, Pam Hogg, Richard Fearless, Nathan Gregory Wilkins, Pandora’s Jukebox, Carter Tutti, Mark Moore, Bobby Gillespie and Louise X. All these people have become good friends and kind supporters of the night.
Nitzer Ebb played their first concert in 15 years. Chris and Cosey their first in 12 years when we took over the ICA. The Neon Judgement their only ever UK gig. Factory Floor, Fixmer McCarthy, Eve Black / Eve White, White Rose Movement, Battant, Portion Control and glam rockers The Glitter Band have all played live.
Many of the people who were there on the first night are still coming. People whose age wouldn’t have been in double figures in 2002 are now regulars, bringing new energy and keeping the flame burning. We are indebted to the loyal Cosey clubbers.
The early idealistic ambitions have born delicious fruits: The gathering of individuals in a dark room, at a suggestive hour, the placement of a needle on a record can create a magick of remarkable potency. The club night as a catalytic conduit for a broad range of information, occult sensations and social interaction. An environment to celebrate the primal drive for emancipation, sensuality, excitement, laughter and connection… Many friendships, liaisons and enduring loves have been forged in the crucible. Long may it continue.
In the words of Iggy Pop: ‘All aboard for Funtime!’
Richard D. Clouston
December 2012
Chris & Cosey – ‘October Love Song’ (dance mix)
Nine O’clock Drop is an amazing compilation by Andrew Weatherall, it came out in 2000 and was a massive influence for Cosey Club. The 7” version of this track set a course that led me to seeking out the Throbbing Gristle Five Albums Fetish box set and that just blew my mind. This mix has a mantra quality. I’d like to dedicate it to Jo Ratcliffe.
Soft Cell – ‘Memorabilia’ 12” Mix
Soft Cell are the quintessential Cosey Club group. When we were working on the night in early days and living in a flat on Kingsland Road, Non Stop Erotic Cabaret was our muse, always on heavy rotation. I love the blend of British humour, pop art lyrics, the romantic, the lovelorn. This 12” version has that industrial / electronic disco sound I love so much; evocative of another big influence – Ron Hardy’s Music Box.
Coil – ‘The Anal Staircase’ (A Dionysian remix)
We play a lot of Coil, they are one of the greatest groups of all time. This is a total peak time record. A wild and brutally sensual dance track. Their maxim of ‘Ritual music for the accumulation of male sexual energy’ I subverted and adopted as our strapline by dropping ‘male’. Cosey Club is for people of any persuasion, you can just be yourself.
Dead Or Alive – ‘Misty Circles’ (Dance Mix)
Total anthem. Trevor Jackson introduced me to this delirious monster. I love the camp theatrics and blend of Hi Nrg Disco and Goth. Perfect really.
Malaria! – ‘Your Turn To Run’
Berlin; as much a state of mind as a place. Malaria! are an extraordinary group; I discovered this 12” in the early days and it has never left my record bag. Gudrun Gut continues to make great music; her cover of ‘Simply The Best’ sounded awesome when Nathan Wilkins played it at our last party.
Throbbing Gristle – ‘Hot On The Heels Of Love’ (Carl Craig re-version)
The non plus ultra. TG inspired by ‘I Feel Love’ and creating a relentless and exhilarating dance record. This is also a nod to my obsession with Detroit Techno; Carl Craig elevating the track to something impossibly good. Seeing a heaving floor of beautiful individuals dancing to this is as good as gets.
Nitzer Ebb – ‘Fun To Be Had’ (George Clinton remix)
The lyrics say it all: ‘Whether you be glad, sad or bad, you’ve got to know that there’s fun to be had’. ‘International Funk Aggression’ is the band’s slogan and there’s no better way of demonstrating that than getting George Clinton on remix duties. Douglas McCarthy is one of my closest friends and his music and attitude are part of the essence of the night. It’s always high times when we play The Ebb. The YouTube link is the single version, because I like the daft video; they’ve grasped the notion ‘we are all fools whether we dance or not so we might as well dance’.
Klaus Nomi – ‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’
Cosey Halloween is a highlight with some serious fancy costumes. There’s nothing quite like purging one’s annual surfeit of badness to Klaus’s superior rendition.
Einsturzende Neubauten – ‘Sand’
Blixa singing Lee Hazelwood. The last hour or so of the night we get into some extraordinary territory. This is my all time favourite end of night record.
Cosey Club’s tenth birthday takes place at the Waiting Room in Stoke Newington this Saturday, December 15th. For all things Cosey, please visit www.rdc77.com
