Gatecrasher

Surpassing the status of a traditional dance club, Gatecrasher transcended its geographic locale in Sheffield, England, during the late '90s, using its enormous brand equity to market a series of mixed trance CDs featuring many of the anthems it popularized. The infamous club began humbly in 1993 as a one-off party at The Engine House in the West Midlands and soon found itself moving to bigger venues on a more regular basis before eventually residing permanently in Sheffield at a club called The Republic in March 1997. Gatecrasher renovated the old, gigantic industrial complex of The Republic, bringing high-tech lighting, a massive sound system, lasers, and multiple plasma screens for visual effects. The club's drive toward extravagance has since been furthered by its loyal following of flamboyant devotees, recognized for their outrageous dress and appetite for hedonism. By the end of the decade, Gatecrasher had begun expanding its brand name (characterized by a lion logo) outside of Sheffield, holding residencies in Ibiza and hosting a number of large one-off events, highlighted by their millennium eve party at Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield featuring performers such as the Chemical Brothers, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, and many others. In 2000, Gatecrasher embarked on a world tour to promote their Global Sound System album, stopping at major cities and throwing one-off events. Discotech Generation followed a year later.