Wednesday 31 December 2014

CVNT TRAXXX 2014 Top Ten for FACT



Scoot over here to FACT Mag, to see my top ten ballroom tracks of the year, including music by MikeQ, Vjuan Allure, DJ Delish, Divoli S'Vere and loads (well, 6!) more...

Monday 1 December 2014

DAVID MAGNIFIQUE interview

One of the fiercest voguers out in the UK right now, I interviewed David Magnifique for the FACT Mag history of UK voguing piece I wrote earlier this year. I said I would publish his questions in full, so here they are, to kick things of as part one in a series of interviews with some of London's top upcoming children.Consider this an introduction to Vogue London: 



How did you discover voguing?

I always knew about the dance form Voguing, I have to admit that my first encounter of this dance style was through Madonna's music video "Vogue". But due to family religious values I was forbidden to have anything to do with the dance style so it then became something of a faded memory or even part of my subconscious, but growing up there was always some kind of reference/gesture made to it because of my feminine mannerisms or my fierce fashion sense. It was not until early 2011 I was introduced to the London dance scene by a friend that I came across Vogue dancing again, this time in the flesh; at least I thought what I witnessed was voguing (by this time I was out of the closet and proud). I began asking for training sessions and I was told that the dance style I was learning was called Waacking, I had no clue that there was a difference and felt a little embarrassed. From then I decided to research the dance style, its history and culture, i immediately realised that Waacking was definitely not for me and that Voguing had my name all over it; it came so natural to me. I noticed that there was little to none of vogue dancers whenever I went out to clubs, dance nights, even vogue nights so I knew for sure that I wanted to be at my best and known for being a legit voguer wherever I went. I studied and trained hard almost 24/7. I have been voguing since April 2011.

Who have you learned under? Are there many other people voguing in London?

With regards to my learning and training I have not really been under anyone. My learning and training came from studying videos on YouTube, reading material, contacting and chatting to several Iconic, Legendary voguers such as Muhammad Omni, Dashaun Lanvin and my House Mother Princess Magnifique Royalty for guidance and background history. When studying videos I made it a priority to study the original children  from the 80's-90's, because I wanted to show and reflect the original art form and vocabulary of the dance style.  There is not many of us in the London scene that truly vogue down, but of what I do know there is only a handful of us maybe 6-8 being male and female.



What are your favourite clubs to vogue at?

One of my favourite clubs to vogue down a is called Madame JoJo's in Piccadilly, Soho. This club has always felt like a second home to me, this was in fact the club I first got a chance to vogue. My second favourite is a club called Birthdays, but only because a night called House Of Trax is held there almost every month and they play an amazing selection of vogue tracks and hold Vogue Nights, of course I get down like crazy to. A big thank you to the organiser of the club night Matthew Thomas. But then again, whatever club you see me in you will find me voguing down to the ground getting my life!

What are your thoughts, if any, on the UK vogue scene?

To be honest it is rather small and scattered. But a few of us in London try to keep in contact with each other and keep each other in the loop and even train together.  If ever the Vogue Scene in the UK/London was to take off and spread like wildfire butter I would like to hope and think that I have a huge influence and part to play in it and take my House [Legendary, Royal House Of Magnifique] and its name far, because to me voguing is not just a dance style, it is a culture, a community, a lifestyle.

Thursday 20 November 2014

TRANS DAY OF REMEMBERANCE: Octavia St Laurent's last interview

November 20th is TRANS DAY OR REMEMBERANCE, when we take some time to think about our trans borthers and sisters who have passed, many at the hands of bigotry and violence. But it's also (I like to think anyway) a time to celebrate and appreciate those who are still living, and more generally the impact the trans community has had on our queer cultures and pop culture at large.

It should go without saying that vogue culture is very heavily trans influenced and inspired. From the different "realness" (passing) categories at balls and functions, to the current "femme" and "dramatic" styles of dancing popularised by performers like Leoimy Moldano, Sinia Ebony and Feminine Destruction Revlon.

Anyone who has seen Paris Is Burning will know about the intimate bonds between trans people of colour and vogue culture. I'd also hope that anyone who has seen that documentary will remember OCTAVIA ST LAURENT, one of its stars, and coiner of the immortal phrase "Wicked Beauty".

 I had the pleasure of remixing Octavia's track "Be Somebody" with Stockholm's HOUSE OF WALLENBERG a couple of years ago, and when Petter Wallenberg approached me to find someone to publish Octavia's last ever interview, I was glad to help. Thanks to the good people at DAZED DIGITAL, we managed to get the piece up in time for TDOR, a fitting tribute to one of the first true stars of vogue and ballroom culture, and a true trans icon: 



Hi Octavia! How are you?

Octavia St Laurent: Iʼm blessed because youʼre still interested in Octavia St Laurent! Iʼm blessed because the children are still talking about me, Iʼm very fortunate.
 I wanna sing. Singing is everything to me, and itʼs a part of who I am. My uncle was Louis Armstrong, I donʼt even know if you know who Louis Armstrong was. He was married to my grandmother. My mom used to sing with Sweetheart and the Crystals. And I am ready to be out there and just do Octavia St Laurent, bring her alive, like sheʼs never been alive before.
I canʼt do anything right now because of the cancer. Iʼm just resting in Syracuse, which is a quiet place from the start. My stomach is really big from the steroids, it feels like Iʼve got something strapped to my stomach. I feel large. My arms and legs are still slim, but my butt is real big.
I gotta get back to normal. I donʼt wanna be seen by the public until then.

What are the doctors saying and what time frame are they giving you?

Octavia St Laurent: Theyʼre not giving me any time frames. I've had time frames my whole life, OK? You know how many times these doctors been telling me Iʼm gonna die? Child please, Iʼm not going nowhere. I don't pay attention to human beings, itʼs God I think about.

How would you introduce yourself to people that donʼt know who the legendary Octavia Saint Laurent is?

Octavia St Laurent: I don't know if you know this, but I am very open about my genderism. I'm always willing to educate everybody who feels different, and help them understand that you gotta love yourself, honey. Iʼm a very powerful man, and Iʼve always used the beauty of a woman and put them together. Itʼs got me quite successful through the years. And itʼs also kept me alive. Basically I love who and what I am, and I wouldnʼt be anything else.

Have people tried pushing you into being anything else?

Octavia St Laurent: Well, I wouldnʼt say they tried to push me, but a lot of transgendered and pre-op transgendered are a little shocked about my attitude in regards to not wanting to be a woman, and taking that role of womanhood. Iʼm no damn woman, donʼt wanna be no woman. I stand up and piss in the bathroom, I donʼt sit down, you know what Iʼm saying? Iʼm not trying to be a woman. Just beautiful.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE. 

Wednesday 19 November 2014

VOGUING in The Guardian

How voguing came back into vogue

The dance, invented on the streets of Harlem in the 1980s and given cult status by the documentary Paris is Burning, is back in the mainstream. Who are the new stars?
FKA Twigs (Tahliah Debrett Barnett) performs on stage at Tolhuistuin on October 15, 2014 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
FKA Twigs (Tahliah Debrett Barnett) voguing in Amsterdam last month Photograph: Dimitri Hakke/Redferns via Getty Images
The Mugler Ball, which took place in Queens, New York last weekend, was probably the most fabulous party you weren’t invited to. A sea of gay and straight scenesters gathered at a ballroom to watch a mix of new and legendary vogue dancers compete on stage. It featured all that one would expect from the drag event of the year: theatre, excitement, drama, scandal and sequinned catsuits galore. But beyond these hallmarks, it revealed that vogue ballroom culture has reached a new level of cultural influence. FKA Twigs, who has been training with the vogue dancing legend Jamel Prodigy, took the stage for a 30-second routine of classic hand illusions before gracefully sliding to the floor into a dramatic dip, which is to voguing what the triple Salchow is to figure skating (ie, very difficult). Later that night, Rihanna got on to the stage to do a little preening of her own. Afterwards, pictures from the ball went viral thanks to the stream of famous guests such as Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing, who gushed, in all caps no less, on Instagram about his “FIRST VOGUEING [sic] BALL”. READ THE REST.
Hmmm *reading glasses* full of flaws this article. I left these comments:

Crystal LaBeija is not in Paris Is Burning (that's Pepper) and didn't host the pageant in The Queen, she stormed out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syGKwLky46c

