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The Club Heaven Sound System
by Carleton Gholz
For just over a decade beginning in 1984, a generation of DJs, performers, dancers, engineers, and club promoters came together to create a kingdom for expression and imagination, especially for Black LGBT youth, at Club Heaven. The building that sheltered this after-hour oasis has disappeared, like so many queer spaces, but its sound system and cultural movement still remain relevant and active.
Over the next year, Detroit Sound Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Detroit’s musical legacies, is raising funds, conducting electronic archaeology, and restoring a mix of amplifiers, cables, drivers, horns, and speaker cabinets that bore witness to the emergence of house and techno music, as well as the public recognition of vogue dancing and ballroom culture.
The Club Heaven Sound System Booth at Movement Music Festival 2018 presented by Detroit Sound Conservancy and sponsored by Paxahau will celebrate the system, educate attendees, and provide donation opportunities to restore this iconic sound system.
Learn more about this effort at detroitsound.org and follow #thesearchforheaven