Tel Aviv nightclub The Block has been shuttered following legal battle

Tel Aviv nightclub, The Block, has officially closed after 14 years, following a legal battle with the city's developers.

Home to a custom-built rig that is widely regarded by many fans and DJs as the best soundsystems in the world, The Block threw its last ever party on Friday night.

The club has released a statement on the decision to close the venue mentioning a court feud against a military company, Netsaba, that operates the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station — a stone's throw from where the venue is based.

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The Block has been in its current, Shalma Road in Jaffa, for the past 11 years.

Last week, the owner of The Block, Yaron Trucks spoke with Middle East 24: “After the [pandemic], the central extension was renovated because there was a leak that we had to fix and we had to replace the wooden floor for that.

“When we started the renovation, it turned out that the leak was much more serious than we thought, and to properly seal it safely required a larger investment than we had. We tried to get the Israel Defense Forces to come see it and take care of it, but no one came, the weeks passed, people got upset, they asked where the extension was.”

“In recent months we have done everything we can to reopen the main floor and return the block and club scene of Tel Aviv to the Zohar days that we all miss, but after legal proceedings against the military company that operates the main station, it turned out that it could not be done without financial investment,” the statement released on Sunday after closing the club reads.

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The club’s statement gives thanks to all the team, to all the artists from Israel and abroad and to the many fans of the club as well as, adding, “we feel proud of what we have achieved: we have been home to a community of thousands of billionaires and hundreds of local and international artists, DJs, designers, video artists and more; we hosted the world’s greatest DJs, some before they even became superstars”.

“The journey is not yet complete, and even if it will be in a different place and time, or in a different way, we hope and believe that we will still see each other on the plaza” the statement closed along with the words of Sir Paul McCartney, “and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make”.

To conclude their statement, The Block asks if people have any ideas or suggestions about the club moving forward to contact via message on the Facebook page or email office@block-club.

Read The Block’s full statement here.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Video and Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter