“…It is no longer safe for us to throw events in the Acrylic Fabricators building,” wrote DVS1 in an email about Future Classic’s closure.
The Minneapolis underground dance music scene has been met with dismaying news today. Future Classic, a warehouse venue operated by local techno figurehead DVS1, has been forced to close in the aftermath of a blaze that recently broke out in the building.
DVS1 (real name Zak Khutoretski) shared as much in a group email. “Unfortunately, the abrupt decision was not our own,” he wrote. “Some weeks ago, a fire started in our building and affected some of the surrounding studio spaces. Due to the nature of the damages, the negligence of the landlord, and the toxic debris embedded into the space, it is no longer safe for us to throw events in the Acrylic Fabricators building.”
Future Classic leaves behind a longer legacy than the typical warehouse venue. Khutoretski opened it 15 years ago — and in that time, 46 events were hosted there, according to his email. Techno greats like Jeff Mills, Ben Klock, and the late Mike Huckaby performed there over the years.
“We created something special in Minneapolis that we couldn’t share openly in order to protect the space,” Khutoretsky wrote. “You just had to be there.”
The news is especially untimely as he recently had to pull the plug on another one of his projects. Aslice, an industry solution Khutoretsky introduced as an online platform enabling performing DJs to willingly donate a portion of their earnings to the artists whose music they played, discontinued operations in early September. Without naming names, he and his collaborators largely blamed a broad swath of the highest-paid DJs not adopting the platform as having led to the decision.
Khutoretsky concluded his email on a philosophical note. “I know how fleeting our experiences are, it’s cliche to say but yes… good things do come to an end,” he wrote. “So make sure to be present in those magical moments while you are experiencing them.