Shaftsbury Avenue’s Bar Rumba has always been at the cutting edge of club culture but on Sept 26 the iconic venue celebrates its 15th birthday with a relaunch that will see the East London techno scene find a new home, and once again make the West End a place where clubbing can rival anywhere else in the city.

Look out for Nodisko/Codex, Leftroom, Latenightaudio, LT Editions, Tomoki Tamura and a white hot new dubstep night in coming weeks, whilst the launch sees Shane Watcha’s ‘Zombies Ate My Brain’ descend.

New musical director James Manero says: “It’s about returning to the pioneering spirit of the original Bar Rumba. This city used to be king for music, but right now Brazil, Ibiza and Berlin are all doing it better. It’s time for a much needed renaissance in London’s club scene. For our relaunch there’s no multi-million pound refurb, there’s no new cocktail list, none of that rubbish, this is 100% about our musical policy and having the best parties in London.”

Bar Rumba is rethinking the idea of the super club. With The Cross, The Key, Canvas and Turnmills all gone, and the other ‘super-clubs’ just not what they used to be, there is a gap in the market for a smaller, more intimate venue, with a soundsystem and DJ line-up that wouldn’t be out of place in the world’s finest and biggest clubs.

Looking to draw the most switched on of London’s nightcrawlers, Manero says: “Anyone unaware of what’s happening inside the club and just looking for somewhere to drink ‘til 5am won’t get in. We want a crowd who invests in their night, checking out the latest happenings on MySpace or Facebook, people coming to the club for a reason. A lot will be word of mouth, but we’re also expecting a lot of the existing regulars from the various parties, etc..”

An institution in London’s clubbing scene, Bar Rumba launched in 1993 and has seen the likes of Giles Petersen, Carl Cox, Derrick Carter, Norman Jay, Masters At Work and Todd Terry grace the decks. Of course there was DTPM way back in the day, and the legendary Movement, responsible for bringing Brazilian drum n bass giant, Marky into the UK for the first time, plus regular sets from the likes of Fabio and Grooverider, Goldie, Hype et al.

“Our philosophy won’t change from what it has always been,” says James, “which is to present music of quality – no matter what night of the week it is.”

Bar Rumba
38 Shaftesbury Avenue
London, W1D 7EP
Tel: 0207 287 6933
Price: £10
Doors: Bar 8pm / Club 10pm – 6am
Capacity: 455
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
www.barrumba.co.uk