DIY club events in Leeds are often commonplace, so much so that it can be diffiuclt to adhere to this philosophy and still mark yourself out as unique to the student population. One collective that nails this tricky balancing act is Slut Drop, busting both patriarchy and fixed genres since 2014. We sent Hulya Erzurumlu to talk to Cat Snell, who, after careful consideration involving the other two points of The Triangle in Bernie Snell and Oonagh Ryder, supplied us with the following:
Who are you guys?
I’m Cat, currently holding it down for Slut Drop in Leeds. Me, Bernie and Oonagh, aka The Triangle, set things up back in 2014. It’s our event but we work with our BFF, Chunk. Last year Bernie moved to Manchester and Oonagh moved to London for a new job so right now I’m flying solo, though you should look out for interesting developments in Manchester too. The last few events have been collaborations but I’ve been getting a new team together to help run Slut Drop, so if anyone is interested in running events and is feeling our vibe – get in touch!
Whats your ethos?
Slut Drop is a DIY party/club night and happens at Chunk. We had our first night in Manchester this year so there will be more parties happening there too. Aesthetically, we’ve tried to make the whole experience more personal – an inviting interactive space. Our aesthetic changes a bit for each party, which adds to the uniqueness and originality of each one. In the beginning, I think the music really set us apart from other nights; you couldn’t find some of the experimental and electronic sounds we were putting out anywhere else in Leeds. That’s one of the major reasons behind us starting the night. I think that’s changed a lot in the last few years and there is much more of a scene for that music in Leeds now. The fact that the night is mostly run by women and our line-ups are predominately women still sets us apart from most other club nights.
A lot of nights still don’t put enough energy into booking female artists and I’ve actually spoken to a lot of people who want to change this. We always seek a balance between putting together a line-up of predominantly women and getting the music just right. You just don’t see enough girls behind the decks or putting on events and that’s something we are trying to change. If we give women DJs that exposure, then other people can start booking them. Most of the DJs we’ve had play at Slut Drop have gone onto bigger things which is a really rewarding thing to see! It’s so important for other women to come and see women playing, to see it, and for it to just be normal. There’s just not a lot of inspiration to go out there and do it. If you don’t see other women doing it, I think it’s harder to perceive yourself doing it. We wanted to make it look do-able, and have a good fucking time too.
What have you done in the past and what are you aiming for in the future?
We’ve mostly been busy organising each event, but also lots of networking on the ground and helping support people trying to do similar things. As for the future, there is a lot to come. We’ve got some pretty big collaborations coming up and the monthly open deck sessions start this month. Girls – feel free to come down, even if you’ve never seen a set of decks before in your life, the space is just cool to see! The future for Slut Drop is hard to say; we’re still growing and the team is changing, I’d like to get more ‘manpower’ behind us. You can get a lot more done when you work cooperatively, so I’d like to build that and make the night more regular.
What is the best night you think you’ve done?
That is a really hard question! I think it might have to be one from last year. Before that we hadn’t been able to book only women while sticking to the music we wanted to play so it was the first time we had an all female line up and it felt like a real milestone! Madam X headlined plus Mina, DJ Tee Tee and TACAT (me) and we also had some bands from Chunk on before the DJs. The music and vibe that night was pure fire from start to finish. Although the turn out was really good, it’s not something I’m overly bothered about. Yes it’s important to break even and if you make a profit it goes back into running more successful nights, but ultimately I’d always rather have a small crowd of people having the best time, getting to know each other and bringing a really good vibe than a room at full capacity but no soul.
What would you say to newcomers to your event?
Slut Drop is all about bringing the best in experimental, boundary-pushing electronic. Expect genres to be mixed up and messed around, be ready for some big sounds and come with an open mind. Remember where you are; we are not a main stream venue or night so to treat the space with respect, make friends if you want – everyone is super friendly and the cheap drinks will keep flowing!
What is your next event?
The next event will be Nov 26th at Chunk; it’s a collaboration between us and 8MANA who are a fairly new addition to the Leeds music scene but already making big waves. Our musical tastes are super compatible and their DIY attitude makes us a great match. 8MANA and Slut Drop residents will all be playing back to back. Plus special DJ sets from Nik Nak, Leeds based producer and DJ warming up with an excellent selection of Hip Hop. Holli William$, sometimes known as Shuga – a newcomer from Manchester, playing an impressive banging mix of styles. Plus a live DJ set from Mike Drones, co-founder of Permahigh, a Leeds-based label and collective. We will also be hosting a networking and live music event on December 6th with brand new collective GAIA who describe themselves as girls who like girls and GREAT music! All the details can be found on our Facebook page. Plus we’ve got a big event coming up in February next year so keeps those eyes peeled.
What was it that inspired you to set up Slut Drop?
Some of it came from frustration at the lack of experimental music in Leeds at that time; we were regularly going to Manchester and London chasing those sounds. It felt a bit like a revelation when we sat back and were like, “Hang on, lets just start our own fucking night!”. We’d been out loads and hadn’t seen many women DJs and I had been DJing for ages but only in my room and at house parties. When we thought about all the other women out there playing behind closed doors we wanted to bring these onto the club circuit.
Catch Slut Drop next on November 26th at Chunk for their collaboration with 8MANA. Expect electronic experimentation and a DIY Vibe. One to watch for sure.
Hulya Erzurumlu
(Image: facebook.com/slutdropleeds)