‘We can leave knowing we left a mark’: how Corsica Studios transformed London nightlife – and why it’s closing

The beloved south London club has announced it will shut next year as redevelopment of the site goes ahead. Founder Adrian Jones, DJs and promoters look back

Ask any music-loving Londoner to name the city’s best venues, and there’s a decent chance Corsica Studios will appear somewhere near the top of their list. Opened in 2002 by Adrian Jones and Amanda Moss, for 23 years this unassuming railway arch beneath Elephant & Castle station, with its pummelling sound, no-frills aesthetics and adventurous musical programming, has become one of the capital’s most influential and beloved clubs.

Founded and envisaged as a multi-purpose creative space rather than just a nightclub, it’s attracted massive names such as Jeff Mills and Björk, nurtured underground scenes from acid techno to jungle and pushed the boundaries of what a clubnight can be, via Evian Christ’s maximalist Trance Parties, Hyperdub’s groundbreaking Ø series or more recent forays into sex-positive raving.