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printworks
5
Printworks London
4

Location: London, England
Capacity: 5,000

printworkslondon.co.uk
 

Printworks rose amongst the post-modern ruins of East London’s disused docks and closed factories, transforming what was once Western Europe’s largest printing factory into one of the country’s most impressive club spaces.

Set across 12 acres of land, Printworks is a huge venue; essentially it’s like partying in several interlinked warehouses. Once inside you find yourself in a raw, industrial, almost-dystopian setting, but one that’s packed to the super-high rafters with ultra-futuristic production, including dbnAudile sound, Kinesys lighting, and a truly massive custom-built LED screen with visual design from Rebel Overlay.

The Press Halls main room is long, a couple of stories high, with balconies along both sides and a soundsystem trained so perfectly on the dancefloor that a decent conversation is perfectly achievable just a couple of feet away. Some of the original imposing printing machinery has been left in place, giving Printworks something of a party-on-a-spaceship feel. The DJ booth is high up at the end of the room in front of the genuinely impressive LED wall, which works in tandem with the lighting array to cover the entire room in sheets of strobing colour. The view from the balcony of a packed Printworks main room at peak-time is a sight you won’t forget in a hurry.

Aside from the famous Press Halls space, there’s the aptly named, low-ceilinged Dark Room, which serves as a perfect vibey contrast to the scale and sheer mega-ness of the main room. The huge bar area that runs alongside the Press Halls can function as a live room, with the modular bar setup switching to the club space. There’s also a dedicated cocktail bar (Control Room), and a big outside food courtyard.

Over the past year, Printworks has hosted an impressive amount of quality electronic music parties and club-nights, including Klockworks, Eskimo Dance, Gou Talk, The Hydra, Sunday Service, BuggedOut!, Metalheadz and Glitterbox. And has given Londoners the chance to catch a wide range of world-class DJs, such as Seth Troxler, Moodymann, Gerd Janson, London Elektricity, Amelie Lens, Kenny Dope, Helena Hauff, Jeff Mills and Denis Sulta. Printworks also has put its particular acoustic charms to good use on some acclaimed live music shows in the last 12 months, including Floating Points, Aphex Twin and Skepta.

It’s been a busy year for Printworks, as production was upgraded across the entire venue, including installing the aforementioned 12x4-metre LED screen, as well as a bespoke ‘blinder’ light so bright it is capable of illuminating the entire main room. The space also gained over 180 metres of Sceptron LED strips to the Kinesys lighting rig, installed custom stage structures including isolated sections to allow for faultless use of vinyl, and updated its DJ equipment and P.A. too, giving you even more reasons to pay a visit to one of the UK’s most exciting venues.