25 Years… a quarter of a century. That’s some mean feat in any industry let alone Electronic Music. Through the hard times and the best of times Steve Raine’s ethos has remained steadfast. Uncompromising underground House music. Hard Times is arguably responsible for some of the most defining moments in UK house music over the last few decades and they’ve done this with absolutely zero frills or gimmicks and an uncompromising dedication. From day 1 it has always been about the music. Hard Times endeavoured to bring the USA’s underground House elite over to the UK at a time when they were still honing their skills in their homeland. It was this introduction of what we all now recognise as ‘House Music’s legends’ that lit the Hard Times fire that still burns on today.

At the turn of the year the seminal brand will move into a new era as they announce their 2018 London partnership with London’s finest, if not the world’s finest, fabric London. The event will be the 1st in a joint venture collaboration between Hard Times and fabric London for 2018.

Launching on Saturday 3rd February fabric’s legendary Room 1 will be headlined by one of the true master mixers of our generation, Brooklyn’s finest Tony Humphries. A regular at Yorkshire’s Hard Times events down the years, Humphries is also an important part of fabrics history ‘ after playing their launch party in 1999. He was also one of the first to helm their mix series with his now seminal fabric 04 compilation. He returns for the first time in 15 years for what is sure to be a very special reunion.

Joining Humphries on the night is fellow American and Hard Times regular and label artist DJ Spen, the master remixer, who’s plied his production prowess to stellar names like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Everything but the Girl, Toni Braxton, Kirk Franklin to name a few.

Leeds legend Paul Woolford aka Special Request, fresh from claiming Best Compilation Of The Year at the DJ Mag BOB Awards, will join Hard Times resident Steve Dunn to complete the Room 1 lineup, a curated selection that will mix the old with the new as the seminal brand continues to cut a path through Electronic Music as it heads into it’s 25th year.

Room Two sees arguably one of France’s most important house imprints take the reigns:

Bass Culture. Label boss and Rex Club resident D’Julz lands to represent the weighted aesthetic of his much respected label. Long running Panorama Bar resident, producer of high-class house cuts and dedicated digger of all round impeccable electronic music in all forms, Cassy has been one of house and techno’s leading artists for well over a decade. fabric’s resident Terry Francis also brings his weighty techno and house selections to round off the Room Two bill.

Over the course of 2018 the two brands will unite to curate other projects strengthening the partnership further with a host of collaborations that will be announced over the coming months.

“We may be an historic dance music brand and our history/legacy is one that i’m proud off, however we are far away from being about a trip down memory lane. In 2018 we will marry the past with the future and for London I couldn’t have picked a better club who echo those sentiments’ Steve Raine – Hard Times founder

Advance tickets are now on sale via RA, including limited pre-midnight tickets available at £10 off the door price: fabricldn.co/pf6ar8