RSVP for this in person event below. Only book if you are sure to attend.

What is a party without the people? How can we activate a moment of solidarity, so that it belongs to many and not to few? How can we use listening to tune in to the possibilities that sonic solidarity offers?

Join us on Saturday evening, for Solidarity FX party, as part of the public programme curated by students from MACC collective highlighting sonic practices as tools for nurturing solidarities. Reverberating ideas through the form of a party, this programme invites us to gather together to enjoy the experiential. Through traces of mutual and continuously evolving exchanges, solidarities are composed and defined by you and your fellow party goers.

Inspired by fugitive radio, the sounds of protesting, and partying, the two-day programme will consist of participatory performance, DJ sets, conversation, a bespoke listening lounge with Syrian Cassette Archives and a site-specific voice note project. These practices and gestures are designed to activate moments of solidarity and explore its potential to be transmitted through sound waves. This live event will be archived as a tool for future use.

The line-up opens with a set by Mo’min Swaitat, Palestinian Bedouin actor, filmmaker, music producer, DJ and archivist from Jenin, followed by LUMA, a British-Iraqi DJ and radio host, whose Arabic heritage and urban London roots influence her rhythmic percussion. DJ Tabideee, a British-Sudanese DJ and founder/creative director of Space Black will play a set celebrating techno music. The bar will be hosted by British-Jamaican mixologist Amelia, founder of Fill My Cup. The night aims to nurture community, inclusivity and fun.

On Sunday, the programme continues with Solidarity Re:verb, echoing the traces of the night before through an open conversation and a participatory performance. Join here

LUMA is a British-Iraqi DJ and radio host. LUMA runs Habibti Nation – a club night and monthly radio show on Balamii in London, showcasing underground electronic music from SWANA and the Arab world with a focus on female, non-binary and trans artists. LUMA plays a global and far reaching selection of club ready rhythmic percussion and weighty bass with SWANA infused sounds, hopping around tempos, genres and moods. She has been establishing her presence in the London music scene with her eclectic selection of sounds, supporting Acid Arab at Fabric, Habibi Funk at the Jazz Cafe and playing at Boiler Room, Keep Hush and Boomtown Festival.

Majazz Project is a Palestinian-led record label and research platform founded by Mo’min Swaitat in 2020. Over several years, Mo’min amassed an archive of rare tapes and vinyl from Palestine and beyond, spanning field recordings of Bedouin weddings to revolutionary tracks and synth-heavy 80s funk and jazz. Many of these were acquired from a former record label in Jenin in the north of the West Bank. Majazz Project was borne out of the archive and is focused on sampling, remixing and reissuing vintage Palestinian and Arabic albums. It is a collaboration between Arab and non-Arab DJs, producers and artists interested in shedding new light on the richness and diversity of Arab musical heritage. Palestine Sound Archive is a celebration of music, spoken word and album artwork from historic Palestine, mainly from the 1960s-1990s.

Tabidee is a British Sudanese, Civil Engineer, DJ and founder of Space Black. Her mixes are experimental yet cohesive, blending techno and electronic music with jungle, breaks and Sudanese drum beats as an ode to the Black community’s contribution to shaping the genre.

MACC collective is formed of seven students from Chelsea College of Arts’ MA Curating and Collections course – Sara Abahsain, Elspeth Bland-Dear, Faisal Ghloum, Beata Li, Junnan Li, Qingrui Lin, Zhipeng Wen. Bringing a diverse range of cultural and educational backgrounds, the collective works to playfully ask questions, to learn through practice, and to enable participation.

Images:
1.The Mosaic Rooms
2.Tabidee. Courtesy of the artist.
3.LUMA. Courtesy of the artist.
4.Majazz Archive. Courtesy of the Mo’min Swaitat.
5.Mo’min Swaitat. Courtesy of the artist.