Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound opened on 21 September 1991 in an old bus garage at Elephant & Castle in south London. Justin Berkmann came up with the idea, James Palumbo put the money in, and Humphrey Waterhouse brought the two of them together.
The whole point was the sound. They spent about half a million quid on the sound system and the same again on soundproofing. Larry Levan, David Morales, Roger Sanchez, Tony Humphries and Paul Oakenfold all played in the early days.
Then came the CDs. The compilations started in 1993 with Sessions Volume One, mixed by Tony Humphries, and they’ve sold over 55 million since. If you had a CD player in the 90s, you probably had one.
It nearly lost its home when flats were planned next door, but a deal was done in 2013 and the club’s still going, with nights like Defected, Glitterbox and Rinse FM. The main room, The Box, now has a 64-speaker sound system.
Timeline
- 1991 Opens on 21 September at Elephant & Castle
- 1993 First compilation, Sessions Volume One
- 2013 Deal agreed so the club can stay put
- 2016 Dolby Atmos added to the sound system