Meghan Louttit

<h1>Output quickly joined the ranks of New York City nightclubs that readily roll off the tongues of club kids young and old: Studio 54. Paradise Garage. Limelight. Twilo. </h1>

There are no shortage of places to dance in the city — and night life will go on in Output’s absence.

But Output, as the first fully licensed music venue in Brooklyn dedicated to house and techno music, signaled the rise of the borough as a global night-life destination and a pivot from Manhattan club culture, which in recent decades had focused on exclusivity over who was behind the decks.

After six years of bringing in musical heavyweights like Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin and Nicole Moudaber, Output closed for good in the morning hours of Jan. 1. The owners cited “shifting social trends” and “existential challenges.” On the final night, British DJ John Digweed — who also held a popular residency at Twilo — began playing at midnight. At 9:45 a.m., he queued up the last track on the club’s Funktion-One sound system.

We asked readers to share their favorite memories of the club; though Output had a no-photos policy, some fans also sent images taken on the dance floor. We received more than 200 emotional stories about dancing all night, forging friendships and finding true love. Some revelers recalled running into a favorite DJ. Rachel Atkinson, 36, of Bristol, England, met Carl Cox at 6 a.m. after he played an all-night set.

The recollections were mostly about discovering new music, and what it felt like to enter the club and leave the rest of the world behind for a few (or seven or eight) hours. Here are some of the memories. Submissions were lightly edited for clarity.

My fondest memory is Output’s annual birthday marathon event for the German DJ Chris Liebing. Chris usually plays from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Output is packed until the very end. Management even got him a vegan red velvet birthday cake in 2014, and everyone on the dance floor got a slice! Techno and cake for breakfast — can’t top that!

— Mikey Chiong, 31, Astoria

As soon as we walked in the room, you could tell there was some crazy energy. Historic disco energy. I saw familiar faces from 718 Sessions, Shelter, Body &amp; Soul and Paradise Garage. We were all there to see the maestro Giorgio Moroder DJ for the first time at Output. His short, white hair was a halo of disco-synthesizer genius as he raised his arms in triumph. He orchestrated the playing of the best of his brilliant backlist, from “Midnight Express” to “Flashdance” to wall-to-wall Donna Summer, hit after hit, giving Output’s supersonic sound system the workout it deserved. Love to love you, baby.

— Bruce Morrow, 55, East Village

In 2016, Output held an all-day party with Seth Troxler and the Martinez Brothers, back to back on the roof. In the evening, Idris Elba played the Panther Room. It was sold out, and the crowd was intense. The bill drew in so many different types of people, and it was a legendary show. It was the longest I’ve ever stayed at a club in one session: 16 hours straight.

— Josef P., 25, Greenpoint

Danny Tenaglia. Christmas Day 2018. Danny played classic vocal house tracks that brought us all back to our roots in the era of ‘90s clubbing, which many of us feel is the heyday of New York City club culture.

— Kristina Evans, 41, Williamsburg

In March 2017, I put out a last-minute plea on Twitter to see if anyone could sell me an extra ticket to the sold-out Duke Dumont show that Friday. To my amazement, Duke shot me a DM and generously put me and a friend on the guest list. As if that didn’t give me a buzz already, his set list was fantastic and we all boogied on the upper deck till past 4 a.m. The whole night was a high. Long live Output.

— Lauren Zupkus, 27, Williamsburg

It was a Wednesday night in September 2013, and Q-Tip was DJ-ing his weekly party. The crowd was as eclectic as the music: hip-hop, disco and house. Earth, Wind &amp; Fire and Nile Rodgers were in the crowd getting down with the people. A picture with Nile Rodgers after finding out we have a close mutual friend was the only time I took a photo inside Output.

— Richie Quarto, 24, Gerritsen Beach

DJ Shadow, a true legend in the old-school style. His effortless blending of classic tracks, hip-hop, funk, soul, vintage, will always make him one of the all-time greats.

