The Ministry?s Sound Agenda
A snapshot of the Ministry Of Sound: from its Elephant and Castle beginnings to becoming a world-brand.
Dance music in London has been synonymous with The Ministry of Sound since it opened its exceptionally hip doors, in 1991. It?s ability to attract vast shoals of loved-up dance-heads to the shady shores of London?s Elephant and Castle is the stuff of corporate dreams. To this day, it still pulls in 5,000 clubbers every sweat-swamped weekend ? for full-on cranial and physical recreation, at the hands of a Richter scale-measuring sound system.
This, then, is a huge predatory beast with an instinctive understanding of club culture. And, kraken-like, it dominates the lively seas of the London club scene - as the undisputed tentacled daddy. Its grip on the market has allowed its dangly limbs to stretch into recording, clothing, the media and various other lucrative Ministry spin-offs.
The Ministry?s four sub-labels: Sound of Ministry, Ride, FSUK manufacture a spectrum of dance music to feed the full breadth of the global dance music market and its constituent segments. In tandem with this, its media operation has a nice syndication number on the go, these days, allowing 150 radio stations in 38 countries to galvanize the airways with pre-recorded Ministry output.
HQs in New York, Berlin, Sydney and London, of course, enhance the credibility of the world-brand being consolidated here. And, market penetration on a planetary scale continues apace, mirroring the rise of club culture as a common currency
Camp For Alzheimer's Patients Isn't About Memories
An unusual sleepover camp brings together about 20 people who have dementia for a weekend of music, dance, reminiscing and other activities that emphasize strengths instead of losses. While the campers typically won't remember details of the retreat, it lifts their mood, camp staffers say.
Evolving Culture: Where Do We Go From Here?
Humans are still evolving, but cultural evolution is far outpacing genetic evolution. Our environment and technology are changing so rapidly that genetic adaptations can't keep up. So we're adapting by learning new things and passing that knowledge onto the next generation.
among near and far-flung youth ? say from: Beijing to Reykjavik, Mexico City to Mumbai. Ministry bars and clubs look set to be surfacing in a town near you in the not too distant future. What remains to be seen, though, is whether the quality of the product will be compromised in any way, now that the Ministry is clearly dealing in economies of scale.
The latest issue in what has been a well-received series is The Ministry?s: The Annual 2005 ?
It features a tasty mix of the year?s spiciest dance tunes, served up on two CDs. CD 1is a frisky mix of the big numbers that have held sway throughout the British club scene. These include Armand Van Helden?s My My My, Call On Me ?Eric Prydz ? Soul Central?s Strings of Life and Girls by The Prodigy. CD 2 has a harder edge to it, and the diamonds in this package would have to be Judge Jules? remix of Michael Woods, Delirium?s Silence, JJ?s So Special and Kristine Blond?s Loveshy. The limited edition box set has a bonus DVD, with plenty of piquant vid footage, as an extra condiment.
_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=
This article was written by Chris Meehan who is the features editor
at www.Just-Jammin.com .
You may use this article on your site as long as this resource box is
included as is with a clickable link back to Just Jammin
Copyright: PC Meehan 2005
About the Author
Chris Meehan is the features editor
at www.Just-Jammin.com. As well as a freelance writer on many subjects
|