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Kristina x C.A.L.M.

Kristina x C.A.L.M.

This Saturday night sees a very special Kristina Records party happening at our sister venue Dance Tunnel. DJs include both our very own Dan Beaumont and secretsundaze's James Priestley plus Kristina's Jack and Jason. After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, they've decided to give something back and do a night for a good cause. So they''ll be raising funds and awareness for C.A.L.M. - a charity that exists to help prevent male suicide in the UK. We caught up with Jason to find out more...

Why have Kristina Records chosen to support the charity C.A.L.M. for tomorrow night's party at Dance Tunnel?

I think it's true to say that the issue of male suicide and male depression does get ignored in the mainstream, and also amongst its sufferers. Without wanting to generalise too much, I think it's safe to say that men can often find it difficult to come forward and open up or admit they are having difficulties. I'm sure all of us know someone who has suffered, or who has been affected by someone who suffers.

Do you think it's an important issue and charity for people in dance music to support?

Absolutely. Leading that kind of lifestyle- late nights, partying coupled with the everyday stresses of work and other things, it's very common for it to take its toll physically and mentally. I know many people who work in the industry and it's 24/7 for a lot of them. Also I think the creative industries as a whole, where a lot of young men now work, it's the same thing.

What made Kristina Records decide to start hosting its own parties?

It was natural for us to do that really - I guess it was something we intended to happen before we opened the shop. One thing we do is stock new underground artists and it was natural to also look to put them on in clubs, and it also gives me the opportunity to DJ, which I love doing.

What prompted the move from in-store events to whole evenings in late-night establishments?

The in-stores have really taken off, way beyond what we imagined.  They're great and we really enjoy them but on the whole they are an early evening thing, more of a social vibe where people can meet and chat and obviously see some of their favourite artists perform in a very intimate space.  Taking that to a late night club atmosphere is a  different experience I guess. It's hard work, putting on nights, booking DJs, promoting etc, completely different to running a shop but equally as stressful! We'll be looking to bring some of our favourite new artists to Dalston this year so watch this space...

Why have you plumped for local DJs for this particular party?

The idea initially was to try and involve many businesses in Dalston, especially those run by young men, so as to tie in with the charity, but this didn't really transpire as we only had a few weeks to organise it.  Dan kindly agreed to offer us the venue and to DJ- obviously he has been in Dalston for a good few years now with the Superstore, and also doing nights before that. We got chatting to James Priestley down at our Andres in-store, we mentioned to him what we were looking to do and he was really interested in the charity and he offered to play.

Who has been your most celebrated guest so far this year?

Well as I said previously, we have been blown away by some of the artists who have played in our shop - really if you had told me a year and a half ago when we opened that the likes of DJ Qu, Andres, Hunee, Beautiful Swimmers and Roman Flugal would play in the shop I wouldn't have believed it. The Andres one was probably the most epic we've had - the guy played for 6 hours and the place was packed to the rafters with more people outside than in.

What are your thoughts on HMV's troubles this week?

It's sad I guess but I think it's a consequence of the changes in the way we all consume music - they've been hit very hard by the internet and they didn't evolve quickly enough. I haven't been in there for years but by all accounts they were basically flogging flash headphones rather than interesting music. What they do doesn't really have any relation to what we do. I think it's probably a sign that people who buy music, and that's to say those who prefer a physical, tangible thing, are going back to smaller, more specialist independent shops, and in a lot of cases reverting back to vinyl too.    

Is the Kristina/C.A.L.M. relationship one we might expect to see more of and are there different charities you hope to help in the future as well?

At the moment we are focusing on giving C.A.L.M. our support and it is certainly a possibility that we will do something in the future. We believe this is an important cause to support and the more that C.A.L.M. have the opportunity to get their message out there and offer support to those who need it, the more positive results can come from what they do. 

How can people support C.AL.M. besides coming and giving away all their money tomorrow night?

You can go to their website www.thecalmzone.net and join their campaign and if you wish to donate money you can do so by clicking on their link www.justgiving.com/CALM 

Join Jason at Dance Tunnel for Kristina Records... Give It Up! from 10pm - 3am  and donate generously to C.A.L.M.

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Kristina x C.A.L.M.

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