Courtesy of Output

Brooklyn nightclub Output has announced it is closing on January 1, 2019. The club opened in 2013 as a haven for house and techno, hosting just about every big name under the sun for all-night parties. However in a statement, the club said that a “confluence of factors contributed to the club’s misfortune; rapidly shifting social trends, unfavorable market conditions and weakening financial outlooks coincided with the simultaneous emergence of multiple existential challenges to the club’s circumstances.”

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They say that to stay alive, they would have to change their model drastically, and they weren’t willing to do so. The club had a strong no phones on the dancefloor policy, which helped set it apart when it opened, though that policy was seemingly more relaxed in recent outings to Output. The door accepted people of all types and it didn't have a VIP, bottle service culture that pervades a lot of nightlife in New York. It was a place where artists could dance next to a banker or lawyer and one might not even know. Music was the mission and Output did it right. They didn't charge hundreds of dollars for a night and looked to keep tickets affordable. There was a sense of equality inside.

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The club had multiple rooms inside, including the main room and the Panther Room. During the summer, it hosted parties on its rooftop, which had a wonderful view on Manhattan. It had one of the best speaker systems in the city, if not the best, with sound so clear you could have a conversation over it, while it was still club-level loud. The dancefloors could be a bit chaotic, but that is what happens with any club that popular.

Situated in prime Williamsburg real estate, the neighborhood has been undergoing wholesale change with massive brands putting up brick and mortar stores and smaller stores struggling to stay open with rising rents. The L train (the main subway line to the neighborhood) is set to partially shut down in April 2019 for 20 months (we will see about that MTA) and will have a major impact on nightlife in the neighborhood.

The club will celebrate New Year’s Eve and now its final night with an open to close set from John Digweed. Over the next three weeks, Danny Tenaglia will host his annual Christmas party, Lil Louis will perform alongside BLOND:ISH & La Fleur, Seth Troxler, Hot Since 82 and Solardo b2b with Gorgon City will all take over the club. It is a New York nightlife institution that was a beacon for house and techno in the city at a time when EDM was still dominant. Output will be missed, but its impact will be felt for years to come in the similar venues popping up in Bushwick and elsewhere in Brooklyn.