Behind the scenes of Last Dance: The Wave Epoch
Performing at Last Dance: The Wave Epoch at Brighton Festival on Thursday (24 May) are two Brighton-based DJ collectives: all-female DJ collective Shook, who specialise in Jersey club, footwork, hip-hop and trap, and Off-Peak, an underground club night run by artists and producers who specialise in grime, dubstep and UK garage.
Last Dance is Lighthouse’s year-long investigation into the changing nature of club culture, of which The Wave Epoch is the great crescendo.
Lighthouse caught up with Off Peak’s Lara Sweeney to find out more.
Why is club culture important?
Club culture is one of the only things we have left in a saturated world that brings people of all ages, sexes, races and religions together in one place. It’s an experience where we all unite and enjoy music together despite our differences, which is wonderful.
How long have you been Dj-ing? Have you seen any changes to club culture during that time?
I’ve been DJ-ing for 2-and-a-half years now and in that time I’ve seen more opportunities arise for women aspiring to be involved in the industry such as workshops, classes and collectives. I believe this will continue to evolve. Maybe one day we’ll close the DJ gender gap.
Tell us about your experiences with Last Dance
I was lucky enough to go to a recent Red Bull #normalnotnovelty event with Madam X and Flava D, and I also took part in a talk about the rise of club culture. Lighthouse is an amazing space for aspiring artists of all kinds and Last Dance in particular has provided many different platforms and outlets — and much inspiration as well.
Last Dance: The Wave Epoch invites us to imagine what culture will be like 2000 years in the future, through a unique creative collaboration between Elijah (grime DJ/Producer), GAIKA (Artist/Musician), and artists Haroon Mirza and Jack Jelfs.
Performances takes place on Thursday, 24 May at the Brighthelm Community Centre in Brighton at 2pm and 7pm.
Tickets cost £10. To book visit brightonfestival.org or call 01273 709709
