Ministry of Sound has been the home of raw, relentless rave culture since the early 90s, creating an ecosystem which has nurtured and aided the development of some of the country's biggest creative acts, from London Grammar to Wretch 32. To coincide with launch of their new audio range of headphones and speakers, which has been engineered in conjunction with the team behind their legendary sound system, we romanticise and reminisce on when the Elephant and Castle institution first opened its doors over two decades ago. 

“We’ve had to really stand-up and protect ourselves from continuous threats to our business,” Ministry reps explain. “The internet and recession put a knife through the way that every brand worked and in many ways the music industry has really been at the coalface of trying to adapt to this new world.”

After the recent closure of London's Madame Jojo’s and Plastic People, Ministry puts its bluntly, “independent businesses like ours, that don’t completely conform, or fit in to a sanitised urban vision are slowly being erased”.

Until youth culture decides that they no longer want to dance and rave anymore (which lets face it, will probs never happen), businesses like Ministry of Sound will continually fight for their right to stay alive and do what they’ve always done – “throw amazing parties and put out music for people to get lost in.”