Studio 89
Studio 89
27-09-16
Our latest Dalston Superstore debut comes from Bristolian sweethearts Studio 89. They are well known for throwing down parties that are practically dripping in disco sleaze, so they were naturally a perfect match for our big gay mothership! We sat down with promoters Ben Price and David Bull to chat popping their Superstore cherries, that amazing artwork and what to expect from their special guests!
Hi Studio 89! We’re so excited to have you at Dalston Superstore this Friday! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Well we are Bristol boys who collect a lot of music and put on nights mainly in Bristol and London. We’re known for playing all kinds of disco, but tend to mix it up much more these days.
How did you two first come together to start putting on amazing parties?
The good old university days... we both met in Cardiff and at the time there were no disco nights in Cardiff, we managed to find a great little basement underneath a noodle takeaway and started throwing parties in there with all of our mates.
Who have been some of your favourite guests over the years?
Hunee in Cardiff early on with Studio 89 was incredible and remains one of the most memorable nights for us, also our first party in London with Daniel Wang in 2014 was also an incredibly fun night. But our absolute favourite is Michael Serafini - really we wish he could play at every party we do.
Mark Seven is your special guest this Friday, what do you love about him?
The man has never done a bad podcast, his production is slick and he is the king of the sleaze.
You guys have very recently started a record label and released your own record! How has that process been for you?
It's been great and a long time coming... the reason for doing the label in the way we have (keeping each of the various artists anonymous) means people can focus less on the hype of the artists involved and enjoy the other aspects of the release - including the artwork which is always an important focal point in everything that we do.
We love all of your artwork! Can you tell us a bit about the artist behind it?
Glad you like it, we are also massive fans. Coke Oak is the mysterious man behind it - an old friend of ours who went to art school with us in Cardiff. He is a wicked artist and translates all of our ideas so naturally. We really have a passion for it and want to put the art in the forefront as much as the parties themselves. Last year we held an exhibition called Love Supreme as an homage to some of our favourite disco icons which was also tied in with our 2016 event posters. It was put on as part of Simple Things festival in Bristol with all the artwork displayed on lightboxes and the exhibition space was injected with a bit of a sleazy discotheque/club atmosphere.
What can London learn from the Bristol party scene?
London councils can learn a lot from Bristol but also from most other cities... the punters of London are no different to Bristol yet they seem to be faced with a lot of limitations in what can be offered with nightlife because of what seems like more controlling local authorities. Being a much smaller city, Bristol has more of a community feel with music and nightlife, with everyone basically knowing each other, particularly in the more intimate parties - it’s always a great recipe for an amazing night… and at the end of the day a really good crowd is the most important part of a successful night. The fact that stand out events happen less frequently also makes each of them feel more special.
If you had a time machine and could go dancing anywhere/when, where would you go?
Larry Levan playing at the final Paradise Garage party. Or one of the early Body & Soul parties.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Larry Levan's Paradise Garage[/caption]Can you give a hint of what you have in store for us this Friday?
Well Mark is playing all night downstairs so that will be a masterclass in music from start to finish. Upstairs Nick who has been playing for us for years will be playing a mixture of classic disco/funk and underground pop.
Catch Studio 89 this Friday 30 September from 9pm-3am at Dalston Superstore!
Studio 89