Inside Abbey Road’s First-Ever Rave, Hosted by Soulwax: ‘We Hope It’s Not Going to Be the Last’

London's legendary Abbey Road Studios, a site synonymous with meticulous recording sessions, recently staged its first official dance music event. The historic venue, which first opened its doors in 1931 and gained global fame as the creative hub for the Beatles' later work, welcomed 300 guests for an electronic music night dubbed "Abbey Road After Hours." This initiative represents a conscious effort to reposition the iconic facility, located in a typically tranquil North London neighborhood, as a dynamic space for contemporary sound exploration.

Curating the audio journey were Belgian electronic pioneers David and Stephen Dewaele, known for their band Soulwax and the genre-blending DJ project 2ManyDJs. They were supported by DJs Erol Alkan and Laima Leyton. Stephen Dewaele described the offer from Abbey Road's marketing director, Mark Robertson, as an extraordinary chance. "To be granted total artistic liberty in a room of such profound historical weight is exceptionally rare," he observed, framing the party as a fitting finale to their ongoing studio work. This approach reflects a growing industry trend where heritage institutions collaborate with modern artists to create unique, experiential events that bridge generations of music fans.

Attendance was tightly controlled, with a limited number of tickets available to the public via a free phone line that fielded roughly 8,000 calls in the two weeks before the event. The Dewaeles joked about the challenge of compiling the guest list, wondering if a studio icon like Paul McCartney—whose work with the Beatles fundamentally defined Abbey Road's legacy—might make an appearance. The musical highlight was 2ManyDJs' set, which included a brand-new Soulwax composition recorded in the fabled Studio Two and pressed to vinyl on the premises just 24 hours earlier, offering a tangible link between the studio's past and present.

For the sound, the organizers deliberately chose a massive, concentrated system named Deewee, with towering speaker stacks positioned in the corners of the vast Studio One. This setup, a deliberate rejection of the scattered, multi-array systems common in modern clubs, was intended to produce a unified, physically powerful wave of sound. David Dewaele explained the philosophy: "We wanted a direct, immersive experience where the audio hits you as one coherent force." This technical decision highlights a movement within electronic music towards prioritizing intense, tactile sound quality in acoustically significant locations, a reaction to what some audiophiles see as the overly processed sound of many digital festivals.

Although the celebration ended a little early following a noise complaint and involved the removal of one attendee, the overall mood was one of historic celebration. The entire night was filmed for a forthcoming documentary on the studio's lasting cultural impact, scheduled to debut on YouTube on March 5. According to Mark Robertson, this event is likely not a one-off; he expressed interest in periodically hosting similar innovative gatherings, a vision the Dewaeles strongly endorse. By temporarily converting its most revered recording space into a vibrant dance floor, Abbey Road Studios is boldly asserting its ongoing relevance as a living institution actively shaping audio's future, not just preserving its past.