And as much as I love Mykki Blanco and Joey Arias, they do not represent vogue ball culture. I'd say RuPaul's Drag Race has had more of an influence than them, particularly voguing queens like Shangela, Milan, Vi Vacious and Gia Gunn. For a more accurate representation of ballroom 2K14 look up: MikeQ / Qween Beat Productions, Vjuan Allure / Elite Beatz, Vogue Knights (NY weekly club, often have live streams on a Monday night/morning), Kevin Jz Prodigy, Divoli S'Vere, Jack Mizrahi (who hosted that Mugler Ball), Luna Luis (of The Luna Show), Pumpdabeat (Philadelphia), Ballroom Throwbacks YouTube channel, Streetstar competition (Sweden), House of Melody (Germany) and House Of Khan (France). Here in the UK you've got the annual House Of Suarez Ball in Liverpool and Vogue Brawl in Manchester, and the monthly House Of Trax parties in London keeping it locked down with some excellent voguers. I wrote a two part article last year for FACT magazine about the history of vogue in the UK: http://www.factmag.com/2014/01/24/the-untold-story-of-uk-vogue-scene-part-one/ and regularly update my vogue and ballroom culture blog CVNTY http://c-v-n-t-y.blogspot.co.uk/

Monday 17 November 2014

FKA Twigs vogues down


Hats off to Twigs for not only getting some real voguers involved in her videos (like UK's Benjamin Milan! check the google glass clip above) but for actually walking at Vogue Knights herself!

Friday 14 November 2014

DJ DELISH (Pump Da Beat, Philadelphia) INTERVIEW

One of the best, up-and-coming young producers in ballroom right now is Philidelphias DJ Delish. His productions take the genre's cut-up house style and add a grimey, percussive twist that ftis right in with all things Night Slugs/Fade To Mind. Wanting to know more, I fired Delish some questions about his style, influences and the vogue scene in Philadelphia...



Who is DJ Delish?

I would say Delish is another extension of my musical talents. I think Delish is still finding his way but I think he's done a good job of that so far. He's still young and learning but far from an idiot and a newbie. He's someone that I'm glad I was able to create for this world, someone who's name I wanna see in lights one day, someone who has all the passion in the world for the music he generates. DJ Delish is also someone who comes to the club/ball eager to make the night a memory.


I know you walk balls, or have done anyway – what is your category?

Well, voguing was what I was doing before I really got into the scene so I always had an itch to get out on the floor. I have walked a few balls, mostly First Friday's for fun, though. I've walked Virgin Performance which is basically the beginning stage of becoming a vogue femme in the ballroom scene. I've been walking that category for close to a year and a half.

How did you get involved in the ballroom scene in the first place?


The story behind the beginning of my involvement is strange to some. I was born in a Baptist, Jamaican household so one could really wonder how I ended up doing anything that involved a "spin" and a "dip". I was at a good friend of mine's house one day, in Northeast Philadelphia, and she played "I Don't Like That Bitch" by Jay X (Karan). The tempo of the song made me think it was a Baltimore Club song but when I went home to look it up and listen to it again, I found out that wasn't the case---at all. I found a plethora of vogue clips and just went through each one, becoming more and more interested as I went along. At the time, I was still in highschool so I wasn't able to attend any balls, as they would take place after my curfew so I continued to 
absorb the scene, or however much YouTube would allow me to absorb, and started teaching myself how to vogue, practice commentating and even make a vogue beat. Once I turned 18 and was allowed to be out of the house past a certain time, I befriended a few ballroom participants who began to teach me some of the terminology; like "Shade", "Read" and the forever famous "Work!" As time marched on, I started making more beats, becoming better and better and before I knew it, I was asked to DJ a ball in Richmond, Virginia; the first ball I'd ever attend. After that ball, I took a slight break from everything and moved back to Philadelphia, a huge "ballroom city", where I soon joined Pumpdabeat and became one of the resident DJs for the Breakfast Club which has been host to the ballroom scene since 1998. 




And how did you get into djing and producing in particular?


My father has been a DJ for the past 25 years so I'd like to believe that the want to DJ was already in my blood from birth. I would sit in his basement and listen to him play for hours and be amazed at what I'd see him do. How he would DJ would inspired me heavily as a child and that same excitement carried on into later years where I would have eventually started learning to DJ myself. I would desire to move the crowd the same way he did. 
My producing started at the tender age of 13. As a teenager, home computer music programs helped me learn how to produce music, make music edits for performers and create voiceovers. Those experiences have made me do what I do now. 


You're developing quite a distinct sound – who are your biggest production influences? What sets you apart form other ballroom producers?


