Chibuku
It’s probably fair to say that when Chibuku began many years ago in the intimate confines of the legendary Lemon Lounge, no one could have foreseen how the club would evolve to the present. Starting with Will’s distant travels to beautiful Malawi from where the CSS name came, to the raucous raves which set in motion an incredible journey creating some of the most memorable parties in memory, Chibuku Shake Shake has achieved an iconic status in the annals of electronic music – and the story isn’t over yet. What started as an antidote to the sprawling, impersonal and derivative nature of super clubbing which slowly dies in the late 90s, Chibuku’s rapid rise saw it break the bar takings record at the beloved LL month after month, creating something of a sensation in Liverpool. It came out of nowhere really, inspired by friends who hired a dilapidated room above a pub and with £40 invested by Will Jameson and Damo Jones, through to teaming up with Charlene McDaid and later Rich McGinnis, Chibuku’s initial ethos was undiluted partying. They were halcyon times during which success was only really measured from how many people were smiling (usually everyone) and what antics Wandy was getting up to behind the hallowed decks nestled in the corner. Then a new home was found in an old building on Seel Street in which potential was seen, and the rest can easily be named as history, as the good word began to spread, the media interest swelled and suddenly everyone wanted to play at the club with the strange name in Liverpool. Over the years the people behind the club and the residents have changed as faces often do, but there is still the same desire and drive behind it to keep pushing the parties as far as they can go, and often ever further, helping to keep Chibuku at the fore of everything exciting in music. Because over to packing out Nation, Barfly and many other venues, Chibuku remains one of the best clubs around by the virtuous simplicity of the core principal to which it adheres – an undiluted, pure and simple dedication to putting on one of the best parties around. Two years ago Chibuku was entered into the top 50 clubs in the WORLD, as voted by the DJs who have played there, published in DJ Mag, and in Top Ten best UK clubs in Mixmag’s 2006 awards. The night has rocked London since the sweaty days of the Social, moving on to 93 Feet East for some of the best parties seen from the tireless residents and great special guests through to the present as Chibuku continues to host periodic sessions at the simply immense Fabric. Ten years is a long time in clubbing. It’s a long time promoting, a long time dancing, a long time to keep everything daisy-fresh and balanced on the precarious cusp of the underground, whilst maintaining strong relationships with the big names who both work to keep both old and new clubbers flocking in. But that’s exactly what has happened. Well, it hasn’t yet, but you get the idea – in 2010 Chibuku Shake Shake will have made it to a decade of putting smiles on people’s faces. Quite what this will entail is being kept under wraps – kind of – but suffice to say this golden year will feature a return to the fabled Lemon Lounge, a party at Nation for the which the lineup will only be revealed once everyone’s in the club, and a tour taking in all of the friends Chibuku has built up over the years (believe us, there are quite a few). 2010 may seem like a long way away, but the tenth anniversary is already being planned, DJs approached, ideas toyed with, plans formulated. Exciting doesn’t even come close, and it’s expected that everyone who has had a hand in the club’s evolution – both from behind the decks to behind the scenes – will be involved, and a clarion call issued to those who came to the very first Lemon Lounge parties will draw everyone back from the start to the start for some long-into-the-night celebrating. 2009 itself promises to be a scintillating year, with possible summer residencies further afield, burgeoning relationships with Fabric and The Warehouse Project to savour, and, as you would rightly guess, all kinds of goodness in the pipeline. Now, as the Masque enjoys a full refurbishment including a Funktion One Sound system and many other huge improvements, the future has never looked better for the club. There will be plenty more news revealed in good time, but as ever; expect the unexpected from Chibuku…