BlackoutUK: Next year Bootylicious will have been around long enough that there will be people there who would not have been born when you played that first night. How does that make you feel?
Biggy C: It makes me feel good that we have that longevity. So many club nights have come and gone, there are fewer venues these days but yet we’re still here and still going strong.
B: What’s the secret to that longevity?
BC: I think we’ve consistently tapped into what’s current in black popular music and culture as well as reflecting and respecting our past. Bootylicious is unique in London. We are and have always been marketed to a black crowd so you’re guaranteed to be in a black space. That continues to be as important and as necessary as it was when it was started.
We’ve also evolved with the times and changes in the diversity of the black gay community. And this is reflected in the wide range of black music we play.
Bootylicious has also gained an international following. So when black gay men travel to the UK, whether from Europe, the US, the Caribbean or Africa and they want to hit a club, Bootylicious is the one stop they have to make. I’ve known people who have built their holidays around a Bootylicious night.
B: What’s tunes are making the Bootylicious floor rock right now?
Beyoncé – Sorry (of course!)
Ojuelegba – Wiz Kid, Ft. Drake and Skepta
B: What’s your favourite Bootylicious moment?
BC: We had some strippers in from the States to do a show. It was two of them, really hot guys. They’re up on stage giving the club a great act. The crowd were really into it. But the guys took the applause and support as encouragement and got carried away and started taking it to the next level and started having sex on the stage. The crowd switched so fast and reacted in that typical black British way. Shock, embarrassment, we don’t do that in public.
B: What DJs should we look out for?
BC: Mark Ashley (@MarkAshleyD) and JJ Revlon (@EnglishBreakfastLondon)
B: What advice would you give to up and coming DJs?
Be true to yourself. Think of yourself as a storyteller. It’s not just matching beats, it’s taking people on a journey. If you look out onto that dance floor and see the crowd totally immersed in the music, singing along, getting emotional then you’ve done your job.
Listen to Biggy C’s Bootylicious (Last 16 years) Mix
The next Bootylicious is Saturday 26 November @ Club Union, Vauxhall, London – stay in touch with Bootylicious on Facebook
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