I would have to say Chocolate Puma, Todd Terry/Black Riot, Masters at Work/Bucket Heads, Green Velvet/Cajmere and Vjuan Allure are my biggest production influences. Each has such a unique style that is so innovative and interesting, it motivates me to think of something that I wouldn't even think I could do. 


The thing that I think sets me apart from other ballroom producers is where my inspiration comes from. I usually don't get inspired by past music, I get inspired from sounds; regular, every day sounds, like a bird cawing or a car tire screeching. I find the rhythm in those things that have no rhythm at all and make one for it. 




What are your non-ballroom musical influences?

It's so many. Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Jhene Aiko, Erykah Badu, Nina Simone,  Queen Pen, Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, The Gap Band, Skyy, Lil Kim, Craig Mack, Busta Rhymes, Chip Fu, Curtis Blow, Ludacris...and the list goes on.


Tell me about Pumpdabeat – who is in it and how did it get started?


Pumpdabeat is a musical cross section of ballroom consisted of active ballroom participants. To me, it is what you need for your cars, your headphones on the local transit system, in your speakers as you're in your dorm room. Basically, Pumpdabeat is for your vogue inside and outside of the club/ball. Our sound gives you the ability to allow the ball to be wherever you are. All of us, at one time or another, have walked a ballroom floor and that has permitted us to understand the passion behind the rhythm in the music. 

What can we expect from DJ Delish in the near future?


Simply put, the best that I have. I'm working on more new music with my PumpDaBeat family members and working on a CD with Kevin JZ. I'm also putting together another album that will be out in the springtime of next year. In the meantime, I'll be putting out battle beats, vogue session "Ha's", R&B songs, Live sets and more. In the meantime, you can check all of my live sets & hottest track on my Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/deejay_delish) and Mixcloud (http://www.mixcloud.com/deejaydelish/dj-delish-malicious-mix).

Wednesday 5 November 2014

MUGLER MUGLER MUGLER

Everybody;s talking about last week's Mugler Ball - mostly cos of guest appearances from Rihanna and FKA Twigs, but don't let them distract you from the real talent:


not least host Jack Mizrahi:

Monday 3 November 2014

CVNT TRAXXX @ World Series label launch

Cheers to Matt Thomas for this footage! Me spinning Vjuan Allure and MikeQ/Sinjin Hawke and SPF666 for dancers Benjamin Milan and David Magnifique:

Friday 31 October 2014

GHOUL BALL clips

The Hous Of Khan's GHOUL BALL was everything!! SO glad to finally see ballroom taking off over here, with a little help from our French sisters! :) Hats off to Harley and D'Relle for making this happen, I wil try and get an interview with those guys up on CVNTY soon. In the meantime, here's footage:






Monday 27 October 2014

RELENTLESSY CUNTY!!

Major h/t to SPF666's Zak for this piece and tunring me onto Relentlessly Cunty, a dj who has devoted his career to mixing, collecitng and cataloging bitch tracks and cunty beats. This is the roots of CVNT Traxx y'all so learn it and learn it good:


Our new Originators series explores specific, underserved scenes through mixes of representative tracks and interviews with prominent artists, as conducted by Zak “SPF666” DesFleurs. The intent is to provide desperately needed historical context for these genres in the age of the Internet, a time when cultural objects are uprooted from their scenes and reworked, repurposed and reappropriated beyond recognition.

The first in our series is DJ Relentless / Jade Elektra (neé Alphonso King Jr), introducing us to the cunty voice of ballroom, bitch tracks. Relentless is best known for his Relentlessly Cunty mixes: a multi-volume series that serves as a near-comprehensive survey of bitch tracks.
His contribution is primarily an archival one: the Relentlessly Cunty mixes served as an introduction to many (myself included) to a specific element of ballroom culture that lives on in the endless Soundcloud reworkings of classics in vogue’s most recent rise in popularity.
When did you start DJing? Was it always under the DJ Relentless Moniker?
I guess it all started in 1980 when my Uncle Herbert King moved to Tampa from Las Vegas. He was blind and needed an assistant to help him at his new job at WMNF 88.5. We did a Jazz/R&B show from 1 to 4 PM on Mondays. I had always loved music and had collected records since the age of 5, but this began my love affair with programming. He always told me to “only play what you believe in and love”. I didn’t get the DJ name “Relentless” until 1996 while I was spinning and VJing for The Works and The Break in Manhattan after playing in New York City for the past 4 years. Until then I just used my real name, Alphonso King Jr.
Your uncle gave some pretty solid advice when it comes to djing (and production for that matter). So how did you initially get into the ballroom scene in the first place? What was your house?
My first residency was at Sally’s II (as featured in Paris Is Burning). Ironically, the year before I moved to New York, I watched Paris Is Burning and dreamed of being at a ball. So, when I moved in with The Electrifying Grace (who was the downstairs neighbor to Paris Dupree), I was thrilled. Then Grace got me an audition for Sally’s, right around the time that Dorian Corey and Angie Xtravaganza had weekly shows there, and Willi Ninja, Octavia St. Laurent and Pepper Labeija were regulars.

