subdivision toronto

Toronto nightclub with no phones policy is making some major changes

A Toronto nightclub that has a strict no phones, no cameras policy is moving. 

Sub Division, located in the basement of 461 King St. W. threw its final event on Apr. 8 at its original location. It announced a festival in the building's second floor space this summer, before it moves to a new downtown location in the fall.

In an Instagram post, Sub Division writes, "As we continue to build out our new home for SD V2, we are excited to announce a specially curated, Sub Division series: ON/OFF! 

"ON/OFF will showcase 17 artists over 4 dates from May until August, in a 400 capacity, brick and beam space" at Second Floor Events in the same building at 461 King St. West. 

After the temporary move upstairs, Sub Division will secure a larger home with higher capacity than before. They promise the "same vibe as we have always had, no phones, no bottle service."

Co-owner Ryan Fisher explains in an email, "We (Distrikt 461 - SPIN, Second Floor Events, Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! + Sub Division) sold the space which housed Rabbits and SD. The basement had to be included as part of the deal, which is part of the reason why we are moving."

"We are working on a couple of potential options for a location at the moment," Fisher says, "but it will be downtown and not on King St. as our other space was." 

Sub Division has a dark, moody and mysterious atmosphere it likens to an "urban terrarium." The no-photography rule helped keep it one of King St.'s best kept secrets among techno fans. "Leave your pretensions behind," the website encourages, "interact with humans." 

On top of that, Sub Division's rule is "Come as you are — we care about the music, not about how you look." Everyone's equal and out in the open, no one is VIP. 

Dedicated to curating the best of local electronic DJs, Sub Division keeps an archive of artists who have previously played. It had a cozy capacity of 175. The intimate venue served small plate Japanese flavours Izakaya-style and had an extensive bar in lieu of bottle service. 

Highlights for ON/OFF include DJs Zoi, Interstellar Funk, Jacques Green, Sid LeRock and Yu Su. May 5 kicks off with R-ODERICK, Adam X, Akua and a live set by Orphyx.

Sub Division's ON/OFF series takes place on Fridays on May 5, June 16, July 14, and Aug. 11. Tickets to the first event are available now

Lead photo by

Sub Division


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