Elektra Complex
Elektra Complex
08-05-15
This Saturday, we welcome the wonderful Discosodoma party back to Dalston Superstore. As it's their first birthday they've invited their very first guests Amateurboyz back from Athens, and they've invited NYC based DJ and producer Justin Van Der Volgen to play... AND they've invited one half of Chateau Flight, Gilb'R to also play! Plus a whole hosts of regular guests including Sanjay Sur, Diet Clinic and Terry Childs. Ahead of the party we caught up with two members of the Elektra Complex collective, Stathis (aka Sex Video Tapes) and Ilias to find out more about what has made Discosodoma such a special party...
Tell us how the idea for the night came about. What’s Discosodoma’s origin story?
Ilias: It all started over nibbles of Greek spinach pie in Stathis’ kitchen talking about how the music we enjoy was misrepresented in London’s queer nightlife. I think I lost a small part of my receding hairline when he dropped the name on the table. I still remember our first meeting with Dan Beaumont, who told us straight away that he loved the name and the concept.
What influence do your Greek roots have on the way you approach throwing parties?
Elektra Complex: Ha! Our last minute approach most probably!
Which guest out of all of your amazing previous guests was the biggest surprise for whatever reason?
Ilias: That’s a tricky one! I would say Timothy J Fairplay. I left the Superstore that night reeling from the experience.
Stathis: I’m gonna say Reza Athar. He played the most ‘DISCOSODOMA’ set.
You guys are crazy ambitious and the parties are getting wilder! What does Year Two have in store?
Elektra Complex: Bigger, better, bolder! Just kidding. Well, we now have a new member in our team, DJ and radio producer, Maria Politi, who will be helping us to grow not only DISCOSODOMA but also launch our new night at Dance Tunnel in August. Stay tuned for more!
What’s one thing you love about queer nightlife in London and one thing you think we could all work on?
Ilias: You can’t beat the diversity and vibrancy of London’s queer nightlife, despite the recent developments of many venues closing down. We will always find ways to persevere, and that’s also a more general comment to the treatment of nightlife economy by the authorities. On the other hand, I would like to see more alternative nights that deviate from the pop, disco, house narrative.
What’s one song that exemplifies the Discosodoma dance floor?
Elektra Complex: That record would be a long edit of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love. A timeless track that unites all dancers.
You always book dreamboat DJs… who else is on the wishlist?
Stathis: Hashtag DreamWishList: DJ Harvey and Daniele Baldelli.
Ilias: Keep dreaming Stathis! But I will have to agree.
What dance floors of the past inspire what you’re trying to achieve with Discosodoma?
Ilias: Not a dance floor per se, but a dance floor moment I like to keep as inspiration is Larry Levan dropping Sylvester’s iconic Over & Over at Paradise Garage.
Stathis: As I have the memory of a goldfish, my inspiration lies in imagining the dance floors of the future.
You have loads of superlative DJs playing at your birthday party. Can you talk us through the programming and why you decided to have three headline worthy Djs on the same bill?
Stathis: As a Gemini, I couldn’t really make up my mind and to save Ilias from a stroke, we decided to book them all. Besides, these guests represent exactly the sound that we wanted to offer for our first birthday.
What’s been your own personal best moment of dance floor ecstasy?
Ilias: Actually a relatively recent one, when nd_baumecker played Sandra’s In The Heat Of The Night at Panorama Bar on a Monday morning. I genuinely lost the plot with that one.
Stathis: Dancing to Talking Heads - Psycho Killer at the last ALFOS party at Corsica Studios. It was such a pleasant WTF moment!
The new artwork is a slight departure from previous posters- who designed it and what was the thinking behind it?
Elektra Complex: The idea came to us one night during a dinner when a friend of ours read the tarot cards for fun on the table. The judgment card stood out and we took its design and gave it a DISCOSODOMA approach with some Greek mythologies references, from the Minotaur to the ecstatic crowd dancing on the top of the column. We are very lucky to have John Philip Sage as a good friend who understood straight away what we wanted to do and designed this amazing artwork for us.
You’ve also had some spectacularly sexy promo videos- which is your favourite each and why?
Ilias: That would be the last one for me. We asked our friend, Munir Malik, to direct it and he did a great job despite using an iPhone to shoot it in the end.
Stathis: Same for me, even though I had to replace the model that was supposed to be in the video, and ended up being covered in chalk powder for more than three hours. I’m still vacuuming my room!
The resident DJs and regular guests are a big part of what makes the party so special. The individual parts are all amazing DJs but together the family is really something a bit unique- why do you think this is?
Elektra Complex: As true Greeks, family is important as it allows within its ranks to nurture not only our individual aspirations but also to grow and present a common idea. In our family, we all share a similar aesthetic towards the arts and more specifically dance music. We wouldn’t have been able to be here without them.
And HOT GUYS are also a big part of the party’s success! Describe the ideal crowd…
Ilias: The crowd that checks its preconceptions about what makes a good party at the door and embraces the sound we offer every time. Bonus points are given to those losing their shirts in the folly of the dance floor.
Stathis: Come on, Ilias! It's always a sea of leather daddies dancing to acid disco!
Sum up the ethos of Discosodoma in one sentence…
Elektra Complex: There is no ethos in sodomy. Hahahaha!
Join Ilias and Stathis of Elektra Complex for the Discosodoma One party this Saturday 9th May from 9pm - 5am.
Elektra Complex