Erol Alkan says goodbye to The End
The Trash and Bugged Out! resident looks back over his time at the club
Endclub.com: Hey Erol, what are you up to at the moment?
Erol Alkan: Well I’ve been working on various different projects – after doing the Late of The Pier album I’ve been taking a step back from albums, and working on my own projects, things I’ve been meaning to do. I’ve got my own studio now, outside of home, which means I can work a bit more. DJing still takes up a lot of my time, a lot of traveling, but I’ve been trying to take a bit of a break from working fourteen hours a day.
Last time Bugged Out! had a chat with you, you said that The End closing down was on a par to your house getting bulldozed. What is it that makes the relationship with you and The End so special?
Well Trash was pretty much my first home; I did everything around it, from 2000 to the end. The whole week was focused around what happened on Monday night, making it as great as it could be. My life revolved around Trash, and because it took off in the way that it did, it had this amazing energy. I wanted to make it as great as it could be at all times, and you know that if it turns sour, or bad, that it’s your fault – you need to keep it inspired and fresh, and makes sure that anything you put on, anyone that comes through the doors are all in tune. So the space in which it happened becomes almost sacred. Every time I walk through the doors, there’s those memories. On nights when it wasn’t Trash, it obviously didn’t feel and look like the same, because for me Trash wasn’t just the venues, it was the subtleties - so it doesn’t always look the same when I’m down there, but all the same, it’s like a family home being knocked down – it holds a lot of special memories.
What was it about The End that made it the right venue for Trash?
Well I didn’t actually know until the first night whether it was going to work or not. You never do know, it’s hard to second guess or predict. I based it on the fact that it was a place that I’d been to already and enjoyed, and also that it was around the time when dance culture and clubbing was huge, and The End was THE club - there were other clubs around, but I didn’t have any interest in their music. There was that kind of lineage that I admired and was inspired by. I spoke to people who had nights there, and worked there, and I felt that I was connecting with people really well, and that they’d be keen to help. Whether or not our crowd took to the club was a hugely defining part of whether it was successful or not, and at the time I didn’t know – this was the indie scene, which hadn’t had anything like it before. The Annex was probably the best put together, best looking venue that had indie or alternative nights in – others were grimy, you know, with £1 shots of methylated spirits, it was very different, so it could have gone either way. Liam understood where we were coming from though, and tuned The End to what Trash was, and that’s why people could come in and relax, not get too freaked out by the fact that we were in a ‘superclub’ in the West End.
Trash bowed out on a high, although the party could easily have run for many more years – The End is doing the same. Do you think finishing with a bang – even though it may seem premature – is the way to go?
Well part of it is being aware of who you are, and what you can do well. I didn’t want Trash to be the only thing in my life, my crowning achievement. I’d gone from being on the dancefloor, to being a touring DJ over ten years – and you’ve got to be focused, and it took every day of my week. So I felt that it was time for someone else to come through from the dancefloor. Sometimes you’ve got to move one, to new challenges, recognise what your role is.
Durrr had a tough act to follow, but Chandra’s really made it into a great party – it must have been good to see it grow…
Yeah it’s reaffirmed what my thoughts were – Rory and Johnjo, they’ve really developed something and become such great DJs, it kind of proves that even more – you’ve got to be aware of where you are.
Do you enjoy coming back to play occasional sets at Durrr?
Yes, the one in February with Whitey and Videohippos was one of my favourites.
And what about Bugged Out!? They’ve had some pretty amazing parties here too…
Yeah, they’re great, I was a resident for Bugged Out! for a long time, so it’s been good to see them grow as well – they’ve been going for over 15 years, and every couple of years they reshape club culture, they’re always so on it.
Can you share some of your favourite memories The End?
Picking out memories is really hard, all of it has been so amazing. There were the weirder moments that really surprised me – Zeigenbock Kopf in the middle of the room, climbing up on the ceiling, and I really liked Gonzales with the grand piano show in the main room – that was incredible. There were some era-defining moments too – certain bands playing like LCD Soundsytem and Peaches. And Bloc Party and Klaxons, having them playing was big because they really did come out of the club, that was really inspiring. The party last was a definitely more charged – a lot of tears. DJing wise, there were moments where you had a record and as soon as you played it, everyone would go nuts and you’d realize “this is amazing” and that would open up and inspire the next two years of music and where the club was going – certain records really felt like the future.
So what were the seminal tracks that were really genre defining?
Definitely ‘Losing My Edge’ – noone knew what the fuck had just happened when that came on – also maybe ‘Fuck The Pain Away’ as well, that was a really big one. There were a lot of old records that you could play in tandem with the new music that was happening too.
You’re playing the closing on the 24 Jan – how are you feeling about the night?
I’m feeling really honoured, it’s going to be sad when the last record is played.
Thanks Erol.
Published: 12/12/2008
