WHEN HOUSE MUSIC WAS BLACK & GAY

Contents:

• SPECIAL FEATURE: THE GAY DNA OF HOUSE MUSIC
• THE WAREHOE: THE GAY CLUB WHERE HOE MIC GOT S NAME
• WHEN HOUSE MUSIC WAS BLACK & GAY
• THE BETIFUL BLACK GAY HISTORY OF CHIGO HOE’S BIRTH
• DANCE PRI: THE GAY ORIGS OF DANCE MIC

SPECIAL FEATURE: THE GAY DNA OF HOUSE MUSIC

It ially operated as a members-only club almost exclively equented by black and Lato gay men. At the time, gay bars and clubs were the only safe spac for queer folk, pecially nsirg the nstant barrage of police raids, often whout warrants, that terrorized Chigo’s gay muny.

Then, a strange move, which the future will be seen as a se study for reer sabotage, he wrote a homophobic rant on his Facebook page. The post pared homosexuals to paedophil and referred to the LGBT muny as “another breed”. There might be gay characters Hollyoaks, but ’s not all rabows out there.

Electronic mic emerged om a scene that was alternative, diverse and mostly, very, very gay. The unsung fluence of gay culture may not stem om nsc discrimatn, but when a major ntributn isn’t celebrated, that oversight n allow homophobia to flourish.

THE WAREHOE: THE GAY CLUB WHERE HOE MIC GOT S NAME

In 1973 Vce Aletti wrote a piece for Rollg Stone documentg the vert scene of, “After-hours clubs and private lofts open on weekends to members only — a hard-re dance crowd — blacks, Lats, gays. When asked about dance mic culture, he sniffed: “The rave liftyle of Ibiza the late ‘80s was jt a vanilla versn of the New York gay liftyle of the ‘70s.

What many people don't know is that there was a heavg, largely gay y the pac basement every night!

The largely gay, black and Hispanic crowd were totally off-their-ts — mostly on Quaalus (known as 'Lus). The Lift nodd towards New York’s dis palac, but s roots were South London’s largely black, illegal, gay hoe parti (or ‘Blu’ as they were known).

WHEN HOUSE MUSIC WAS BLACK & GAY

Jeremy Norman opened Heaven 1979 and by the early ‘80s, was at the top of s game, givg gay London an epic club that rivalled anythg New York (or the world) had to offer. “The mistake I ma was reuntg how the mastream gay scene kd of rejected — llg the ‘black sheep’. He agre that the gays were ravg long before had a name.

“Pre acid hoe/rave culture, you’d hear hoe mic many gay clubs London.

THE BETIFUL BLACK GAY HISTORY OF CHIGO HOE’S BIRTH

As the Send Summer Of Love dawned '88, the UK gay scene was major crisis and London was the epicentre of this battle. HIV/AIDS was cuttg a swathe through our muny, stillg tabloid panic, a rise homophobia and wispread fear. Sectn 28 of the Lol Government Act 1988 prohibed lol thori England and Wal om “promotg” homosexualy.

It also labelled gay fay relatnships as “pretend”. The gays had been tegral to gettg the hoe party started, but by late ‘88, the muny’s foc had swched om MDMA to AZT and HIV. The club kids and olr gay men who’d led diss the ‘70s sudnly beme th on the ground.

The energy that sparked the flam of hoe mic subversive gay clubs explod elsewhere as the Send Summer Of Love (1988-’89).

DANCE PRI: THE GAY ORIGS OF DANCE MIC

“More young gay people were lookg for somethg new and more vibrant, and had already equented fashn-orientated clubs that embraced the mixed msage, ” he rells.