223:). Other smaller rooms within the complex included: The Drink (renovated to become Cathouse then Surface), D'Luxe Lounge (renovated to become Haven), The Orange Room (renovated to become Chroma), SkyBar, Charlies (renovated to become Gallery), Tanja and Acid Lounge. The Guvernment opened in 1996 and closed in early 2015. The Kool Haus venue became known for hosting the first ever concert performance by Canadian rapper and singer
35:
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reported during April 2013 about The
Guvernment's fate already being sealed in the same manner. The official confirmation occurred over a year later when, on 1 May 2014, The Guvernment's parent company, INK Entertainment, announced plans of closing the entertainment complex effective 31 January 2015.
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development. According to the club's owner
Charles Khabouth, the venue had already been slated to close a year earlier, but did not due to his company putting up a legal fight: "We fought tooth and nail, spending a lot of money on legal fees, and ending up not being able to stretch it much more than
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Steve Dash and remained throughout the club's existence despite various renovations. Khabouth credited the system as one of the best in the city and would call Dash up from the United States to tune the room's mixer when required. Additionally, Khabouth also arranged for the installation of a wooden
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Annually, The
Guvernment / Kool Haus venues would host "full-complex" events where all seven rooms that made up the complex were accessible. These events were held on long weekends and special occasions and sometimes went as late at 10AM. Some of these events included 'Labour of Love', 'Decadence',
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In parallel with the
Toronto-wide condo boom that had been on since early 2000s, the rumours and speculation about the imminent sale of The Guvernment's attractive Queen's Quay East lakefront location to property developers and subsequent closure of the nightlife complex have circulated for years.
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Khabouth has indicated his intention to build a bigger venue of approximately 100,000 square feet to replace the
Guvernment while admitting that it would probably have to be outside of downtown Toronto due to difficulty of finding a suitable property of that size in the heart of the city.
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Saturdays at The
Guvernment (promoted as 'Spin Saturdays') featured underground electronic dance music until 7AM with resident DJs Mark Oliver and the Manzone & Strong duo. Additionally, 'Spin Saturdays' (later known as 'Alive until 7') played host to many international DJs such as
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The decision was prompted by the sale of the city-owned property, that INK had been renting since 1996, to The
Daniels Corp, a property development company, which outbid INK and also bought out the rest of the block in preparation for what was expected to be a massive
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while his vacated Sunday spot got taken over by Terry Kelly and later Matt C. Initially playing dance music in the most general sense, Sheppard's club nights at RPM gradually began moving away from rock and coalescing around house music and the emerging
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and remove the age restriction; his all‐ages
Sundays immediately became RPM's signature night with teenage crowds reaching capacity well before 9 p.m. each week and many lining up outside around the block at the foot of
606:'Freedom', 'Thriller', and the nightclub's anniversary party. On these nights, various international electronic music artists performed in the different themed rooms hosting upwards of 10,000 guests.
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From the very beginning, in addition to club nights, RPM served as a live music venue. Among others, its star DJ, Chris
Sheppard, participated in booking acts for live gigs at the venue, bringing
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raised floor that had to be redone every year due to wear and tear by dancers at a cost of $ 30,000 to $ 40,000, citing it as a necessary component to achieve better sound.
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were brought over from The Copa to be RPM's residents. Initially, TK played
Mondays (billed as 'Psychedelic Mondays'), Thursdays ('Disco Thursdays'), and Saturdays ('
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by late June 2001. Khabouth revamped RPM by installing a series of smaller lounges and bars within the complex. A sound system was designed for the main room by
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Sunday-night gig at The Copa to recreate the same energy at RPM. TK's Monday nights quickly began gaining in popularity, attracting patrons with an eclectic
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that would end up getting circulated for almost thirty years before the band eventually decided to release it as an official live album named
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With the rampant trend of downtown Toronto buildings that house nightclubs being sold and then demolished to make way for condominiums, the
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A few years into RPM's operation, Sheppard moved to Fridays for a 19+ age-restricted night that was simultaneously broadcast live-to-air on
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a year...I knew about it and delayed it as much as I could". He further promised a series of farewell events leading up to the closure.
