Publicado
Fri, Dec 23, 2022, 09:00
- The community project will provide workshops and opportunities for marginalised people.
Jungle artist DJ XĪLHU has secured £26,000 in Arts Council funding to build the Queer Rave Sound System, a touring rig and community project for marginalised people.
The Nigerian artist (FKA Ayebaitari) submitted the application in July. "I think it's revolutionary, the first-ever project of its kind and really iconic," she told Resident Advisor. "Party culture came from queer culture so I'm so proud of how far we've come in terms of reclaiming our power."
The plan is to use the money to build a sound system and put on events at venues and festivals across the UK and beyond. Opportunities to join the crew will be made available via a series of sound system building workshops for those from the QTBIPOC community.
These workshops will take place from January in the basement of Glass House Brick Lane, and will be delivered by Critical Youth Sound System. Glen Falconer is also on board as a consultant along with Felt Sound System.
"It's actually about creating multiple learning opportunities and teaching new skills to marginalised people who would never otherwise have access to such an opportunity," said XĪLHU. She'll also run DJ workshops as part of the programme.
In total, more than £10,000 is being invested into buying equipment. "The project is for people who are passionate about diversifying the jungle rave scene by being part of the queer rave revolution," she added. "It's going to be a really typical dub reggae-style sound system. I think this is really important because jungle came from reggae."
The project will include healing circles led by XĪLHU and her colleague Star. "Many people from this community–including myself, come from broken families," XĪLHU said. "So we have to be there for each other. It's about having a spiritually grounded space for people to enter."
Queer Rave Sound System events will take place until October next year. The first few have already been confirmed, including a March takeover at Keep Hush in London and a gig at Bristol venue Basement 45.
XĪLHU said she's also been asked to host events at UK festivals Boomtown and Glastonbury. An exhibition documenting the building of the sound system will be held later down the line.
Still to come in 2022, Queer Rave Sound System is celebrating the start of a new chapter with a New Year's Eve event at Dalston's VFD with QSermon, Mystic Meg, Sheba Q and XĪLHU.
To join the Queer Rave Sound System project, people from the QTBIPOC community can reach DJ XĪLHU via Instagram.