Duchess comes to Bristol
26th January 2008
by Darryl W Bullock
If you fancy a spot of clubbing there are plenty of nights pumping out cheesy dance and happy house sounds, but Lee and Sam (aka DJs Teutonic and Set 4) hope that their new night, Duchess, will offer the local gay community something different. Monthly outings such as Burn and Wonky may mop up the dirty electro and indie kid crowd but, says Lee: "The music that is often played in gay clubs is not really my cup of tea. I met Sam through some mutual friends, found out he was a DJ so I asked him if he would be interested in setting something more suitable up. Duchess will provide the community and their friends with a variety of electronic sounds off-scene."
"We've both been living and clubbing in Bristol for a long time and enjoy the wide variety and open-mindedness of the music on offer," Sam tells Venue. "Bristol has a reputation for having some of the most exciting club nights and artists operating in the country, however we haven't found this to be particularly represented in some of the gay clubs."
Stokes Croft might not seem the most obvious place for a spot of gay-friendly clubbing, as he admits: "We realise we're taking a bit of a risk, but it's important to us to host our party somewhere a bit more neutral; it can be quite daunting for some people to attend an openly gay club or pub. I also like the idea of having a gay night in Stokes Croft: I love the spirit of tolerance and playful artistic expression the area and the people who live there promote. My current favourite club night in Bristol, Ruffnek Diskotek, takes place at the Croft; I'm really excited about having the chance to host our night there."
"We will be offering a selection of tunes from a variety of genres," says Lee. "I will be playing mostly house, 4/4 and a bit of electro. Set 4 is in charge of garage and electronic, and Brother Wetlands will be playing booty bass and Baile (Brazilian) funk."
"The night should develop over time," Sam adds. "We're keen for people to get in touch if they have music they'd like to share with our crowd. The three residents really enjoy electronic music, which will make up the majority of what's played on opening night but we're really keen to keep the music policy as open as possible; just no cheese thanks!"
Duchess is at The Croft, 117-119 Stokes Croft, Bristol, on February 7, and every first Thursday of the month. Free entry before 11pm (£2 after).
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(c) Darryl W. Bullock. Darryl is a freelance writer and L&G editor of Venue, Bristol and Bath's weekly what's on magazine. This article previously appeared in Venue, and appears here by kind permission.
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