Whirl-y-Gig embodies the spirit of community in a carnival atmosphere.  Bathed in rainbow rippling lights and wrapped in exotic décor, it is a festival of delights for people of all ages and places.
Dance to the Whirl-y-Beat and journey through Whirl-y-Gig's unique electronic landscape, where many diverse elements blend into one cohesive and unifying experience.  From heavy dub and funky drum'n'bass to tropical house and uplifting tribal trance, the Whirl-y-Mix embraces flavours of Celtic and global, classical and psychedelic, rock and even pop, roots and radical.  Whether it be African or European, Arabic or Asian, Whirl-y-Gig finds inspiration from around the world, yet is rooted firmly in the here and now of London's alternative club scene.
Whirl-y-Gig is an event difficult to describe and a moment difficult to miss.  With a strong and loving life force, the Whirl-y-Sound is a musical heartbeat for a future global family.

EVENTS MAY COME AND GO ...

But after 29 years Whirl-y-Gig remains unique as a community dance event for ‘people of all ages and places’ where you can dance your dance and bring your kids free of charge.

Whirl-y-Gig embraces the arts. It is a unique carnival experience, visually stunning with contemporary décor and lighting design and culminating in a magical choreographed sequence …the famous ‘Parachute Dance’. This brings together lights, décor and music in a way which is uniquely and beautifully interactive.

Whirl-y-Gig is different. The event is a true spectacle with multi-coloured drapes cascading from a world bathed in rainbow rippling lights. Whirl-y-Gig is about creating a bubble of positivity in which the potential for ordinary ecstatic experience becomes possible.

DJ Monkey Pilot weaves a musical magic carpet which lifts both heart and feet. The music is eclectic and draws from a mix of contemporary dance rhythms blending them into a melting pot of global grooves. From Dub and Breakbeat to House and Trance, from African and European to Arabic and Asian, and from Blues and Jazz to Folk and Classical, the Whirl-y-Gig soundtrack has influences from all around the world yet is rooted firmly in the here and now of today’s London.

Whirl-y-Gig also contributes to world dance music with its record label ‘Whirl-y-Music’ which promotes an eclectic range of artists from Trans-Global Underground to Kamel Nitrate.

The Whirl-y-Bazaar promotes hand-made crafts with original designs, which helps to support local artists, in addition to a range of Whirly Souvenirs. The stall provides a focal point of colour and creativity.

Whirl-y-Gig embodies the spirit of community in a carnival atmosphere which appeals to people of all ages. Children love it, the balloons, the free face-painting, the lights, the friendly stewarding style. Café Teez provides a relaxing space and offers organic juices, mineral water and hot drinks.

Whirl-y-Gig is free from the usual barriers and prejudices. It is a place where people can be themselves and feel connected to a shared higher vision. The stewarding is caring and respectful with a philosophy rooted in community and the music although exciting and high energy, is non-aggressive and celebratory promoting messages of world peace. Says one director from the Mind organisation:” I never feel my age at Whirl-y-Gig. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and mixes together so well. I just enjoy being part of the event … its wonderful !”

WHAT OTHERS SAY

(Time Out Magazine) Dave Swindells

"There’s nowhere quite like the Whirl-Y-Gig…It’s the nightclub cum festival where whole families have been regulars for years, where every surface except the floor is draped and wrapped in psychedelic style that’s part souk, part circus, with a huge canopy rising high above the dance-floor. The parachute dance, the climax to the evening, has to be seen to be believed. To the sound of dreamy music, volunteers hold a circular parachute aloft over the audience while Zeeman Zap’s oil-wheeled lights play across its rippling surface. I can only compare it to a mantra ray on a pink and orange ocean, and I haven’t even had a drink yet !.”

Re-printed with king permission from Jonty Skrufff www.skrufff.com
Whirl-Y-Gig ~ Hammersmith Town Hall, London

“The man in the Viking helmet is smiling as the two pre-school nymphets encircle him in a paganesque dance. Another case of some sleaze ball sicko corrupting young innocents or perhaps something even more sinister, more sordid ? No, no, no ! Mr Viking, it transpires, is bopping with his daughters. Everything is not as it seems at one of the most influential events in club history.

Whirl-y-Gig began life as an event run by the Association of Humanistic Psychology for which Monkey Pilot (then known as Richard) was a manager, DJ’ing with his back to the audience…inventing a brand new concept, the faceless DJ. He later took this concept to Club Dog, where as the first resident DJ he would influence the likes of Zero Gravity.

Whirl-Y-Gig is best known for it’s traditional parachute drop. For those unfamiliar, at the end of each night, a gigantic parachute envelops the whole dance-floor, covering everyone beneath. Dancers sit beneath the ‘chute for up to 20 minutes,..as a ring of people outside the circle gently waft the chute over their heads.

Musically too, the club’s emphasis has always been experimental. Current favoured artists (1997) include Joi, Trans-Global Underground, Nitin Sawhney mixed along the likes of Time Shard, whilst past discoveries include pygmy house maestros, Deep Forest, some two years before the world embraced them.

Monkey Pilot says ‘ when people come to Whirl-y-Gig they aren’t paying for bands or a long list of star DJs, they are paying for the experience in which they themselves are a vital part’ So next time you’re disappointed with that ‘star’ DJ, do something about it. Try a party where you matter. It might just change your life.”
Jonty Skrufff  (http://www.skrufff.com)

Reprinted with kind permission from Richard Morley www.global-trance.co.uk

“Whirl-y-Gig is a magical club, in London, where global vibes collide with uplifting trance, drum 'n bass, breakbeat and ambient dance, all fused together by DJ Monkey Pilot. Under the comfort of the giant pink parachute in the roof, the whole environment is adorned by beautiful saris and wall hangings, all of which are bathed in a radiant spectral delight by Zeeman Zap light show. Visually the Whirl-y-Gig nights are spectacular adding a carnival atmosphere and complemented by a broad range of musical delights.

The stewarding is friendly and caring and yet very professional. There is a code; all you are asked to bring is warmth, enthusiasm and a friendly smile. Children are more than welcome at Whirl-y-Gig as long as they are supervised at all times by a parent or approved guardian (and its free to under- 12’s).

Whirl-y-Gig’s motto is “music and people of all ages and places”; this is a place where young and old alike can enjoy the freedom to express themselves in a community environment where age, race, sex, sexuality and status have no hierarchy, where the burdens and immoralities of day to day life can be washed away. It’s a wonderful place, which over the years has been a source of inspiration to many. It was the birthplace of Azukx and also home to bands such as Astralasia, Banco de Gaia, Joi, Moodswings and Trans-Global Underground, all of which have made numerous live appearances on the stage over the years.

Towards the end of the night the legendary parachute dance engulfs the dancers. Here a large silk parachute with everybody sitting under it is waved above peoples heads by a ring of people encircling the parachute, providing twenty minutes of relaxing ambient vibes, cool breezes and breathtaking visuals to end the night on a chilled note.

The whole Whirl-y-Gig experience can only be described as a fairy-tale voyage, a journey that recreates the magic of a music festival in an enchanted indoor environment, although more fitting it has been described in fewer words by Monkey Pilot as” an event difficult to describe, a moment difficult to miss.”