Work IT! Is the most happening hip-hop and r’n’b night to hit art-farty streets of Dalston. Its strict nostalgia on all things nineties makes a trip down memory lane that little less embarrassing. Jay Star Nine from B*I*T*C*H*£*S catches up with Sara El Dabi who is one of the trio that makes the night worth dressing up for.
Sara is fucking cool, you know the type of heads that hang around Hoxton looking all
bad-ass and shit. In fact, if you were to look at the definition of cool, her picture would be there. Work It is one of the few nights in around Shoreditch’s too-cool-for-school hangouts where people actually dance. Strangely enough, the pretentious “I’m wearing all vintage Yves Saint Lauren” is left at the door and people come here to listen to good music and wait for it: have fun. Not only that, its distinctive brand sets it head and shoulders above any other nights. Like that same one-night-stand you have every month Work It is that lust fuelled action you look forward to. Having only started off as a night where Sara and her mates could go to listen to Biggie, it has been running for eleven months and its reputation is continually building. On why the trio started the night, the fresh-face-twenty-six-year-old recalls: “There was a huge trend for doing nights that were eclectic, the three of us would be sitting in a bar wanting to go somewhere to listen just too hip-hop and r’n’b.” The nineties nostalgia is what makes the night, everyone from: the Work It team to the ravers makes an effort to push this theme, she says: “When people hear hip-hop and r’n’b from the nineties it takes you back to when you were at your school disco, when you had your first kiss and even right down to your high-tecks with the air bubbles.” The Work It identity is anally consistent, from selling alcohol in paper bags, to a projection scree
ning of cult teen movie ‘Clueless.’ Their logo has a guy with a sky-scrapping-high-top, enough to rival Kid's from the film'House Party '. This strong identity definitely reminds their regulars of all those house parties they went to in 1993. Getting to this point was a real challenge for the team, having taken weeks to decide on a name for this night let alone its purpose. When describing the concept, Sara says adamantly: “Work It became so concept led, because we wanted a strong theme and visually the whole brand and image of the night was important to us. We spent a lot the time on that before doing the first night.” The amount of effort that went into ensuring people had a good time can be seen by the type of comments left on their facebook wall, one person wrote: “Work It made my birthday a night to remember! Such good dancing to all them tunes from way back when...feet [are] still aching!” This is just one of the many kind words left by satisfied customers. The night has also garnered attention from the mainstream press, it has been written about in The Sunday Times and The Guardian. The journalist, Susie Rushton, for The New York Times included the night for her article about the East London Art Scene. What is unique about Work It is that there is no intended 'it crowd,' so Peaches Geldof would spend hours queuing up like the rest of us. Perhaps based upon her own experience, Sara spoke rather frustratedly about particular clubs using door bitches to determine the worthy from the not-so-worthy. There is no guest list or hint of exclusivity. So if you get there early you will get in, further adding to the house party atmosphere. “I get loads of older people coming to our nights saying there are kids who weren’t even around what that music was about. If they want to have a good time and enjoy themselves, does it really matter?”
Apart from running Work It Sara is a freelance Graphic Designer. She met Loren and Rory, (her partners in crime for establishing the night) whilst studying at Central Saint Martin’s and she cites their course as an inspiration behind the night. Having only got in to hip-hop later in her life, she secretly admits it was all about Brandy and Aaliyah. But she was soon seduced by the conscious sounds of: Jurassic Five, Guru from Gang Starr and Talib Kweli, to name but a few. Which explained her eye-popping-excitement when she found out she was to be playing on the same night as Afrika Bambaataa, one of the forefathers of the Golden Age of hip-hop, Sara explains: “We got a phone call from Modular Records [An Australian Independent Record Label] asking if we were interested in hosting a room for an indoor festival they were doing. They told us in a fleeting moment that Afrika Bambaataa was billed and we were like hell yeah we are doing it.”
Having a niche area of music maybe be challenging, but the Work It team are open to diversifying the night. “We are constantly mixing up our DJs; we get loads of people who play nineties: bashment, reggae and two-step garage. It is important to us, but people still like to hear the key tunes.” Sara honestly reflects that Work It does have a shelf life there maybe be a time where people may get bored and go elsewhere. “Work It won’t last forever, we may go on to do a new night, change the concept or the name. It was missing and so many people wanted it. It is strange that all these clubs are doing r’n’b and hip-hop nights, we have got all these surrogate children popping up.” How do you know when you have had a good time and are still talking about it a week later? Sara enthuses: “If I have danced all night and haven’t stopped. That is all I want pure dancing from the beginning to the end.”
