Oli D.A.B. talks us through the concept behind the Zulu Tea Party and tells us more about him and his DJ partner Robin, 2 little known London-based dance music workaholics.
This Saturday night the Big Chill House brings you the latest installment of the Zulu Tea Party. Flying in Edu K for the event, a wildy eccentric superstar DJ from Brazil, it's set to be a fantastic adventure into the world of percussive house music. This is still a very new night to the London clubbing scene but has already gained a large following of dedicated fans. It's early success is largely down to previous exquisite line-ups, with the last event being headlined by the cutting edge sounds of L-Vis 1990, and also the vast experience of the promotors and resident DJs, Oli D.A.B. Vs Robin, who certainly know what they're doing.
Oli and Robin first started DJing together about four years ago, and have since smashed many a party to pieces playing as a duo. Oli elaborates that the two of them have been individually "putting on parties and playing around with turntables since we first met in 2003”. Following hours of hard work and extreme devotion to the cause, they are now hugely involved in a vast number of underground dance nights across London, including Superfilth at 93 Feet East, Trouble Vision at Corsica Studios, the Zulu Tea Party at The Big Chill House, Super Fridays at Camino, as well as holding a residency at the magnificent Deadfish Family and Friends parties at Public Life.
Amazingly some of these nights are free, including Super Fridays, Superfilth and the Zulu Tea Party before ten. Having been involved with Superfilth right from the start along with Roscoe (Arrow!!!), Oli explains that the free entry policy is an extension of the whole ethos behind the night: "the original idea was to put on a free party to get mates involved and basically have a laugh and I think running a party like that is the best way to start anything off”.
A few years down the line, and with a little more experience under his wing, the Zulu Tea Party is his latest brainchild. Oli says of the night that "I wanted to put on a party that was more about house music than anything else, but without taking it too seriously. Plus I like tea and I like parties." A notion that is echoed in his admission: "playing back to back [with Robin] gives me a chance to drink more and jump around in the booth."
This week sees Edu K take to the decks, representing the Brazilian house beats, chosen because "his style of house and baile funk really fits in with what I like and think is pretty fresh at the moment." However, both Oli and Robin are keen to express their support for the lesser known up-and-coming acts too, as Oli advises people to "get down early to check out the sets by Deadfish resident Frank8oy, and Photomachine. I really think that checking out good warm-up DJs makes an evening build even better, plus you never know where the guy or girl warming up could be in 6 months time."
And who knows where Oli D.A.B. and Robin will be in 6 months time? At this rate somewhere pretty special we can imagine, as they show no signs of slowing down. They've already been confirmed to play at Secret Garden Party, Lovebox and Gottwood festival so far, and “all look like they're going to be great weekends with great line-ups. We'll assess our futures during September's comedown."
Their ideas for exciting clubnights are seemingly endless. As Oli reveals: "I've also been looking into getting our own blend of tea made so maybe we'll actually look into throwing a more traditional tea party at some point soon." They may not be Batman and Robin but they're certainly the unsung superheroes of the London underground dance scene.
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