#14 | Deeper Into Outer Space | Charlie Dark MBE
The founder of Run Dem Crew, producer, MBE holder and esteemed selector of all things energised and soulful shares some tall tales from the dancefloor…
“The ongoing story is about the death of clubland but whenever people say things are dying, there are always things that are vibrant and alive - it’s just not being covered by the media outlets or gatekeepers.”
Charlie Dark MBE is a man of multiple talents. From playing parties and producing to motivating and mentoring the next generation through his Run Dem Crew, his life has been defined by movement of all kinds - whether on the dancefloor or through running. As a veteran DJ who found himself back behind the decks after the Covid lockdowns following a lengthy break, he picks and chooses the parties he plays and is able to offer a scythe-like view of dance music culture with 30 years plus of experience under his belt.
“There are real issues in clubland,” he says. “The lack of diversity in the line ups, gender, sexuality, race, beliefs, the disproportionate fees - that’s ridiculous, the way the industry treats people, speaks to people, ignores mental health.”
“If it was any other industry, then people would have a real problem with it but as it’s under the cover of darkness and we have music, it’s easier to ignore.”
First clubs
Rewind to his early nocturnal manoeuvres and Charlie cut his clubbing teeth in Camden in London at Dingwalls, led and inspired by the sounds of DJs Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge. This was in the mid-eighties when Charlie would have to sneak out from his parents’ home to attend day-time sessions to avoid their wrath.
“My parents are from West Africa, this is important as it means you are under curfew when your friends are not,” he states. “So I started at Dingwalls, and used to go on Sunday afternoons. It meant I could get there and back in a decent hour.”
“It was the first place I was really going to and getting immersed in the jazz dance world. It was also an easy journey from my house in south London. I could go there and tell my parents I was studying at my friend’s house, then get home before they suspected anything - although in hindsight, they probably knew exactly what was going on…”
At this point, Charlie was a hip hop head but these kinds of clubs were more territorial and aggressive than the comparatively safe space offered by Dingwalls. Here, the emphasis was on the amazing sound system, fresh music and the dancefloor - not having an altercation.
“Everything I went to in the mid-to late eighties was all about dancing, the idea of standing around and posing had not really come into play yet,” he says. “I’d go to Soul II Soul events at the Africa Centre - people would say, if you’re not here to dance, then fuck off… they’d be vocal about it. It was about the dancers and that was why I became a DJ.”
“For me, I was at a point in life when I didn’t think I was being seen, my future was being dictated to me by my parents. Music allowed me to have a bit of a voice and to find out who I was.”
As Charlie started dancing at Dingwalls, he also found his way to pirate radio, then university happened and the warehouses of London opened up to him. Rather than Shoom, it was Shake n Finger Pop, Soul II Soul and the Shock Soundsystem that introduced him to tougher club music.
“I loved sound system culture and was more on that side of things rather than taking ecstasy and waiting for it to impact my body,” Charlie says. “It was a really fun time, I got a job in Soho at a hairdressers and found myself in the heart of London’s musical information highway.”
Blue Note and Hoxton Square
Some of the most significant club moments in Charlie’s life came when he found the Blue Note in Hoxton Square in London’s East End. In a previous incarnation as the Bass Clef, Norman Jay used to host nights where Charlie was first exposed to the original breaks behind some of the big hip hop tunes of the time.
“It triggered my foray into music production,” Charlie explains. “Norman played this record that was the break to Jungle Brothers’ ‘Straight out of the Jungle’, every hip hop head in there got up and ran to the dance floor. But then this weird thing happened, there was no rapping, everyone was confused by what version it was.”
“We went to Norman and he told us it was the original. Turns out all these records I’d been listening to, they were sampling bits of other people’s records. You tell these stories now and people are like, how did you not know? But there wasn’t any internet so how were we supposed to. You would hear things but you’d have no idea how they were made.”
Dusted is one of the many club nights that took place at the Blue Note that history has yet to dedicate too much time to. Many talk about fateful nights with Metalheadz and Goldie but the club has been at the heart of multiple scenes including the Asian Underground explosion. Dusted was an evening that stemmed out of Mo’Wax, a record label Charlie was signed to via his Attica Blues studio project.
“Dusted was important as we wanted to give our Mo’Wax crowd a taste of all the different types of music that influenced the music the label released,” he says. “One month Krush would play, then the next Photek, but people would come for the night rather than whoever was playing. It was eclectic but when I listen back to some of the recordings, the music was so slow. It’s amazing to think the floor would stay groovy although the bpm was rarely over 120.”
