TWILO REUNION
NEWS
Twilo Returns to New York: A Generation X Reunion on the Dancefloor
After 25 years of silence, one of New York’s most legendary dance floors came back to life this weekend.
NEW YORK CITY | By Pablo Herrera
Twilo, the iconic nightclub that helped define the city’s electronic music scene in the 1990s, reopened its doors at 530 West 27th Street for a sold out two night reunion. For many in attendance, the event was not simply another party. It was a rare opportunity to step back into a place that once shaped a generation of club culture.
Originally operating from the mid 1990s until its closure in 2001, Twilo became one of the most respected dance clubs in the world. The venue was known for its massive dance floor, its powerful sound system, and the marathon DJ sets that stretched late into the morning. Artists like Danny Tenaglia, Sasha, and John Digweed helped transform the club into an international destination for electronic music fans.
For this special reunion weekend, two of those defining figures returned to the booth. John Digweed and Danny Tenaglia once again took control of the decks, recreating the kind of long form DJ sets that made the club legendary during its original run.
But beyond the music, the night carried something deeper. For many people in the room, the reunion was also a reunion in the literal sense.
I attended the night with my wife and a group of friends, all of us part of Generation X. One of those friends used to frequent Twilo in the 1990s. For her, walking back into the space was like stepping into a memory. Throughout the night she kept running into people she had not seen in decades. Former regulars recognized each other on the dance floor, exchanging hugs and stories from another era of New York nightlife.
In that sense, the evening felt less like a nostalgic tribute and more like a continuation of a journey that had simply paused for 25 years.
For me the experience carried a different meaning. Although I have lived in New York for more than a decade, my own club culture began elsewhere. I discovered electronic music and nightlife first in Argentina and later in Spain. By the time I arrived in New York, much of the city’s clubbing scene had already moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Twilo belonged to a chapter of the city I had never experienced firsthand.
The reunion took place inside the original Twilo space at 530 West 27th Street. Walking into the room felt like stepping back in time. Much of the structure remains the same, including the lighting rigs that once defined the club’s atmosphere, even if some of them no longer function today.
That made the night feel like discovering a secret piece of New York history.
The atmosphere inside the club was electric. Friends greeted each other like they had known each other for years, even if they had just met on the dance floor minutes earlier. Conversations flowed easily between strangers. The sense of community that defined the golden era of clubbing seemed to return naturally.
And one thing became very clear over the course of the night: Generation X is still very much alive on the dance floor.
Carl Cox and Danny Tenaglia during the days Twilo was open. Photo courtesy of Twilo Events.
Today, when I go to clubs in Brooklyn or Barcelona at 50 years old, younger clubbers sometimes look at me with curiosity, as if wondering what someone my age is doing there. But the Twilo reunion told a different story. The room was filled with people who have been dancing for decades and have no intention of stopping.
In music culture, there is no real retirement age. Much like Mick Jagger still commanding stadium stages, those who grew up with dance music continue to live it.
Danny Tenaglia closed the night by taking the crowd on a journey that felt unmistakably rooted in the 1990s. Track after track carried echoes of the era when Twilo defined the sound of New York nightlife. Toward the end of the set, he made an announcement that energized the room even further: Twilo will return with a monthly session.
If the reunion proved anything, it is that the spirit of Twilo never truly disappeared. For one night in Chelsea, the trip continued exactly where it left off.
And for those on the dance floor, the journey still feels the same.
Danny Tenaglia performing at Twilo Reunion. March 2026.
