By Naomi Curston
August 28 2020, 12.25
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A Notting Hill Carnival digital afterparty, Dancehall Supremacy, hopes to attract thousands to raise money for Justice4Grenfell on Sunday.
Kicking off at 9pm, the livestream, hosted by Nine Nights and Lin Kam Art, will mix Black club culture old and new with 90s visuals.
The night will feature new and established Black artists, including Flohio, Louis Culture, Obongjayar, Scratchclart, Sir Allen Brando and Elheist.
Linett Kamala, founding director of Lin Kam Art said: “There will be music and DJs, but it will be very creative, progressive and innovative.
“I always want to do carnival a little bit different, to explore aspects that you may not be familiar with.
“Dancehall Supremacy is a nod to Jamaican sound system culture, and what that’s given to the world.
“We’re trying to authentically show our version and our story, and present it how we want it to be.”
Co-organiser Nine Nights is a collective and virtual event series curating experimental showcases of Black culture and raising money to pay Black artists and support Black Lives Matter (BLM) causes.
Lin Kam Art aims to enrich lives through art and education through residencies, events and programmes, and has at its core community and equality.
The two have encountered each other before: Ms Kamala runs Notting Hill Carnival sound system Disya Jeneration, where Nine Nights member Gaika once performed.
Gaika curated an installation about sound system culture, SYSTEM, in 2018.
The two finally got the chance to collaborate at Somerset House during lockdown, where both are based.
Gaika then introduced Ms Kamala to the wider Nine Nights team, their approaches aligned and Dancehall Supremacy was born.
Justice4Grenfell, the charity this event will support, was set up after a fire at Grenfell Tower killed 72 people in June 2017, in no small part due to the cladding which aided the fire’s spread.
Ms Kamala said: “Justice4Grenfell is so close to the community of carnival.
“What’s going on for Grenfell is still very real, and although at the moment it’s not getting as much attention, it’s still ongoing for the people involved.
“I speak to so many people living in similar properties right now and it’s not just about campaigning for the survivors, it’s about campaigning for those people.”
For the first time in its 54-year history, Notting Hill Carnival has moved entirely online, so Dancehall Supremacy can be watched anywhere in the world.
Viewers are encouraged to set up their own rigs at home using whatever equipment they have.
Tickets cost £5, and viewers can make further donations to Justice4Grenfell via PayPal.
Featured image © Babycakes Romero – Notting Hill Carnival Youth Archive 156
