Where Gallery Ultralounge’s business hours should be displayed on its Facebook page, there are, instead, two words: “permanently closed.” However, the header photo’s words, laid atop an ominous, black, star-speckled backdrop give Gallery partygoers hope: “Coming Soon.”
Almost 1 1/2 years after its initial opening, Gallery Ultralounge, a popular vehicle for the electronic dance music scene in Gainesville, is closed for a makeover and name change before Summer B classes at UF begin.
The club will reopen at its West University Avenue location with an interior almost unrecognizable to regulars at the end of June, owner Douglas Palmeri said.
“Nature-themed” and “more organic” were some of the phrases Palmeri used to describe his vision for the reopening, which will introduce a more “DJ friendly” space and cater to the different styles of music under the electronic dance umbrella.
“We are going to open the space, update sound and lighting, and completely renovate the bar, floors, walls and general layout,” Palmeri said. “It’s going to have a whole new vibe and give partygoers a completely different experience. Our sales were going down, yes, but mainly we were only catering to one crowd. We still want to stay loyal to our EDM fans, but one night of the week, we want to explore different, more mainstream styles of music.”
Palmeri stressed that he didn’t want to settle for “mediocrity” or let the space be “just another club in town.” His main focus is for the space to be a work of art in itself, just as he said he believes the music to be.
The true catalyst for the renovation, including a new menu and addition of a “different music night,” was inspiration from the aesthetic and overall vibe of this year’s Miami Music Week, an electronic dance event held annually in March.
Les Voss, the owner of Over Easy Creative, is a promoter for EDM and has been throwing weekly house-music-oriented parties at Gallery Ultralounge since January 2016.
“Once a month, we throw a party called Hard Boiled that has more forward-thinking bass music, and we also have Surfing on a Rocket, which is lasers and future bass with lots of synthesizer sounds,” Voss said. “We try to bring in regional and national talent a few times a month. We’ve brought national acts Sage Armstrong, Huxley, Ardalan, Toadface, as well as lots and lots of regional friends.”
Much of the EDM scene in Gainesville is underground, and though a small demographic of music fans is familiar with the types of artists who perform at places like Gallery Ultralounge, they are steadfast in their loyalty to places like Gallery Ultralounge.
The changes Palmeri is making to Gallery Ultralounge are expected to benefit all of his promoters as well. Voss in particular, who has been with the gallery since its inception, commended Palmeri’s contribution to the underground EDM community after a local favorite, The Motor Room, originally named Spannk, closed in 2015.
“The goal we’ve come to agree on … is to create a space that’s transformable with lights and different genres of music to become different things for different nights, while still keeping a genuine approach and not losing ourselves in a sea of nightlife options,” Voss said.
Gallery Ultralounge’s influence on the EDM scene in Gainesville is not lost on the city’s newer residents, including Christopher Klein, a self-proclaimed EDM junkie.
“I’m stoked that the new Gallery is going to be unlike anywhere else in Gainesville to rage to EDM,” Klein said. “From what I’m hearing, the renovations will create a unique selling point for the business.”