Sara is fucking cool, you know the type of heads that hang around Hoxton looking all
bad-ass and shit. In fact, if you were to look at the definition of cool, her picture would be there. Work It is one of the few nights in around Shoreditch’s too-cool-for-school hangouts where people actually dance. Strangely enough, the pretentious “I’m wearing all vintage Yves Saint Lauren” is left at the door and people come here to listen to good music and wait for it: have fun. Not only that, its distinctive brand sets it head and shoulders above any other nights. Like that same one-night-stand you have every month Work It is that lust fuelled action you look forward to. Having only started off as a night where Sara and her mates could go to listen to Biggie, it has been running for eleven months and its reputation is continually building. On why the trio started the night, the fresh-face-twenty-six-year-old recalls: “There was a huge trend for doing nights that were eclectic, the three of us would be sitting in a bar wanting to go somewhere to listen just too hip-hop and r’n’b.” The nineties nostalgia is what makes the night, everyone from: the Work It team to the ravers makes an effort to push this theme, she says: “When people hear hip-hop and r’n’b from the nineties it takes you back to when you were at your school disco, when you had your first kiss and even right down to your high-tecks with the air bubbles.” The Work It identity is anally consistent, from selling alcohol in paper bags, to a projection scree
ning of cult teen movie ‘Clueless.’ Their logo has a guy with a sky-scrapping-high-top, enough to rival Kid's from the film'House Party '. This strong identity definitely reminds their regulars of all those house parties they went to in 1993. Getting to this point was a real challenge for the team, having taken weeks to decide on a name for this night let alone its purpose. When describing the concept, Sara says adamantly: “Work It became so concept led, because we wanted a strong theme and visually the whole brand and image of the night was important to us. We spent a lot the time on that before doing the first night.” The amount of effort that went into ensuring people had a good time can be seen by the type of comments left on their facebook wall, one person wrote: “Work It made my birthday a night to remember! Such good dancing to all them tunes from way back when...feet [are] still aching!” This is just one of the many kind words left by satisfied customers. The night has also garnered attention from the mainstream press, it has been written about in The Sunday Times and The Guardian. The journalist, Susie Rushton, for The New York Times included the night for her article about the East London Art Scene. What is unique about Work It is that there is no intended 'it crowd,' so Peaches Geldof would spend hours queuing up like the rest of us. Perhaps based upon her own experience, Sara spoke rather frustratedly about particular clubs using door bitches to determine the worthy from the not-so-worthy. There is no guest list or hint of exclusivity. So if you get there early you will get in, further adding to the house party atmosphere. “I get loads of older people coming to our nights saying there are kids who weren’t even around what that music was about. If they want to have a good time and enjoy themselves, does it really matter?”Apart from running Work It Sara is a freelance Graphic Designer. She met Loren and Rory, (her partners in crime for establishing the night) whilst studying at Central Saint Martin’s and she cites their course as an inspiration behind the night. Having only got in to hip-hop later in her life, she secretly admits it was all about Brandy and Aaliyah. But she was soon seduced by the conscious sounds of: Jurassic Five, Guru from Gang Starr and Talib Kweli, to name but a few. Which explained her eye-popping-excitement when she found out she was to be playing on the same night as Afrika Bambaataa, one of the forefathers of the Golden Age of hip-hop, Sara explains: “We got a phone call from Modular Records [An Australian Independent Record Label] asking if we were interested in hosting a room for an indoor festival they were doing. They told us in a fleeting moment that Afrika Bambaataa was billed and we were like hell yeah we are doing it.”
Having a niche area of music maybe be challenging, but the Work It team are open to diversifying the night. “We are constantly mixing up our DJs; we get loads of people who play nineties: bashment, reggae and two-step garage. It is important to us, but people still like to hear the key tunes.” Sara honestly reflects that Work It does have a shelf life there maybe be a time where people may get bored and go elsewhere. “Work It won’t last forever, we may go on to do a new night, change the concept or the name. It was missing and so many people wanted it. It is strange that all these clubs are doing r’n’b and hip-hop nights, we have got all these surrogate children popping up.” How do you know when you have had a good time and are still talking about it a week later? Sara enthuses: “If I have danced all night and haven’t stopped. That is all I want pure dancing from the beginning to the end.”
Images sourced from www.youworkit.co.uk
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