London’s LGBTQ+ community has a big two weeks in store. Tomorrow marks the official Pride in London celebrations, whilst next weekend will host Trans Pride - which many Londoners are choosing to attend over tomorrow’s celebrations in solidarity with the trans community.
There’s a high chance you’re taking it easy this evening, conserving energy for the big day. Whether you’re in or out this Friday night, ES Magazine asked five emerging LGBTQ+ artists and DJs to curate your official Pride warm-up playlist. We heard from two of London’s most respected DJs, Jordss and I. JORDAN; as well as Southampton-based singer Saint Harison, Hackney’s own Art School Girlfriend and Lambeth-born R&B star JGrrey. You can listen to the full playlist here.
Your Friday night playlist curated by Jordss
Fresh from Glastonbury where she took over Silver Hayes with her collective Girls Can’t DJ, Jordss has played every night in London you can imagine. She’s become a household name in the capital and is a favourite of the fashion industry too. Finally, after grinding for over a decade, she will play her first headline gig at The Pickle Factory on August 12th. “It’s been a long time coming - I’m so gassed!” When it comes to London Pride celebrations, tomorrow is no different from her day-to-day: “I celebrate Pride all throughout the year. Just waking up and being alive is me celebrating Pride.”
Teena Marie - Square Biz
“It’s an old school disco song, it’s one of those getting ready tracks from the eighties. You know those old school films where all the girls are getting ready, curling their hair, it’s that. It’s feel good, that’s number one.”
Beyoncé - Move (feat. Grace Jones)
“I mean it’s Beyoncé and Grace Jones on a track, what more do I need to say? Whenever I’m DJing I play at least three songs from Renaissance - best album ever. This one is a proper anthem. All the girls screaming ‘Move out the way!’ - it’s like a mosh pit song for the girls.”
Kentphonik - Hiya Kaya (Rocco Deep Mix)
“When the base comes in you cannot help but dance. It changed the game for me with electronic music.”
Erphaan Alves - Bumper Bounce
“This is a soca song, because I love soca - especially in summer. I just need to hear a little bit of soca. Even if you can’t dance, you can dance to soca. That song is the one.”
Summer Walker - Body
“It’s the end of the night, going home, sweet one - get the slow jams on. This is the mood for the end of a Friday night!”
Your Friday night playlist curated by Saint Harison
I was first introduced to Saint Harison’s heavenly vocals at a Mahalia Presents event held at Hackney’s Moth Club earlier this year. He stunned the audience into complete silence, and more recently, blew up online following his Color’s Show session. Hailing from Southampton, you can usually find him spending his Friday nights with friends at a drag show or karaoke bar. For Pride? “I’ll be celebrating in the street, seeing friends, everyone comes out of their shell a little bit.”
Beyoncé - Plastic Off The Sofa
“Renaissance is just going to be my summer album every year. I don’t care what comes out after this, every summer we’re gonna do it with Renaissance.”
Victoria Monét - F.U.C.K
“This song gets you in the mood if you’re feeling a little bit saucy. You might be single - like me - and this is a get in the mood song. It’s a slow jam but you don’t want anything too hectic when you’re getting ready, I don’t like to be rushed.”
Lizzo - About Damn Time
“Even when you don’t wanna go out, or you’re not feeling it, you can play this song and you’re ready to go.”
Billie Eilish - Oxytocin
“It’s got base, it’s a bit ravey. It depends on the night you’re going to but if you’re ready to have a long one then this is the song to put on. It will see you through.”
Olivia Rodrigo - Good 4 U
“Whenever I go out it’s because I’ve got so much internal stress that I need to scream about. This is the best screamer song. I love a good screaming song that you can just shout.”
Your Friday night playlist curated by Art School Girlfriend
Earlier this year, DIVA magazine named Art School Girlfriend ‘one of the coolest lesbians on the indie music scene’. Also known as Polly Mackey, when we meet, the singer and producer is as cool, calm and collected as her reputation foretold. She spends her Friday nights jumping between house parties and will be playing a special set at this year’s Bristol Pride. As for London Pride, she’s saving her energy for Body Movements festival next month: ‘I go to Body Movements festival every year, it feels like what I imagine Pride to have felt like 20 years ago. It’s about the music and the people and the community.”