It was here that Charlie’s ears were pinned back and fed d&b, jungle, Detroit techno and more sounds that had never previously crossed his orbit. Dusted was special as it attracted producers from across different scenes and styles to hang out, exchange ideas and get down.
“You can always tell it’s great if you’ve got the producers in the room from a wide range of scenes,” he explains. “It was a real cross pollination in the building. I miss that club a lot.”
Reigniting dancefloor energy
Charlie ended up calling time on his DJing activities for a variety of reasons - rising anxiety levels behind the decks and playing parties where he didn’t feel free to flex the musical muscles he wanted to. Serato happened and when that came into play, it transformed the DJing landscape, giving punters the chance to be more demanding on what they wanted to hear.
“It changed how the floor and the people on it interacted with the DJ booth,” says Charlie. “There was this sense of entitlement - ‘I’m in the club and I want to hear this record now’ - I was like, I’m out, I’m done with this.”
His return was ignited by the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic and his partner’s desire to turn their front room into a yoga studio. With his decks under the sofa, Charlie was forced to move them and return them to his studio. He then got asked to join Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM family.
“I wanted to recreate the vibe of the pirate radio shows I used to listen to as a teenager,” he says on hosting shows. “It allowed me to go deeper and helped me immerse myself in DJ life as a way of maintaining my mental health.”
“I was a bit more deliberate about what I was doing when I came back to it,” Charlie continues. “In the past, I used to like DJing in edgy clubs where it might pop off or someone might pull out a weapon. But now, I’m all about nice people, nice vibes. I had all of this funk, soul, disco, jazz that I never played - and just dived into it.”
Music was suddenly everywhere and the pandemic proved to be a time of research - from reading Tim Lawrence’s ‘Love Saves the Day’ to reconnecting with his record collection, Charlie’s new approach has been to focus on the music, and not play the game of attempting to become a careerist DJ.
“I didn’t want to do the Instagram promo cycle,” he says. “Clubland is badly run, you meet people who are profit first and culture second.”
“As a DJ, you are always being judged on your last performance, everyone has the internet and an opinion now. There are a lot of gatekeepers, it’s not an environment that I enjoy as much as the running world which is super positive, where we’re encouraging each other to be the best that we can.”
Charlie has taken a view on where he fits into the scene and the type of DJ he wants to be. This sense of positioning is something he mentors other DJs on - whether they want to focus on big room festival sets or go deeper to a smaller crowd in a dingy basement.
“I approach things now with the enthusiasm of my 16 year old DJ self and the wisdom and budget of my 50 year old DJ self,” he says. “It’s a good combo, while balancing my health and wellness work too. When I run more, I feel like I get booked to DJ more. It’s really weird.”
Favourite parties
Charlie has plenty of clubs, venues and party spots he loves to DJ at. From Public Records in New York to the Carpet Shop and Giant Steps in London, he’s equally as discerning in where he chooses to play as his passionate about his selections. Cosmic Slop in Leeds is his number one, a DJing experience verging on the spiritual.
“Cosmic Slop is hands down my top spot to play,” he enthuses. “It’s so good, I’ve played all over the world but this is the best. This is because it’s a music school by day - which means you have young people in there - you go in, play super rare disco, everyone is grooving, you play a free jazz record at 1am and people are freaking out. The crowd are learning about music in the day and they have created a space full of trust, they trust the selectors who play there.”
Without an agent, Charlie seeks out sound systems and writes long letters to promoters and event organisers about why they should let him play. Now, he’s interested in forging genuine connections with party starters.
“I get a lot of rejections,” he laughs. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is the music, not you - you have to get out of the way of the music. If I have emailed someone a long letter and they say no, that’s cool, I know I have some good music to play, hopefully it might work out in the future.”
The balance of running and music helps him maintain an even keel and move forward. The running community he’s created offers him some perspective on where he’s at with his own experiences as a DJ.
“I’m in a good space compared to a lot of DJs my age, I can navigate social media, and DJing is not something I rely on as an expression of me or my self worth,” he says. “Running gives me some autonomy and brings me into contact with people doing incredible things. I love the freedom it gives me. With both, I’m in a blessed position.”
Big thanks to Charlie for taking the time to answer my questions for this piece and the new edition of ‘Out of Space: How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture’.
Connect with Charlie on Instagram.
I’ll be posting pieces with some of those who I’ve interviewed for the new edition alongside others who’ve been generous with their time along the way too.
You can order a copy of my book via the Velocity Press website.
Fantastic work Jim! I really enjoyed reading this article! Big ups to yourself and Charlie as always! Keep up the fantastic work the both of you! <3