Check this mix it is EVERYTHING!

Wednesday 22 October 2014

YARINKA COLLUCCI Kaleidascope EP OUT NOW

One of my favourite new producers! Go get this EP from her Bandcamp NOW!
 

Thursday 16 October 2014

Monday 13 October 2014

DIVOLI S'VERE's Tuesday Tracks



Check this - a brand new series of weekly beats by one of ballroom;s finest Divoli S'Vere! There will be a new track droping every Tuesday, so follow his Soundcloud page!



Saturday 11 October 2014

Hosue Of Khan UK's GHOUL BALL

And the night after the World Series party it's the first ever ball in the UK by the legendary House Of Khan! Looks like a little holiday trip to London is on the cards...


Friday 10 October 2014

CVNT TRAXXX @ World Series Label Launch

Proud to be involved in the new label venture form Rushmore of the Hosue Of Trax! Check out the launch party this Wednesday - a sweet mid-week soiree somewhere secret in the heart of Dalston...


Monday 6 October 2014

HOUSE OF SUAREZ Ball pics & Video

WOW!! What can I say? That went OFF! Not only the production and the performances, which were as big and epic as eexpected, but also the Orphans open catwalk category, which anyone with enough nerve can walk. Last year, that lasted about 5 minutes in total (I know cos I played 2 tracks and then it ended) but this year it must have gone on for more than 20! I actually got to throw down and chop up a whole bunch of music, from RuPaul to Tronco Traxxx to Divoli S'Vere. I lost count of how many were walking, it must have been dozens! People are GETTING INTO IT. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get great pics or video from the booth, which was a distance back from the stage, but I got some:





My regulation Suarez Ball selfie: 


And a short clip of the end of House Of Suarez's presentation:


And don't forget, The HOUSE OF SUAREZ Ball MANCHESTER will be at Gorilla next February - get your tickets!

Friday 3 October 2014

LA's BANJEE BALL

LA IS BURNING! The folks at Purple Crush have started putting on balls and they look MAJOR. I've always wanted to know more about the ballroom scene in LA. There's more info and future dates at the BANJEE BALL Facebook Page.







And more from LE1F! Performing his now-classic "Wut" (cough Macklemore stole it cough)

Wednesday 1 October 2014

CVNT TRAXXX @ HOUSE OF SUAREZ BALL this Saturday!

As ever, I will be djing at Liverpool's House Of Suarez Ball, the UK's biggest function, this Saturday. The theme this year is Space Odditty, and it's in a bigger venue. From what I have heard, this produciton is going to be epic!


Sunday 28 September 2014

ARIKA Ep 6 Pics & Videos

Well THAT was amazing!! Mike's set was a beast, and the dancing was incredible - and, of course, it being Glasgow the crowd went off. Here's some pics:



Kia Labeija


Miss Priss, Queen of Krump


The Legendary Pony Garcon Zion.

Here's footage of Pony's hands routine:


And here's Kia's incredible routine to CHVRCHES, one of the best vogue routines I have seen in a long, long time:

Monday 22 September 2014

ARIKA Ep 6: Make A Way Out Of No Way



Arika returns to Glasgow at the end of the month, and this time they're bringing over MIKEQ for an exclusive 4 hour set! Also on the bil are dancers Pony Zion, Kia LaBeija and Miss Priss. THis is going to GO OFF!!   

Black, queer and trans bodies tell stories.  Often they are multilingual – talking to numerous cultures, telling many stories simultaneously.  Portraying a sense of ‘realness’, appearing to conform to a set of socially prescribed norms so that you can walk down the street safely, is a form of self-defence. But at the same time, realness and passing call those norms into question – they expose race, sex and gender as politically invented fictions that all of our bodies are asked to perform. ‘Realness’ recognises the need to make a way in a culture defined by these fictions - it insists that bodies in all their differentiation exist prior to these norms, no matter how violently they’re imposed. And in doing so, ‘realness’ works to explode the sheer possibility of any norm-based normality.

