In Conversation: Club Djembe
Ahead of their day party takeover at Trinity on 27 Aug, we sat down with Club Djembe co-founder Ryan Foster (DJ Stolen) to chat about the label's beginnings, thoughts on the Bristol music scene and what's next for Club Djembe.
Trinity are collaborating with Club Djembe as part of Trinity Presents, our in-house programme celebrating our diverse city and platforming emerging talent, to host a day party in The Den, our new seasonal outdoor venue situated in the historic grounds of Trinity.
How did Club Djembe start?
Ryan: Club Djembe started all through a lack of events within Bristol that were pushing & promoting our music. We were playing UK Funky, Afro House & a lot of percussion led music on radio but never heard/saw of anything happening within the clubs in Bristol, so myself (DJ Stolen) & Jake decided to launch Club Djembe. Luckily for us at the time Josie was working behind the bar at The Love Inn so we managed to throw our first party and it all kicked off from there back in 2017.
What do you think Club Djembe offers to the Bristol music scene?
We know for ourselves and hear from our community that it is hard to find these genres of music in the events scene. Consistency (which is always key), as we guarantee that no night will stray from the vibe and atmosphere that we like to create - we have an open the door attitude and welcome a variety of people/cultures We also want ticket prices and venues to be affordable and accessible for everyone. And mostly, which we are most proud of, is that we love to support and put on new artists, that's something that excites us the most.
What kinds of events do you think are missing from the Bristol club scene?
Bristol has pretty much been the epicentre for Drum & Bass in the UK for as long as I can remember. It’s really refreshing to see a few more nights popping up that are pushing and promoting the same kind of music as us, Amapiano, UK Funky, Afro House like Lockmars for example. However it would be good to see more of these across Bristol, I think a lot of would be promoters get afraid by the prospect of an event not going well, however the best events from our experience are the ones you put on through a love & passion for the music rather than focusing on the monetary side of events.
What's next for Club Djembe?
The remainder of 2022 is looking RAMMED for us can’t lie. We’re throwing our first proper London event in September which is going to be massive, it’s falling inline with the release of our next compilation, Club Djembe Vol. 3 which is also huge! We then have one more release to go for the year which is from one of our favourite Bristol producers and we also have three more Bristol events in the pipeline including a big Christmas knees up with another sick London/Bristol based promoter so keep your eyes firmly planted on Club Djembe socials over the next few months as we have a lot going on.
Club Djembe will be playing at Trinity's outdoor venue The Den on Sat Aug 27. Click here to grab your tickets.