New book charts Ministry of Sound’s history in never-seen-before archive
A new hardback, Ministry of Sound: Anthology, is set to land on shelves this October, offering what’s being billed as the first full account of the famous South London club’s history. Published by Rizzoli New York and arriving on 20th October, the 416-page book has been put together by creative director Simon Moore, whose past work has earned him Grammy recognition.
The project is timed to coincide with the venue’s 35th anniversary and pulls together a huge amount of material that has apparently sat unseen for decades — old flyers, guest lists, internal paperwork, contracts, letters and photographs, much of it recovered from private collections, photographers’ personal archives, second-hand shops and online sellers. According to those involved, putting it all together took more than two years of digging and research.
Alongside the visual material, the book is built around interviews and personal recollections from people connected to the club across its history, including founders, former staff, regular clubbers and DJs. Names mentioned in connection with the project include Pete Tong, Moby, David Morales, Carl Craig, Honey Dijon, Steve Angello and Princess Julia, among many others, with several reportedly sharing their memories publicly for the first time.
The book reportedly traces the club’s journey from its scrappy beginnings — a converted warehouse space in an unglamorous part of South London, initially run without a drinks licence and once nicknamed an “underground juice bar” by co-founder Justin Berkmann — through to its growth into one of the most recognisable names in dance music worldwide. Its early identity is said to have been shaped partly by New York’s club scene, particularly the legendary Paradise Garage, combined with the energy of Britain’s rave culture at the time.
Moore has spoken about how the scale of the story surprised him once he started digging into it, describing hearing countless first-hand stories covering everything from ambition and chaos to money troubles and a shared love of music. Ministry of Sound’s managing director has also praised the book for capturing not just the factual history of the venue, but the strong emotional bond so many people feel toward it.
The anthology is available to pre-order now, ahead of its October release.
