Shanghai club The Shelter will shut for good on December 31st, 2016.
The news was confirmed by the venue's British-born cofounder Gareth Williams, who posted a brief statement via Facebook on Wednesday, October 5th. "We are closing down for a simple and boring reason," he said. "We couldn’t get our licensed renewed. Just to be up front. That’s what it is."
The Shelter has been at the forefront of Shanghai's electronic music scene since opening in 2007 . As well as hosting international acts like Shackleton, Madlib and Kode9, it's been an incubator for some of the city's key electronic artists, such as Organ Tapes, Illsee and L.I.E.S. affiliate Tsuzing. For more on The Shelter, check out Sanjay Fernandes's 2009 feature on clubbing in Shanghai.
Read Williams's statement in full. Hi,
The Shelter is closing.
We were and are privileged to be a part of this city as long as we were. We were here. We were proud to be a part of a few important moments here and there. We did some things.
We are closing down for a simple and boring reason: We couldn’t get our licensed renewed. Just to be up front. That’s what it is.
Some details: Our last night is New Year’s Eve, 31st December 2016. We have respect and gratitude for all the promoters that were and are here with us. We have respect for the artists who came through. We thank everyone who supported. Really.
We have 88 days. Fuck it. Thank you. Love you.