New In Town

I can't believe it's already been a month. This wednesday the house party in a club is back. This months theme is House music. No not Groove Armada, more like Bobby O. I'll be there getting my groove on and my journo skills. Dont miss out. And new policy because if it's good you should pay free before 9pm. Then again for 2 of your english pounds, its a deal, a steal, the sale of the fucking century.

V-Day Mix

Amidst the commercialism comes a mixtape that was done with some care and attention. Don't go for the Steve Wright in the Afternoon/Smooth FM route. Branch out, pretend that you have heard more than just Stevie Wonder and Take That. Please dont whack on the soundtrack to some crappy Rom-Com, try this out. A eclectic combo of rock, soul, rap, faux-reggae (in a good way), electro all with one common theme the word love. Disclaimer : I kinda stole the idea from the other guy from Soulwax aka the third dewale bro. His is pre party. Mine is After party (Like Jay-Z). Say after party wind down after this? Yo Mama vs AIB is free on sat night in Shoreditch. Either way enjoy.

Stakes is High presents: African Passion alternative V-Day Mix
Tracklisting
Deon Jackson - Love Makes The World Go Round
Al Green - Love and Happiness
David Bowie - Soul Love
The Roots - Act II (Feat. Common)
Joe Jackson - Fools in Love
Fleetwood Mac - Big Love
Friendly Fires - Your Love
Daft Punk - Digital Love
The Rapture - I Need Your Love
Hot Chip - We're Looking For a Lot of Love
Sebastien Tellier - L'Amour et Violence
You can dl it over here!

Happy Valentine's Day

Aint It Black tomorrow kids. The best house party in a club returns.

Top 5 time. My boy Rikki (head honcho of this fun shindig) conjured up the magic. In fact the sinden track was my ringtone for a while.

1. Aaron Lacrate & DJ Samir feat Young MC - Know How Theme


2. Kazey and Bulldog - It's Alright

3. Soft Tigers - Mr Ice Cream (DJ Waxmaster Juke Remix)

4. Tomb Crew - Inna Dat

5. Sinden & Count of Monte Cristal - BMore Forward

Make sure you go on sat. I'm hopefully going there after chromeo. Remember kids bust a move.

(18 year old inie, imagine if he met 23 year old inie. Still rocking the mohawk.)
I finally have got the energy to write something again. AIB was amazing, if you were there you know you had fun. Olivier was brilliant, manipulating the ladies up front while the dudes standing at the back looked on jealously. Thanks again to the boys Chonsak and Ibrahim. And the DJ's. And the AIB family. And the lovely lady that i wished i had spoken to. And the conversation i had with Ishola about ignorance. And that poor lady whose wine i accidently knocked over. And her Bf who tried to swell his chest and start something but thought twice when he got a good look at me. Good Times, man Good Times. It was my equivalent of Thanksgiving.

AIB Week comes to an end. Today is the day.
And So here we have another Top 5. 7oel, resident dj, has kindly provided the drunken with his top 5 songs of the year.
Theophilous London ft. Solange - Sandcastle Disco Remix
Wiley - Wearing My Rolex
NERD ft. CRS & Pusha T - Everybody Nose Remix

N.E.R.D - Everyone Nose (Remix) from now8p on Vimeo.
John Legend ft. Andre 3000 - Green Light
M.I.A - XR2
See you there tonight.

Ain't It Black, London's house party in a club, celebrates it's one year anniversary this Thursday, Dec 4th, at Favela Chic.

I shot the shit with the two creators, Chonsak and Ibrahim. The boys are known for their sartorial expertise, dance moves and musical taste.

If Aint It Black was a look what would it be?
Ibrahim: Shoulder pads, Rhythm Nation Janet Jackson style.
Chonsak: Typeface message tees , gold chains and high tops.
Who are your musical style icons?
I: Andre 3k, Rick James, Prince and Morris Day. Andre is heavily influenced by Prince Charles, who can blame him. With those ears you need a good dress sense to distract folks.
C: Lisa Left Eye, Missy Elliot and Boy 2 Men. That whole preppy wholesome boyband look, jodeci boots and base jackets.

What Item of Clothing defines London?
C: Dr Martin boots, skinheads we're taking it back.
I: Skinny Jeans. That line in (Can't wear skinny jeans cause my nuts don't fit) Swagger Like Us wasn't written by Londoners.
How do you feel about kids style today? Isn't a bit ubiquitous?
I: They tend to mix and match. Granted they are more open to trying out new things. Maybe even dungarees.
C: It's a mashup of eras. It's no longer just one genre, you could get a Africa Bambaataa/Cameo mix going on. It's not all hero worship, people just like that retro feel. Before you could wear one thing and it was a uniform. Chucks, Doc Martins, studs were attributed to one thing.