— Daniel Rosenberg, 36, Park Slope

Jan. 30, 2015. I summoned my closest friends to celebrate my 34th at Output. We ended up in the Panther Room around 2 a.m. The music was perfect. We were dancing alongside another group when I, without thinking, said hi to the person next to me. We engaged in conversation, then exchanged numbers and parted ways. Eventually, we started dating. In the early days, my friends and I referred to him as Output Tim. This past June, we got married at the North Farm in the Finger Lakes! Meeting at one of our favorite clubs represents so much of why our relationship works: our love for music, dancing, friendship, creativity, peace, love, unity and respect. Thank you, Output. We’ll never forget this place.

— Clara Kim, 37, Crown Heights

I had just moved to Williamsburg in September 2013, to an apartment that was six blocks from the club. Output was still fairly new at that point. It was dark, filled with fog, and there was only one thing there for you: the music. I had recently discovered the wonders of deep house, through the music of Sasha. I was standing front and center as he opened with a Pachanga Boys track, “Come Save Me.” I’ll never forget how subtle and simple that track started with just six or seven notes, repeating, quiet at first, slowly building. I lost every thought and sank down into the music. I fell even deeper in love with electronic music, with Sasha, with Output.

— Cidney Falk, 34, Park Slope

In 2015, Q-Tip came down from the DJ booth to dance with me and my friends. He draped his plastic whistle around my neck, looked me in the eye and said, “Blow on it … blow on it.” I blew that whistle all night and still have it today.

— Nick Wisse, 30, Bushwick

In 2016, one of my best friends and I bought tickets to see the Martinez Brothers and Seth Troxler on the roof. Days before the show, our college tennis teammate ended up making the fourth round of Wimbledon, playing Roger Federer. We bought flights to London for the morning after the show. After much discussion, we said, whatever, let’s go straight from Output to Wimbledon. We partied all night, keeping our promise to go straight from the club to the airport and forever creating the hashtag #Output2Wimbledon.

— Drew K., 28, East Village

Last November was my first time in New York, and after three days I landed in Output. I had the chance to experience a Booka Shade live show. The feeling when I arrived on the rooftop and saw the incredible view of Manhattan is indescribable. I felt good. I felt alive.

— Caroline Harant, 23, Berlin

It was a warm Sunday evening. Summer 2017. On a whim, friends and I decided to catch the legend, Lee Foss, on the Output roof. Smiling faces everywhere you looked, a beautiful rooftop oasis and upbeat music that flooded your veins. It was electric. Nothing but positive vibes. It felt like a safe space to be yourself.

— Samantha Mancuso, 28, Upper East Side

Laurent Garnier played shortly after the 2016 election. Probably the best set I’ve ever seen in the room. Usually the club shuts down at 6 a.m., but around 7 a.m., still going to the dwindling crowd, he played Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in full over a classic Carl Craig track. People held hands and cried. The music will save us was the vibe.

— Joseph Kaufman, 27, Greenpoint

An old friend from the U.K. was in town. I told him about the reputation Output had as a proper club — none of the scenesters, bottle service and awful EDM you get these days — so we went. It was June 2017. I was too old for clubbing at 43, and had work in the morning, but we stayed until 3 a.m. I couldn’t tell you who was playing. It didn’t matter. The music was banging, the sound pulsating, the crowd was young and up for it, and it brought back all the memories and feels, if only for one night.

— Jon Cunningham, 45, Clinton Hill

It’s so hard to pick a favorite memory from a place where you spend your favorite nights/mornings with your favorite people. One of the best was when Adam Beyer’s February 2018 set was coming to a close and the lights switched from dark and red to light blue and bubbly. Then the chords of Sampha’s “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” started playing, and it was just pure bliss. Long live Output.

— Margaret Haskopoulos, 22, Asbury Park, N.J.

'long live output Remembering the magic of a beloved Brooklyn nightclub

NEW YORK — There was no hassle at the door. No dress code. No bottle service. Output was about the music. Soon after it opened in early 2013, the nightclub’s come-as-you-are-attitude and world-class sound system earned it a loyal following and a global reputation.

'long live output': Remembering the magic of a beloved Brooklyn nightclub

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Meghan Louttit

Articles written by the author

'long live output': Remembering the magic of a beloved Brooklyn nightclub