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THERE was a time when infamous DJ Ariel was blamed for all the Class A drug problems in the whole of King’s Cross. A year later, the same people who made these wild claims, had dubbed the Argentinian club disc spinner legendary.

Ariel’s name is synonymous with celebrated 5,000-capacity 90s King’s Cross warehouse nightclub Bagleys, renamed Canvas in 2003 and eventually shut for good four years later. It hosted some of the biggest clubs, raves and parties, playing a pivotal part in the capital’s dance music history.
 

Ariel’s eight-hour sets of house, techno and trance, mixed with a Latin groove, helped make Bagleys the centre of London’s club scene, and it was much mourned when it finally shut.

Now, after years of pleas from loyal followers, Ariel is hosting a Bagleys reunion, reviving a set reminiscent of his most famous night, Freedom, and playing vinyl and CDs only.
 

Taking place on Saturday, it will be a scaled-down version of the real thing and Ariel plans to replicate the original atmosphere in the Star of Kings, just across the road from the original warehouse, so clubbers can still enjoy the same walk home in the early hours. The venue has the same architectural features, similar materials are used for the walls and it has a capacity of 500, a tenth of the original venue.

Ariel’s lifestyle is far removed from that of someone supposed to have brought amphetamines to the neighbourhood. He’s a raw foodist who spends his spare time in the gym. He takes his job extremely seriously and has strict rules about his DJ booth.

He said: “If you lose concentration, that is the worst thing because then you lose contact with how you control the crowd. The environment you play has to be peaceful.

“People must leave you alone to do your job. I wouldn’t allow people to molest me or ask me things. If they want to ask something they’ll speak to somebody else. I only concentrate on keeping the groove, the energy levels, I wouldn’t spend time socialising.”

Ariel spent 12 years living in Camden and was a loyal New Journal reader.
 

He feels at home in the UK, citing similarities with his homeland: “Argentina is a very pro-British society. Many people don’t know Argentinians are very similar to British people. 

“I have more in common with a British person than a Brazilian – the colour of skin, taste in music, family traditions.”

He came to Bagleys in the early 90s: “I always wanted to do long sets in the UK and that’s why I came to Bagleys. It was certainly something nobody had done before in terms of playing house and techno.”

And he has fond memories of Bagleys: “It really was enormous, probably the largest nightclub in the UK. 

“It’s where Madonna filmed the video for Sorry. Some venues have an energy about the place and some don’t. Bagleys really had energy. It was such that it became the most loved of all. I don’t think there’s another venue in London or this country that people feel so passionate about.

“The open landscape in King’s Cross was unique – people left the club with the gasholders in the background. 

“The landscape was quite special as a clubbing experience. It was the most popular clubbing street in the early 90s. 

“The magic of Bagleys was that it was one of the few venues that didn’t have a dress code, giving it the reputation of being unpretentious. It really respected the rave culture, the free spirit that all that brought.”

Bagleys Reunion, The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, 10pm-4am, July 30.