Miguel Ramirez
Sanctuary is undeniably one of Melbourne’s most loved club nights, and after its unexpected closure in September, the weekly night is back this Saturday!
From the beginning, Sanctuary has served as a place of love, happiness, a true dance paradise, filled with banging beats, euphoric sounds and has hosted some of the biggest acts in the scene today including Solarstone, Aly & Fila, Ben Nicky, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Bjorn Akesson, MaRLo, The Thrillseekers, Max Graham, just to name a few.
Organised by Evolution Events, The magical atmosphere of this hotspot in combination with the unique music experience makes Sanctuary the ultimate hub for Melbourne’s Trance Family.
“The vibe of Sanctuary is very different to most, this is set by our staff and local artists who bring about a homely and family culture to our club night,” Directors of Evolution Events exclusively told The Trance Project.
“We provide a safe and inclusive space for all to forge beautiful memories in passionately enjoying the music we love together.”
Since the closure, there was an outpouring of support for the club night from DJs, clubbers and the entire Trance community.
“We lost confidence in the longevity of our club night because we felt that we had lost the community’s support. This was one of the major factors which led to the initial closure – though we were dead wrong.”
“The community showed that they cared and demonstrated this with their kind words and public outcries online and off.”
An online petition launched by Sarah SK from Sydney aimed at stopping the closure garnered hundreds of signatures on Change.org, “she was convinced that we radiate a vibe like nowhere else in our beloved city,” organisers told The Trance Project.
Evolution Events shocked fans earlier this week when they announced the return of Sanctuary at Room 680 and told The Trance Project, “the response has been unreal!”
Kicking off this Saturday, the Grand Opening will feature international Trance act, ReOrder and local acts Fei’s Treehouse, Lessi, Digital Dreamerz, Sensualise, LCK, Excavator, Overdrive and VtheKid – a massive event not to be missed.
Sanctuary will continue to run every Saturday and leave countless of great memories.
“We would like to thank the Melbourne Trance Family for the all the support thus far, you really keep us going. Much Love.”
Join the Facebook event page here and read Part 1 of our exclusive interview with Evolution Events below.
1. We’re thrilled to see Sanctuary back at Room 680, how excited are you for the grand opening this Saturday?
We are very excited for the Grand Opening this Saturday, the response has been unreal!!!
2. How has the community’s involvement supported sanctuary’s comeback?
In the beginning, we lost confidence in the longevity of our club night because we felt that we had lost their support. This was one of the major factors which led to the initial closure – though we were dead wrong. The community showed that they cared and demonstrated this with their kind words and public outcries online and off.
Even a petition was opened by a visitor from Sydney to “Save our Sanctuary” because she was convinced that we radiate a vibe like nowhere else in our beloved city. So a sincerely grateful shoutout to Sarah SK from Sydney for keeping the faith with us! These really gave us the confidence we needed to keep going.
3. How did mainstream media affect sanctuary?
It has affected us the way most mainstream media has influenced festivals, venues and the likes. However at the end of the day, Sanctuary is built on a community. As long as we have the community’s love and support, that’s all we are after.
4. How is Sanctuary going to stop this from happening again?
We will continue to build a positive and proactive culture within our community to reinforce the ideas of responsible behaviors and hope that the media and general public recognises these efforts and support the forward thinking movement. Changes within the scene require a collective change.
5. Did you ever think Sanctuary might not bounce back?
We were honestly not sure. Especially as we had known that Room 680 was being put on sale, the future seemed bleak. However we remained on good terms with Dave Christenson (Owner at Room 680) and after the final Sanctuary night, he saw the community support, he suggested we look to running events at Room 680 until the time of sale.
6. What sets Sanctuary apart from other club nights? Is it the vibe? The people?
The vibe of Sanctuary is very different to most, this is set by our staff and local artists who bring about a homely and family culture to our club night. We are known to bring a different set of patrons. Our community have continuously proven to be the friendliest and most welcoming crowd in the scene to the point where one can head out to Sanctuary alone and return home with new friends.
7. What’s its role in Melbourne’s Trance scene?
Sanctuary has been the place where trance and electronic music enthusiasts, punters and artists alike connect for a party.
In the Trance scene – it’s self evident the moment you walk through our doors. We provide a safe and inclusive space for all to forge beautiful memories in passionately enjoying the music we love together.
For Melbournians – it’s been a weekly destination to meet with all their friends.
For the Trance scene – it’s introduced the trance genre to over 900 patrons a week for just under two years whilst also exploring new and underground sounds.
For the local music scene – it has put Melbourne talents on the world map, artists that have started their progressive careers with us such as; Sensualise, Exis, Digital Dreamerz and Serjan have all received worldwide acclaim.
8. Is it back every Saturday?
At the moment, Sanctuary is back every Saturday. But it is hard to tell what could happen in this industry. Only time will tell. Whether or not it’s back permanently, we will put every effort for each week to be positive and memorable.
9. What is the core passion for you in doing this? What drives the team behind Sanctuary?
There are a number of things that drives the team behind Sanctuary. The community, our local artists, the music, and the passion for entertainment are some of the key aspects of what keeps us going. It may seem a little corny to say community or patrons to the readers, but that has always remained a true fact. Hearing the roar of the crowd when Vini Vici drops ‘Free Tibet’ in our Sanctuary to hearing the crowd sing to MaRLo & Jano’s ‘Haunted’. There’s no feeling better than that.
The complete interview will be published next week.
Join Sanctuary on Facebook here.