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was installed by the Canadian audio engineer Ted MacDonald. Located in a semi-industrial area on the eastern edge of Toronto's
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by Tony and Albert Assoon, two of the four Assoon brothers who had simultaneously been running the successful and influential
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Initially capped at 1,100, RPM's capacity steadily expanded over the years due to high demand. Featuring oversized art,
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under the ownership of Murray Ball, an artist who had formerly fronted the Toronto-based punk/new-wave band
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s Top 100 Clubs annual list. Its highest ranking, number 8 in the world, came in 2008.
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as the headliner. Resident DJ Mark Oliver along with Khabouth played the final track,
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released a live recording of his final set at The Guvernment from two months prior.
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entrepreneurship on the Toronto nightlife scene having successfully run The Copa in
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The Guvernment's south side exterior in July 2007 (main entrance was on east side).
800:"An Oral History of the Legendary 80s Club That Introduced Toronto to House Music"
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The declining RPM and The Warehouse venues were taken over in late 1995 by
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The site of the Guvernment was first converted into a nightclub in 1984 as
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On Sunday, 25 January 2015, The Guvernment hosted its final event with
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company and is since March 2015 in the process of being turned into
1107:"Toronto's Kool Haus and Guvernment are currently being demolished"
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Prior to closure, the property was sold to The Daniels Corporation
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772:"Remembering RPM: Toronto's Wildest and Weirdest Club of the 90s"
992:"Daniels confirms it has bought Guvernment and Koolhaus complex"
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In late March 2015, at a presentation attended by Toronto mayor
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after-hours club at 185 Richmond Street West in Toronto's
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1023:"Legendary Guvernment nightclub faces wrecking ball"
936:"With clubs disappearing, where will Toronto dance?"
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414:suspended from the ceiling with wax figures of
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913:"Rumour: Is the Guvernment closing this year?"
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964:"Guvernment nightclub to close next Jan. 31"
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382:band in the middle of making a turn towards
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613:The Guvernment consistently placed high in
1449:Buildings and structures completed in 1996
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962:Mudhar, Raju; Menon, Vinay (1 May 2014).
275:The space returned almost immediately as
880:"Discogs – John Digweed Live in Toronto"
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830:– Discography recorded at The Warehouse
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677:List of electronic dance music venues
585:released a compilation album, called
242:development called City of the Arts.
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1236:Young Centre for the Performing Arts
1077:Andrew-Gee, Eric (30 January 2015).
1021:Stevenson, Jane (25 January 2015).
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1479:2015 disestablishments in Ontario
934:Micallef, Shawn (11 April 2013).
699:Alcoba, Natalie (27 March 2015).
1226:St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
1181:Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
1049:Chan, Connie (28 January 2015).
915:. EDMCanada.com. 6 February 2013
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798:Boles, Benjamin (30 May 2016).
770:Benson, Denise (21 July 2015).
575:Global Underground 025: Toronto
1474:1996 establishments in Ontario
1105:Teo, Mark (25 February 2015).
257:Fresh Restaurant and Nightclub
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1469:Electronic dance music venues
738:BlogTO History of Guvernment
652:'s mix of "I Feel Love" by
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990:Starr, Ryan (8 May 2014).
422:sitting in it. The club's
420:Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
1206:Princess of Wales Theatre
291:on behalf of its owner –
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140:Entire Complex (10,000+)
1459:Music venues in Toronto
1289:Phoenix Concert Theatre
1221:Royal Alexandra Theatre
1211:Queen Elizabeth Theatre
232:real estate development
105:43.644212°N 79.368804°W
1241:Young People's Theatre
828:The Warehouse, Toronto
624:Closure and demolition
438:throughout the night.
265:Entertainment District
136:The Guvernment (3,000)
1464:Nightclubs in Toronto
450:with even some early
110:43.644212; -79.368804
1196:Meridian Arts Centre
386:with the release of
306:Saturdays' blending
199:, formerly known as
1264:Danforth Music Hall
1191:Four Seasons Centre
378:throughout 1986. A
363:had just come out.
