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Get To Know: Das Booty

Those that have been following Das Booty from the start know that they can throw a proper party. From their inception in 2018, they have come far and have established themselves as a staple event at South London’s Venue MOT. They have also expanded into a music label, with releases from Samurai Breaks, Shawn Cartier, Polo Lilli and Luke’s Anger. 

If you haven’t heard of Das Booty and you appreciate an eclectic mix of genres and dynamic lineups – this one’s for you. “Another thing I love is that Das Booty represents a multitude of genres, which I guess suits my style perfectly. I think Rory curates lineups that reflect that there’s always a lovely melting pot of styles and tempos throughout the night” says resident Osc Kins. 

A distinctive feature of Das Booty regulars is their zest and camaraderie, “If I had to pick two words to summarise Das Booty ravers, they’d be energetic and friendly. There’s always a lovely mix of people in from various branches of society and it’s really grounding to walk away from a rave with a touch more faith in humanity”, added Osc Kins. 

You’ll also find with Das Booty ravers that they have stamina and are there until the very end. In Osc Kins’ words: “To date, I think the best gig I’ve ever played was January last year; closing Venue MOT in the early hours of the morning to a still completely packed dance floor” 

We caught up with founder Rory on the current rave scene and what’s in store for Das Booty. 

How and when did Das Booty start?

The first Das Booty was in December 2018. It was a party for friends with all mates DJing – shouts out to Jerome Hill, Louse +1, Hughesee, Dave Shades, Boycey,Titus and Tensor! I wanted to do a party with all the music that I loved in one party as there weren’t many mixed genre parties at that time. It was Techno, Oldskool Hardcore, Jungle, UKG, Bassline, Ghettotech all in one night and it was banging from start to finish.

Over time the sound has evolved, as a younger bunch of DJ became known to me and it was very interesting to hear what they were into and how it could fit into Das Booty. Big ups the Hard and Nasty crew!

The 160/jungle footwork/turbo scene has also started to feature very prominently in our lineups. It’s very exciting as the scene is relatively young and the rules are still being made. It’s fresh and unpredictable which I love. It’s very important to me that Das Booty pushes things forward, while also holding a firm respect for the past. 

How did you get into the rave scene?

I was hugely into music as a teenager and snuck into my first club in 1996!! It wasn’t until 1998 or so that I went to my first ‘proper’ rave and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s been a whirlwind of warehouses, clubs, squats, after parties, fields and festivals ever since. I’ve slowed down a lot since then, but it’s still the main focus of my life.

What has been one of the most memorable events you’ve been to? And the most memorable Das Booty event?

I guess my most formative years were spent in London squat parties, which definitely shaped my ethos of what makes a good party! Although to be truthful, memories are a little erm… hazy lets say… 

The Steart Beach rave was very impressive! Coin Operated at The Lord Napier in Hackney Wick was pretty mind-blowing. Don’t and Distant Planet are always consistently amazing.

I suppose the most memorable events were ones where we would get a rig and do a private party out in the countryside. All the ‘serious’ music was played in the night with the fun music coming out in the morning. Shout out to ASNS. Good times.

There’s been plenty of memorable Das Booty moments. January 2020. Warlock had been playing 2 hours of break step as part of a 2-hour rag & bone retrospective. The place was absolutely packed and it was like a pressure cooker in there. Mark ‘Turbo’ Turner came on to play a dance mania set…… and the whole place exploded. People lost their minds. Literally bouncing off the walls, humping the speakers, girls getting on guys shoulders, people just going berserk. It was like a medieval battlefield. That shit was bananas. 

Another was Dave Shades at their first birthday. He had just walked in the door from playing a set in Berlin. He smashed out a ghettotech/booty set throwing tracks in at breakneck speed, the whole time cutting, scratching, and beat juggling doubles at 170 bpm. The first 5 mins alone were mind-blowing, and he just kept ripping it up from there. You couldn’t stand too close to the decks, the energy was too overwhelming. That was the best set I’ve ever seen. It was ridiculous.

And of course, a special mention goes out to RRRitalin’s record-breaking spinback. 

What cultural changes will we see in the nightlife and events industry as clubs start to reopen?

There’s been a lot of talks of promoters supporting local artists over the big DJs. That’s something we’ve always tried to do anyway, as I think clubs should be about community rather than getting down whoever is famous that week. I guess we’ll see whether that comes true. 

I think clubs will be swamped as more people who aren’t so into regular clubbing will be itching to party too. I’m hoping that there will be a drive to have more interesting and exciting music than before the pandemic since people will be more open and positive about going out again. But equally, it could go the other way if promoters end up catering to a more mainstream audience. I guess time will tell.

I think there will be more diversity in lineups which I think is great. While we don’t have an actual policy of focusing on diversity, I think it’s always interesting hearing what a DJ has to ‘say’ with their music. And by now I think we’ve all heard what straight white males have to say. Let’s have some variety eh.  

Will raves have the same impact as they did throughout the summer of 2020?

I think that perhaps they will have more impact. People are really gagging to go out!  While we had some great parties over summer 2020, the police were breathing down our back the whole time which meant people couldn’t really let go.

We had a lot of positive feedback over the parties we managed to squeeze in over the limited time we had last summer. People were really grateful for the release. Even so, I don’t think anyone would describe them as mind-blowing – the restrictions were too much to truly let go of.

But this summer people will go nuts! The feeling of freedom will be phenomenal. 

It’s very interesting too if you look at the artwork most rave promoters are using for their flyers. Very positive rather than ‘edgy’. We’re all wanting to get on the dancefloor again.

What’s in store for the rest of the year?

We have a night at MOT coming up on the August bank holiday, with Tim Reaper, Samurai Breaks, Shawn Cartier, Polo Lilli, Angel D’lite, Osc Kins and Mixtress playing. 

We have two more parties locked in at MOT later in the year and possibly an NYE party somewhere else too!! We got a couple of smaller under the radar parties in the works as well so keep your eyes peeled for those. The label has a bunch of releases on the horizon too, which I am very excited about. 

Their next event is on 28th August at Venue MOT.

‘Can’t wait for the next one I’m buzzing’ – Osc Kins.

If you haven’t checked out their label you should….  https://dasbootyrave.bandcamp.com/

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/dasbootyrave