You Guys run a Club night, so let's judge your taste. Who are your favourite dj's?
C: Apart from our resident DJ's , I would have to say RDJ2
I: Dam Funk

Shoreditch is an area that easily falls foul of pretentiousness. But there are people fighting against that stereotype. Aint it Black has carved out a niche as a club night that finally brought the house party to the club. As it approaches its first birthday I sat down with the two creators of the event, in the uber trendy Subway restaurant in Shoreditch, as they look back at how they cultivated an event that incorporates their “dont pose, just dance” mantra.

Aint It Black, according to the promotional blurb, plays a mixture of electro bass, techno pop and super synths. Unless you happen to know your 808's from your bojembe drums it is unlikely that you understand what that is. The best way to describe it is a house party at Prince's house stripp away of any unease about being at the purple one's house. It may sound counter intuitive but the event draws an eclectic mix of people where anyone can feel comfortable. I have seen investment bankers from the City mingling with dedicated fashion kids. Everyone is vulnerable to the free-spirited charm that bubbles throughout the evening.

The engineers of the charm are Chonsak Prasatsak and Ibrahim Waziri, both 24. They decided to start the night after growing tired of their respective club scenes. Ibrahim spent his time off from becoming a solicitor, in the West End, where he grew to despise the ostentatious nature of his peers. Even when he ventured further afield and found places which catered more to his musical taste, there was noone there with any musical appreciation. Instead he found a bunch of brats looking for the next cool fad. Chonsak, a graphic designer, on the other hand found himself frustrated at the East London fashionista clubs. He found that they where populated with sycophants who spent hours slaving over their outfits did not even dare to dance, let alone enjoy themselves. Those clubbers had become the Paris Hilton of their respective scene, desperately waiting to be gratified.

A chance encounter with a fellow graphic designer in a book store gave Chonsak the impetus to start his own night. The man gave told him that there was nothing stopping him from going it alone and creating his own night. After getting Ibrahim on board they looked for inspiration. This came in the form of select nights such as Ghetto (West End) on a wednesday night and Plastic People (Shoreditch). However it was an the Anti Valentines Day party at Swap-a-rama which was key. Chonsak remarks : “The vibe was bohemian, organic and just made sense.”Ibrahim said that there was one thing that they were both sure about was the location, Shoredtich.

And so after some careful market research which resulted in a detailed 15-page business plan, Favela Chic were keen for the boys a chance. That is not to say that it all went swimmingly.

“The first night was a bit of a mess,” Ibrahim recalls. “I came ten minutes late which left Chonsak in a bit of a panic. Surprisingly that was the only time that I have been relaxed about the monthly event. Today you are much more likely to see me panicking about how things are going and Nick having a good time.”

Nick adds : “The first night was also memorable because of the diverse nature of the crowd. We had models being bustled out of the way by these break dancers, which infuriated them. I don't think either of them were used to having their personal space invaded. It sparked a dance battle in the middle of the club. The models held their own and in fact intimidated the break dancers who normally get everything their own way.”

Over the past year the boys have tweaked various aspects of the evening. There are now resident dj's whom whip the crowd into a frenzy with secret dance floor gems, forgotten classics and home-made blends. My particular favourite being the manipulation of the bridge from Snoop Dogg's Beautiful. The crowd chants “I just want you to know that you are really special.” as if it were a protest song in the 70's.

Chonsak spends part of Aint It Black evening photographing punters as they dance. “I grew tired of seeing all those pictures of people posing which seem to dominate the party websites. I prefer to take documentary style pictures of people throwing caution to the wind and breaking out those dance moves.” Ibrahim agrees: “It adds an extra element to the event as people can check themselves out in the pictures on facebook. We all secretly would like a little bit of that celebrity attention.”

December is the first anniversary and the boys are planning their biggest party. Ibrahim has already bought his outfit. “We are having a fancy dress event, i'm coming as Rick James.” Chonsak isn't sure who will be but he is sure about the celebratory tone of this party. “This is the one where we want to give back to the people who have supported us. We have come a long way over the past year we deserve to celebrate.”

As we get kicked out of the Subway restaurant I ask the boys what would they say to someone who would be interested in coming to an event. “There isn't anything we could say, all we can do is show you. Come with an open mind and we shall make sure that you have a good time.” The last statement may seem flippant but the look behind their eyes is a self assured one. They know what they are talking about and are ready to prove it to you.

You really should know the drill by now but Its this WEDNESDAY. Also Expect an interview with the creators of the event posted up in the next week.

Also shout out to Chris from Ulysses 82 who put me on to a fantastic metronomy remix. You have to love the power of the internets, with a limited knowledge (things i remember Chris telling me: metronomy, thing for me and the remix is done by some dude in Hackney) 3 hours after dancing my ass off to it, i was curled up with a cup of coccoa listening to it.
For those of you who are curious its the Friendd Remix of A Thing For Me. Which might have the best set of remixes since Phantom 2.
Breabot, Mad Decent and Sinden's are all bangin'