The Icon Ayana Christian was the Overall Mother of the House of Khan in the Ballroom community, and is an Icon for walking Femme Queen Face. From the same community, Legendary Co-Founder Michael Robertson Garçon is the father of the House of Garçon, a public health practitioner, advocate, activist and leader within the LGBTQ community.  He created The Federation of Ballroom Houses, co-created the USA's only Black Gay research Group, The National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Group, and the Nationally Diffused CDC Behavioral Change HIV Prevention Intervention Many Men, Many Voices. Reina Gossett is Activist-In-Residence at Barnard College’s Center for Research on Women, and Membership Director at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Charlene Sinclair is the Director of Centre for Race, Religion and Economic Democracy at Union Theological Seminary and co-organiser of the Cell Blocks and Border Stops conference. Fred is one of the great poets, educators and theorists of blackness and fugitivity.

Reina and Charlene will be taking part in the From Subjection to Subjection event on Sun 28. Fred Moten will be in conversation with Saidiya Hartman on Sat 27 in the Fugitivity and Waywardness event and will close the Episode with Storyboard P in Mutual Instruments on Sun 28.
- See more at: http://arika.org.uk/events/episode-6-make-way-out-no-way/programme/realness#sthash.UGwJRXHI.dpuf
MORE INFO HERE.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

BERLIN VOGUING OUT


KILLER line up for House Of Melody's Berlin Voguing Out this year!! I need to get to this next year - maybe even sneak my way onto the bill? ;)

Sunday 14 September 2014

SASS Pics

AWESOME Party! Thanks to House Of Anita for asking me to dj, let's do this agian and soon!






Monday 8 September 2014

SASS @ Kraak Gallery, Mcr, Sep 12th

I'm delighted to have been asked to play for FIVE fucking hours at the House Of Anita's new drag party SASS - YAS this is going to go OFF!! Expect lots of dirty hip-hop & filthy R'n'B, the sort of stuff you don't normally hear me play. Love the PR too - see you there...


Sunday 7 September 2014

VJUAN ALLURE "Anaconda Bump" (Nicki Minaj remix)



Vjuan does it again!! Much superior to the original - which is good for the first 90 seconds, until it becomes incredibly annoying - Vjuan turns this into dancefloor dynamite. His upcoming EP for Knightwerk is going to be HUGE too! I have a copy but have been told not to share. Watch this space!!

Friday 5 September 2014

PURPLE CRUSH ft RAJA & JOSH PEACE "Shock & Awe" (CVNT TRAXXX Remix)



Cheers to the peepes at Do Androids Dance? for sharing this exclusive - my remix of LA's Purple Crush (ft Drag Race winner Raja and Moustache Mondays resident DJ Josh Peace), on a more tribal tip. Other remixes come from Tittsworth, ShyBoy and Josh himself - you can pick them up on iTunes.

Monday 1 September 2014

QWEEN BEAT mixtapes piece for FACT Mag

My latest ballroom piece for FACT Magazine is a look at 3 recent mixtpes put out by heavy hitters at MikeQ's Qween Beat label - namely Beek, Byrell The Great and Divoli S'Vere:



What Brick Bandits are to Jersey club and what Teklife is to footwork, Qween Beat is to ballroom.

That is, unquestionably the number one production and djing crew, who set the standard for the music and culture in a scene that’s currently booming in popularity.

Headed up by the formidable MikeQ, resident at New York’s weekly dance showdown Vogue Knights and recording artist for LA’s Fade To Mind, Qween Beat counts among their ranks a dozen different members, with skills ranging from the usual production and remixing, to DJing and MCing (in particular the uptempo, in-your-face styles known as “commentating” and “chanting”, unique to ballroom and distinct from other rap-based vocal forms).

This past summer, three of the main members of Qween Beat – Divoli S’Vere, Beek and Byrell The Great – have all released their latest mixtape installments, showcasing each producer’s individual style and their take on the ballroom sound. While the genre is very much rooted in ’90s house and current East coast American club styles – with recognisable signifiers like the Kenlou “HA”/krash and vocal snippets from the like of Kevin Aviance (“cun-ty”) and Loleatta Holloway (the instantly recognisable “woop” vocal from Armand Van Helden’s “Witchdoktor”) – there is much more to ballroom than just a specific set of samples married to a minimalist club/house aesthetic.

