Club resurrected: Yellow reopens as Eleven

During the dance music boom of the late 1990s, the Tokyo club scene was ranked by many as the world's best -- at least in terms of enthusiasm if not in terms of scale. Dozens of venues both giant (Velfarre) and intimate (Loop) hosted parties with the world's best DJs (and local greats) on a nearly weekly basis.

Over the last decade, however, the dance music scene has collapsed into a much smaller group of select fans. Things seemed to be on the verge of techno apocalypse with the closing of iconic Nishi-Azabu club Space Lab Yellow in 2008. 

The Japan Times has some good news, though: Yellow unexpectedly reopened in the same spot on February 18 under a new name: Eleven. Turns out that the economic calamity of the last few years canceled whatever development project the authorities had planned for the building. The owners promptly invited back the music enthusiasts to hang out in the basement. 

Eleven, like its predecessor, will likely cater to an older, slightly nostalgic clubbing crowd in their 30s, and house music will remain the main dish on the menu. After so many store and club closings these days in Tokyo though, we are just happy to hear that resurrection is possible in such a scrap-and-build town.

Eleven: Thesaurus Nishiazabu B1-B2F, Nishiazabu 1-10-11, Minato-ku, tel. 03 5775 6206.