O P I U M X: V

2019-11-12

Opium club opened in December 2009 as friends-for-friends after hours place, a cozy basement right beneath a popular Asian fusion joint called Briusly, at Islandijos street 4. It was launched at the peak of financial crisis and ensuing recession in Lithuania when most of the clubs were forced to close down. It was the time when Gravity, the trailblazing club, closed down (March 2010) and quite a few other places too, like Woo, the predecessor of Opium (April 2011).

At exactly the same time Silence, my record label, party label, radio show and the group of artists was booming, Silence Family events and Silence Night parties were always pulling the crowd. But economic reality had left us without a decent place to play. So I started drawing up a plan for a club. This led me to several meetings with Deividas, ex manager of Gravity Club, to figure out some numbers. Approaching Saulius, Gravity’s legendary booker and general manager, would have been a more direct path to many more details and useful insights, but I didn’t want to encourage him to open a new club himself. Instead I got a numbers guy, called Jonas, to help putting together a business plan on whatever data it was possible to collect.

Then I summoned Manfredas and Saulty, two friends, DJs and promoters I trusted, to introduce them to the idea of a new club and to propose finding a place, taking it over and ending the shameful times of non-creative bookings, shitty sound systems and free entry parties with all the same DJs weekend in, weekend out. We added Tadas to the band and started looking for a place. We checked all kinds of locations – abandoned casinos in the very center of the city, refurbished basements in Ševčenkos lofts area, newly built shopping malls, you name it. But quite soon we realized that we did’t have enough resources to pull this off on our own. So then we decided to approach Martynas and Karolis of Opium club to present the master plan.

And so in March 2011 we took over the programming and started the operation as four different promoters each of us in charge of one Friday night a month. As the most organized one and bringing the most weight promotion wise, I became kind of a coordinator, the fixer guy.

In October 2012 Opium moved upstairs from the basement, which marked the start of a new era. My all for taking the club to a new level content wise too was answered. We installed a proper sound system, started working two days a week, I went ahead becoming a full time programmer with a much more ambitious artistic direction.

Fast forward to November 2019. This Friday we’ll be hosting Boiler Room TV to kick off the 10th anniversary celebrations. And the line up is not accidental. Its four founding fathers (however corny it may sound) of Opium The Club, playing alongside their counterparts aka members of Opium’s extended international family, plus two talented ladies to set guidelines for the future. Saturday is no less important, as we will revel our commitment to be an open and inclusive night community. Come dance with us for the first ten years and for ten more years to come.

2019-11-11

O P I U M X: V

2019-11-12

Opium club opened in December 2009 as friends-for-friends after hours place, a cozy basement right beneath a popular Asian fusion joint called Briusly, at Islandijos street 4. It was launched at the peak of financial crisis and ensuing recession in Lithuania when most of the clubs were forced to close down. It was the time when Gravity, the trailblazing club, closed down (March 2010) and quite a few other places too, like Woo, the predecessor of Opium (April 2011).

At exactly the same time Silence, my record label, party label, radio show and the group of artists was booming, Silence Family events and Silence Night parties were always pulling the crowd. But economic reality had left us without a decent place to play. So I started drawing up a plan for a club. This led me to several meetings with Deividas, ex manager of Gravity Club, to figure out some numbers. Approaching Saulius, Gravity’s legendary booker and general manager, would have been a more direct path to many more details and useful insights, but I didn’t want to encourage him to open a new club himself. Instead I got a numbers guy, called Jonas, to help putting together a business plan on whatever data it was possible to collect.

Then I summoned Manfredas and Saulty, two friends, DJs and promoters I trusted, to introduce them to the idea of a new club and to propose finding a place, taking it over and ending the shameful times of non-creative bookings, shitty sound systems and free entry parties with all the same DJs weekend in, weekend out. We added Tadas to the band and started looking for a place. We checked all kinds of locations – abandoned casinos in the very center of the city, refurbished basements in Ševčenkos lofts area, newly built shopping malls, you name it. But quite soon we realized that we did’t have enough resources to pull this off on our own. So then we decided to approach Martynas and Karolis of Opium club to present the master plan.

And so in March 2011 we took over the programming and started the operation as four different promoters each of us in charge of one Friday night a month. As the most organized one and bringing the most weight promotion wise, I became kind of a coordinator, the fixer guy.

In October 2012 Opium moved upstairs from the basement, which marked the start of a new era. My all for taking the club to a new level content wise too was answered. We installed a proper sound system, started working two days a week, I went ahead becoming a full time programmer with a much more ambitious artistic direction.

Fast forward to November 2019. This Friday we’ll be hosting Boiler Room TV to kick off the 10th anniversary celebrations. And the line up is not accidental. Its four founding fathers (however corny it may sound) of Opium The Club, playing alongside their counterparts aka members of Opium’s extended international family, plus two talented ladies to set guidelines for the future. Saturday is no less important, as we will revel our commitment to be an open and inclusive night community. Come dance with us for the first ten years and for ten more years to come.

2019-11-11

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