I spoke to Divoli, Beek and Byrell to get the low down on what makes a track “ballroom”, but also to find out how exactly these talented producers differ from each other, and what else the Qween Beat crew has in store for us in the future.

READ THE REST HERE. 

Friday 15 August 2014

BEEK "TeleKuntx (CVNT TRAXXX Remix)"



OUT NOW on Knightwerk Records! Along with a bunch of other top drawer club artists, I got to remix one of my favourite upcomgin ballroom artists, the one and only Beek! This has got a bit of a UK spin to the usual ballroom/Jersey influence. You can check out the entire release, including remixes by SPF666, Poolboy92, CREEPSIDE, Doctor Jeep and a whole load more, right here.

Monday 11 August 2014

MIKEQ @ Chow Down, Aug 9th

BIG UP to everyone who came to Chow Down for MikeQ - what a night! Great to see ballroom finally taking off in my home town, here's some ace pics taken by Mike himself:





And two more - taken from the balcony of our 14th floor flat in Salford, just outside Manchester city center, great to finally have a photographer who can capture our nighttime view!



Friday 8 August 2014

MIKEQ @ House Of Trax

Now THAT'S a vibe! The house lights had gone up but the crowd kept dancing to MikeQ's set at House Of Trax, easily one of the best club nights in London right now:

Wednesday 6 August 2014

VOGUE BRAWL t-shirt

YAS - there's only 2 of these in the whole world as yet - this one for me, and white on black for MikeQ. Thanks to Rudy at OH HELL for the design and the vinyl cutting/printing - who knows, we might make some more to sell...


Saturday 2 August 2014

CHOW DOWN w/ MIKEQ & CVNT TRAXXX Aug 9th, Soup Kitchen, Mcr

ARGH!! Playing with the Legend that is MIKEQ next week - the first time a true ballroom star has djed in our city. Pros to CHOW DOWN for bringing him up and booking me to support!


Friday 1 August 2014

VOGUE TRAIN!


Via Huffington Post


Note: The above video contains language that may not be appropriate for work or other sensitive environments
We can't get enough of this.
In this awesome video from director and choreographer Kemar Jewel, the underground culture of voguing is literally taken underground.
"I made the video to show that anywhere can be a performance area," Jewel said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "I am a member of Philadelphia's Black Gay Ballroom Scene and I wanted to showcase all of its creativity and talent. Also, since voguing and the Ballroom Scene is an 'underground scene,' why not put it underground, literally! The video was filmed in a flash mob style to avoid getting arrested by the transit police. Sometimes you just have to take risks for your art."
Check out the awesome video above. Can't get enough voguing? Check out this classic vogue battle between Sailor Moon and Wonder Woman.
And for more from Jewel, follow him on Twitter.

Thursday 31 July 2014

#13min "CUNT" mix for #FEELINGS in FACT Mag

Re-=posted by the good people of FACT Magazine:



UK ballroom impresario Niall Connolly drops an importantly-NSFW mix.

Earlier this year, Connolly shared the untold story of the UK vogue scene (part one and two) and shared a sizzling mix of contemporary vogue under his CVNT TRAXXX alias. And while his moniker may be controversial, it nods to one of the most important word in the scene (as anyone who has listened to ballroom knows).

“I always knew that associating myself with the “c-bomb” would be controversial, maybe even a turn-off for some folk, so when #FEELINGS asked for a 13 minute mix a few years ago, I decided to put something together to show how “cunt” has been used positively,” Connolly tells us.

“It basically means hyper-feminine and also super-strong, and in the context of voguing and drag it is very positive. House, and in particular ballroom music, has been the main genre for using the word, and this mix covers both modern ballroom and also the older 90s track that first used the term, like Tronco Traxx and in particular the legendary Kevin Aviance.”

Stream the mix — which features modern producers like MikeQ and Divoli S’vere alongside vogue originals Kevin Aviance and Tronco Traxx — below. Catch CVNT TRAXXX with MikeQ this Saturday at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen.

