Over the weekend, New York’s dance community gathered for a rare and special reunion honoring the legendary nightclub, Twilo, which closed its doors in May 2001. Returning to its original address on West 27th Street, the two-night celebration reunited two of the DJs most synonymous with the club’s golden era, John Digweed and Danny Tenaglia, who were also among the last artists to play the room before its abrupt closure 25 years ago.
Photo Credits: Yuliya Skya I Trel Brock
The layout may have shifted slightly, but stepping inside the club still felt familiar and exhilarating as the long line snaked through the venue. At 9 PM, the dancefloor was already packed and vibrating. Lights flashed across the crowd, surrounded by towering speaker stacks all under Twilo’s iconic circular ceiling rig of disco balls. Everywhere you looked was an embrace, old friends reconnecting, and familiar tones of old stories drifting among the beats. One dancer mused, “I’m supposed to leave for another party, but I can’t because I keep running into people I know.”
The DJ casting was deliberate and authentic. John Digweed’s deep, progressive house set reminded the room why Twilo once defined New York’s late-night sound. The speakers pulsed steadily with a musical narrative that required no dramatic drops to resonate with dancers. Danny Tenaglia was handed the decks shortly after 1 AM to start his own 3-hour journey.
The crowd at Twilo was a huge part of the elevated vibe. People reportedly came from other states and even other countries. There was your fair share of shiny fabrics, leopard print, colorful platforms that twinkled in the crowd, but most of the local attendees, who were aged 45+, wore t-shirts and sneakers–focused more on the music than the fashion. Phones were politely discouraged; remarkably, people listened. Instead of facing the DJ booth, dancers did their own thing, eyes closed to be in the moment or perhaps to reminisce of simpler times. The VIP mezzanine also pulsated with energy. Some danced on couches while small groups leaned over the railing, chatted, and absorbed Digweed’s grooves, which rippled over the dance floor below.
The second day of the reunion featured Benny Soto and The Carry Nation in The Loft, but Saturday night’s main floor belonged to Danny Tenaglia. He celebrated his birthday with a marathon set of timeless selections and house classics for the big room celebration. On his Instagram, he clued us in to his game plan for the night, “…Giving myself a proper warm-up with some nice Downtempo music classics, then build it up to an intense peak energy and then bring it back home.”
The presence of these two headliners, still going strong after so many years, also evoked memories of the complex history that led to Twilo’s closure. Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s aggressive nightlife crackdown eliminated nightlife venues, jobs, and DJs. Many artists had to claw their way back, and some never returned. At the time, city officials revived New York’s long-dormant Cabaret Law, originally passed in 1926, which required venues to hold special licenses for dancing. The result was shuttered DJ bars and clubs all over the city. In Twilo’s case, it was fire department scrutiny, sound complaints, and a swirl of media attention around two overdoses that took place years apart in the club’s 6-year lifespan. The pressure ultimately forced one of the city’s most influential dance institutions to shut its doors, but as this reunion attested, the ravers persevered. Nothing will permanently dim the vibrancy of NYC’s historic nightlife, which seems to be having a peak moment again with many new clubs opening recently, including Signal, Refuge, Green Room, and Paragon, rescued in part by Detroit legend Kevin Saunderson.
Whether Twilo was simply a reunion or the soft launch of something new remains to be seen. An insider for the event hinted that it was the latter. “If all goes well this weekend, there could be more events as soon as May.” Judging by the authentic smiles and electric dance floor, it felt like more than nostalgia. A time capsule like Twilo resurfacing at (what looks to be) a new, crowning moment for NYC nightlife is fortuitous timing that brings with it both a cautionary tale of nightlife history, and a love letter to the dance music community – reminding us of how gorgeous we are without our phones.
PLUR values and also caution to take good care of our nightlife scenes and protect it from, a welcome message in turbulent times. See you soon, Twilo. Don’t ever change.
