Standing In a club in Ghana at Six O’clock in the morning and still being able to get a proper meal on the spot. That was the conversation starter between Eben Badu (The New Originals) and Malachi Manukure (Secluded). It was time for everyone to come together again and enjoy some food and music. It was time to reconnect. So, yet again, an event was planned: Club Night TNO x Secluded, at Sexyland World in Amsterdam. If everyone doesn’t ring a bell for you, we suggest you read on. And if someone does, then all the more reason to do so!
I don’t often go to parties alone, so I was curious as to how the night would be, going by myself and all. However right after arriving, I was reassured by the fact that the event was full of open and social-minded people. After having a small walk around, I got myself a beer and took my place at one of the picnic tables outside. It was early, around nine pm, so people were still sitting outside, drinking and talking. Towards the back was a small group of girls, dressed in blatantly 90s inspired clothing: baggy trousers, chunky shoes and lots of denim. They clearly were there for the TNO x Secluded club night that was about to begin.
The night kicked off with Tida Kamara, a twenty-year-old rising female DJ with an eclectic sound that sits anywhere between new and old skool afro, R&B, dancehall and underground hip hop. During the night, Eben and Malachi expressed how they value young and rising DJ’s, as well as female representation. Malachi was actually the first one to book Tida for a livestream when she just started DJing two years ago during Covid. It was interesting to see that night how a DJ that started during the most anti-social period you could think of, came to be great at crowd control. While she was super active during her set, she still carefully watched her crowd and their response to her music.
The other female DJ that grabbed my attention that night was twenty-five-year-old Jolani Jhones and it wasn’t just because of her cool slicked back hair and bleached eyebrows.
It was her way of dancing behind the decks and getting the crowd to follow. She seamlessly took on from Tida with R&B, dancehall and afro and added some hip hop and base. Thinking of how aligned they were, it didn’t come as a surprise when I found out about their friendship.
It’s a male-dominated industry and women have to work ten times harder to earn their spot. So I think it’s important to support each other as female DJ’s.
Mutual support is something Eben and Malachi mentioned as well.
“As friends we all learn a lot from one another and support is important. Tonight for example, we have a special line-up that with all friends”, both said. “Besides supporting each other, we also learn from each other”, Malachi mentioned. “Eben taught me to have patience in the design process, something I struggle with from time to time”. “And Malachi inspires me to always trust my gut feeling”, Eben added.
This supporting and ‘family’ feeling -that multiple people mentioned that night- was widely noticeable. The same amount of people dancing inside could be found standing outside chatting. Tida mentioned that now, compared to during the height of Covid, people at the event were way more intimate with each, having deeper conversations and were truly reconnecting. Although everyone seemed to know each other or to be friends, Eben said that they found it very important that everyone feels welcome. He mentioned how when they were all young they would go to the Ludwig – a now closed club in Amsterdam -, with no entree fee that always had room to hang out and talk.
They wanted this event to have a similar low-threshold and open atmosphere. From talking about old times in the Ludwig, Eben and Malachi went on to reminisce about growing up in Amsterdam, DJiing together and how they met while playing tennis at court No.16.
I think that out of everyone it was them reconnecting the most.
Check out what the night sounded like!
