Spending money on nights out can often feel like you’re sending money into the ether. What’s even worse is the unsettling feeling when TFL hits your account, and your spending notifications settle in with a hangover the next morning. Dance night Grand Funk for RCK- The Refugee Community Kitchen, aims to change this with their affordably ticketed party. Every dance night they host sends all proceeds directly in support of the ever-important Kitchen. So far, having raised over £30,000 for RCK, Otto (also known as Dr Telefunk) - organiser of the party, says there’s more to be done to support this important work.
The Refugee Community Kitchen was founded in 2015 by Steve Bedlam, Paula Gallardo, Sam Jones and Janie Macintyre in response to the emergency refugee crisis in 2015. After images were released showing the death of Alan Kurdi, a young Syrian boy whose body was found on the beach of Bodrum, his harrowing passing revealed the true extent of the refugee crisis to the world and pushed the group of friends to pool their resources and start a kitchen in Calais’ refugee camps. As a charity reliant on volunteers, initiatives like Grand Funk for RCK offer vital avenues of support for the charity’s good work. I sat down with Otto to chat over tea, on break from his afternoon postering his last party around Shoreditch. Speaking with him, I could sense the same passion for the charity that he takes behind the decks.
Our conversation started with how Otto got into organising these parties in the first place. He tells me about getting into DJing with mates as a teen and the resistance faced by venues in trying to group together parties. He soon discovered how demoralising event logistics can be, whether it was the pressure to meet bar spends or the pay disparity between DJs playing the same nights. Otto decided to try to organise a party where no money would be involved, functioning purely for the love of music. These parties agreed that DJs weren’t paid, the venue offered space for free, and tickets for dancers were free. After a successful run of these no-pay parties, he realised if people were willing to get involved in this capacity, why not take that same energy to put on parties raising money for a good cause? Otto knew the guys running RCK through friends, and, being a cause close to his heart, starting Grand Funk for RCK became a no-brainer. He sincerely mentions between sips of tea, “I’ve volunteered with RCK, and been out to Calais about two years ago. Most people are detached from what it really is. When you’re actually there, particularly in Calais, where the people live in hostility, it’s quite a distressing experience. RCK is part of a bigger movement that helps refugees going through the roughest parts of their journeys find a home away from countries that essentially are no longer serving them”.
The party’s style is a down-to-earth affair. A nightcap suitable to remedy feet itching to dance after a night of drinks with friends, with brief uninhibited dance sessions broken by long catch-ups in the smoking area. I ask Otto why he feels throwing parties is a good way to fundraise,
“Music can be a bit of a medicine. There is something very beautiful in that. It’s one of the few universal languages to do that. Charities like RCK are often struggling, raising money this way gives us hope, and we get to put on a good party”.
From dancing at a grand funk night months ago in the sweaty, slippery Old Blue Last attic, a highlight was hearing Edwin Starr’s “War” blasted towards the end of the night –a song suitably aligned with Grand Funk’s mission. When I ask Otto what he recommends you pop on your playlist while getting ready for a Grand Funk night, he suggests Manu Dibango’s (classic) “Soul Makossa”, a song he describes as “fun, playful, embodying history and culture. Everything you want in a song”.
His last party at The Bathhouse in May was his biggest endeavour, from mates rotating door duty to blowing up balloons (decorating the ceiling in true loft inspiration), he pulled together an eclectic line-up of DJs equally in support of the cause - Cara Crosby, Peter Adjaye, Big Squeeze Soul and Donut. “We try to combine different styles of music from soul, funk, hip-hop, disco, and rare groove”. All are welcome, whether you’re coming down with your friends or looking for a quick boogie, “I hope people come and want to connect with the music, people and the cause”.
For more information on The Refugee Community Kitchen, visit: https://refugeecommunitykitchen.org/
Photography: Inken Oades and Jade Guinard