165:(as The Guvernment)
101: /
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1418:University Theatre
1352:Scotiabank Theatre
1176:Ed Mirvish Theatre
851:2015-09-23 at the
598:In December 2014,
570:Global Underground
524:Above & Beyond
388:their second album
283:before turning to
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1408:Shea's Hippodrome
1403:Runnymede Theatre
1378:Hollywood Theatre
392:bootleg recording
376:Chris & Cosey
348:underground music
328:The Four Horsemen
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138:Kool Haus (2,500)
125:INK Entertainment
16:(Redirected from
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1428:Westwood Theatre
1413:Standard Theatre
1373:Broadway Theatre
1337:Paradise Theatre
1294:Roy Thomson Hall
1231:Tarragon Theatre
1216:Randolph Theatre
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1398:Roxy Theatre
1347:Royal Cinema
1342:Revue Cinema
1279:Lee's Palace
1274:Koerner Hall
1251:Music venues
1155:Theatres in
1111:. Retrieved
1100:
1088:. Retrieved
1084:Toronto Star
1082:
1072:
1060:. Retrieved
1054:
1044:
1032:. Retrieved
1026:
1003:23 September
1001:. Retrieved
997:Toronto Star
995:
985:
973:. Retrieved
969:Toronto Star
967:
957:
945:. Retrieved
941:Toronto Star
939:
929:
917:. Retrieved
907:
901:– Guvernment
898:
892:
883:
874:
865:
864:trance.nu –
859:
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821:
809:. Retrieved
803:
793:
781:. Retrieved
775:
710:. Retrieved
704:
662:
658:
654:Donna Summer
643:
632:Toronto Star
630:
627:
614:
612:
608:Steve Lawler
604:
600:John Digweed
597:
586:
580:
573:
564:
532:David Guetta
520:
510:
506:
500:
491:Foo Fighters
458:
456:
452:bleep techno
448:rave culture
440:
424:sound system
402:
397:Toronto 1986
395:
372:Skinny Puppy
365:
357:Beastie Boys
336:Jimi Hendrix
297:
276:
274:
256:
254:
238:700 million
229:
220:
216:
200:
196:
195:
145:Construction
51:Former names
1327:Fox Theatre
1284:Massey Hall
1171:CAA Theatre
1062:23 February
1028:Toronto Sun
975:27 November
899:top100clubs
811:21 February
588:Toronto '09
487:David Bowie
432:shuttle bus
409:convertible
361:debut album
304:dance‐music
285:hospitality
240:condominium
207:complex in
108: /
83:Coordinates
61:(1985–1995)
56:(1984–1985)
1443:Categories
1322:Cinesphere
1113:1 November
1090:1 December
1034:1 November
947:22 January
919:22 January
826:Discogs –
712:2 November
683:References
568:created a
405:blacklight
281:The Dishes
219:(formerly
187:Demolished
155:(as Fresh)
96:79°22′08″W
93:43°38′39″N
783:18 August
665:John Tory
581:In 2009,
566:Deep Dish
511:Kool Haus
471:Radiohead
380:synth-pop
340:The Doors
289:Yorkville
217:Kool Haus
205:nightclub
171:Renovated
18:Kool Haus
1109:. Aux.tv
1056:Vice.com
897:DJMag –
849:Archived
805:Vice.com
777:Vice.com
671:See also
646:deadmau5
560:Carl Cox
548:Deadmau5
428:downtown
412:Cadillac
368:Ministry
320:alt-rock
316:new wave
203:, was a
160:(as RPM)
132:Capacity
77:, Canada
67:Location
1366:Defunct
1309:Cinemas
1269:History
1157:Toronto
884:Discogs
593:Toronto
540:Marco V
344:Nirvana
246:History
213:Ontario
209:Toronto
75:Ontario
71:Toronto
616:DJ Mag
558:, and
489:, and
374:, and
359:whose
334:, and
314:, and
179:Closed
150:Opened
54:Fresh
638:condo
552:Sasha
467:Suede
463:Björk
332:AC/DC
308:house
251:Fresh
225:Drake
153:1984
121:Owner
1115:2015
1092:2015
1064:2017
1036:2015
1005:2014
977:2015
949:2017
921:2017
813:2017
785:2020
714:2015
479:Bush
443:CFNY
418:and
342:and
324:rock
312:funk
174:2007
59:RPM
338:to
277:RPM
271:RPM
236:C$
201:RPM
1445::
1081:.
1053:.
1025:.
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