LSDXOXO - Mutant Exotic
“I play this song in every single DJ set I do and it always goes down amazingly. It’s really camp but also really, kind of, low-fi house but upbeat, it’s always on my USB stick no matter what.”
Sophie - Nothing More To Say (Dub)
“It’s one of the first songs she released, it came out 10 years ago, but it still sounds so fresh - like it could’ve been released yesterday. It epitomizes her pioneering legacy. She used minimalist sounds to maximum effect.”
Salute & Sammy Virji - Peach
“I’ve just started playing this on my radio show, it’s their take on club music from 2012-2013. They’re based in Manchester and this track is taken from their new EP, Shield. They debuted this song at their Boiler Room set back in December.”
1-800 GIRLS - Round Round (Sugababes bootleg remix)
“This is definitely one I’ll be playing at Pride in Bristol. It starts off very minimalist and then goes into a jungle beat. One of the best gigs I saw last year was the Sugababes, I love that they’re having a proper resurgence.”
KUU - We’ll Always Have This Dance (TSHA Remix)
“It’s a proper euphoric, but also quite dark track. It has this amazing build and the energy this has when it first drops, everyone really reacts to this one.”
Your Friday night playlist curated by I. JORDAN
“I’m pretty anti-London Pride, it’s a massive corporate pinkwash, but I will be at trans pride next Saturday” says DJ and producer I. JORDAN. This is their second appearance in ES Magazine this week alone - you can also find them in conversation with El Hunt in this week’s Pride issue, talking all things Glastonbury alongside London DJ Sherelle. It’s a busy weekend for I. JORDAN, they’re currently heading to Lithuania, then on to Helsinki (where they’re playing alongside Honey Dijon), and then back to London for a set at UnFOLD on Sunday. If you haven’t caught them at any festivals yet this year you’ll have plenty of opportunities this summer. Watch out for their album early next year, too.
Romy & Fred again.. - Strong (I. JORDAN Remix)
“Romy is a good friend of mine and it’s a happy, trancey track, which is pretty gay to me!”
iNTROSPEKT - Deep Inside
“I always playiNTROSPEKT - she’s one of my favourite producers so any opportunity I get to shout her out I take.”
The Chemical Brothers - The Darkness That You Fear (HAAi Remix)
“It’s got a really emotional hook, I was instantly drawn to it - and again, showcasing one of the best queer artists in the entire world, my good friend HAAi.”
Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World
“This is one of my favourite all time pop songs. I used to sing it to myself in the mirror when I was eight-years-old. Everyone’s choosing Padam Padam but I’m here for the old school.”
Real Lies/Sherelle - Since I (SHERELLE’S IN A K-HOLE REMIX)
“This is the end of the night, if you want to go to a queer techno party and slam out a bit of techno - this is that and Sherelle is obviously a queer icon.”
Your Friday night playlist curated by JGrrey
“My partner and I will of course be going to trans pride. I’m also going to Marseille with Club36, a home for queer people within the south London community. We’ll all be there together for Pride. But I’m also celebrating Pride by existing!” says London-born artist JGrrey, who has shot into the public eye over the past 12 months and has already worked with the likes of Billie Eilish and Kojey Radical. She’s on her way to becoming one of London’s biggest R&B stars - watch this space.
Harve - 02:29
“I’m starting off with my partner Harve. This has to be at the top because it catches you off guard, if it’s a Friday night you have to be open to things popping up and going with the flow. It f*cking bangs.”
Doja Cat - Attention
“I love it, I love what she’s doing, I think a lot of people don’t get it but I do. It’s reminiscent of Portishead and if your track is reminiscent of that then you’re doing all the right things.”
Snowsa - Locked Eyes
“I love this because it’s like a mess of samples. It’s really really cool, I’m really keen on a sample. I’m very into samples that almost don’t make sense or don’t fit.”
Arca - Rakata
“There’s no words I could say that would prepare you or do it justice. Arca is an artist that I gravitate to, we all gravitate to her because she is breaking down everything I’m sure people have told her she can’t be - and doing it relentlessly with such sonic revolution!”
JGrrey - Boys?
“The name may appear binary but is actually anything but that. I made Boys? as a massive f*ck you to any person who has ever told me I can’t, or shouldn’t, treated me as other, told me I’m other. And I know that a lot of people who listen to it also want to say a massive eff you to those people.”