Monday 28 July 2014

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR "My Offence" (the meaning of "cunt")

The latest Hercules & Love Affair video features a lot os NY nightlife stars explaining the meaning of "cunt" as a positive term used in queer/trans world. Hats off! Now I can just send people to the vid when they ask me about my name :)

Saturday 26 July 2014

SUGUR SHANE Kill Da Bitch EP



My homie Shane has a new EP dropping on the label Main Course, featuring this (the title track) and the stone cold ballroom classic "Buddha V Shane" which features heavily in my dj sets already. The nice people at Main Course - you can check out the full release here - have put together this video for the lead track:

Monday 21 July 2014

Pam Van Damned @ CHA CHA BOUDOIR

Me and other members of the Hosue Of Tranarchy helped our sis Pam Van Damnedwith this lip sync to Light Asylum at Cha Cha Boudoir:

Monday 14 July 2014

CVNT TRAXXX @ House Of Trax, XOYO, July 11th 2014

Some nice footage of voguers Benjamin Milan and David Magnifique plus friends, during my set at House Of Trax at XOYO. I love the way this looks against the strobe, though I had to keep my finger on the button to keep it on constantly, while djing and filming at the same time!

Tracks: "Walk 4 Me" Tronco Traxxx / "Vouge Remix" MikeQ & Madonna


Wednesday 9 July 2014

Dance Tunnel re-posts my DJ SPRINKLES interview

(Originally published on CVNTY, 2013)



By Niall Connolly

In May 2013 I travelled to Glasgow for the Arika 5: Hidden In Plain Sight festival, a celebration of the past, present and future of vogue and ballroom culture. Among those performing at the festival were Vjuan Allure, legendary dancer Pony Zion, and DJ Sprinkles, whose connection with voguing goes back to hir residency at famous New York trans*/drag bar Sally's 2 in the early '90s.

I conducted an in-depth interview with Sprinkles about vogue culture that touched on many other subjects like politics, activism and gender expression, as well as notions of “spirituality” found within house music, and Sprinkles' reaction to those ideas within hir own work as Terre Themlitz.

The following is an abridged version of the interview, which can be read in full (3 parts) by clicking here

You are primarily known as a "deep house" dj and producer, and yet so many elements of that culture have to do with "spirituality", and not even a religious spirituality. In the UK, I feel, house music culture and the drugs that surrounded it was in a way a kind of secular spiritual rebirth, though it didn't have a language to express that necessarily. I find it very interesting that you are directly oppositional to that. 

I am directly oppositional to that, but I also have no hope of crowds of people overcoming those spiritual subtexts.  But the promise of overcoming is not what is important, resistance is what is important.

But do you find that your position alienates you from certain parts of the house music genre? Are there songs you wouldn't play? 

Absolutely there are things that I won't play. But there are also things like that I will play, I just happen to like them in some way. And I will deal with them. Like "Inspiration" by Arnold Jarvis, a track that is politically antithetical to my own nihilism. But I love it! And the irony of a track like that in one of my sets is not lost on everyone. You have to allow for humour, and camp. And hypocrisy, and "the fake" and all these things that are also a part of drag culture and transgender culture... I guess for those reading this who don't know anything about me, we should mention I identify as transgender, by the way...

READ THE REST HERE

Friday 4 July 2014

Friday 20 June 2014

Charted by HOUSE OF TRAX

Woop! Made it into the HOSUE OF TRAX BAllroom Top Ten for Don't Watch That .TV (<- link)

HOUSE OF TRAX VOGUE & BALLROOM TOP TEN

MikeQ ft Teresa – Make U Gag
Junior Vasquez – If Madonna Calls [ tribal break mix ]
Vjuan Allure – Kid Conga
Vjuan Allure – The Urge
Kingdom – Stalker Ha
Beek – Super Sonic
CVNT TRAXXX – Cum 4 Me
Rushmore – Couture
First Choice – Love Thang
Rageuos Projecting ft Kevin Aviance – Cunty

Monday 16 June 2014

VOGUE BRAWL 2014 pics

Just a few pics from the DJ booth at Saturday's Vogue Brawl - a grand ole time was had by all! (more pics here)














^ That queen got chopped for her horrible granny shoes!

Congrats to Vogue Brawl 2014 winners:

Banjee Stoner Girl: KIM THOMPSON
Serving Fish Realness: CAKE MOSS
Tranimation: SARAH ANGEL
Punk Rock Princess: LILL
Drag King: IVY PROFEMME
Fkd & Busted: CRUSTINA
Performance: HOUSE OF TOUCH-A-CLART
House Of The Year: HOUSE OF ANITA

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!