DJ Biggy C Calvin Dawkins

Throughout the late 80s, Black gay nightclubs in Britain replicated the sounds of African American gay house DJs in New York and Chicago. That kind of pulsing dance music – while possessing its own transnational cultural significance for Black gay men and still enjoyed by many dancers – did not speak directly to the cultural heritage of Black British gay men, most of them first or second-generation migrants.

At house parties, Biggy would play old reggae music, lovers’ rock and Studio One classics, and sought to curate spaces where other Black gay men could regularly hear these sounds.

Yet it was in the Upper Floor level of Heaven, at a night called Fruit Machine, with Mzz Kimberley as hostess that he found his wings. The night was not catered towards Black gay men specifically, but to those with a taste for Black music. Nonetheless, it became one of the biggest platforms for Biggy’s career; transform the music offering at the venue.

In Revolutionary Acts (2024) Jason Okundaye describes Heaven as " ….the definitive space for gay culture, full of burlesque dancing, popper-sniffing and Castro clones, a descendant of the greaser subculture of the 1950s... For Biggy “It was mostly soul and disco and a bit of pop, but I always had my section where I played some reggae, because you never heard reggae in Heaven.”

In large parts due to the pioneering efforts of Biggy and his peers, the 1980s and 90s saw many new venues and events begin to appear – BAD, Jungle, Traffic, and others – that were now galvanising black gay men, who hitherto had a fractious relationship with West End Clubland, due to their sometimes discriminatory door policies.

1997 presented an opportunity for Biggy to take ownership of his career at Marlowe’s, a nightclub in New Cross. The manager had offered Biggy the chance to take on a legitimate licence for club nights.

Biggy gradually became a nightlife architect with this Saturday-night fixture, Big Tings, and went on to further acclaim for his sets at the ground-breaking club night created by Promoter, Thomas Mrt - Bootylicious.

A popular and respected figure in the industry, Calvin continues to curate floor shaking grooves , while travelling to dance destinations across the globe

Photograph: Biggy C in 2015. David Morrison

Links : www.mixcloud.com/djbiggyc
Instagram: @djbiggyc

Sources : 'Revolutionary Acts', Okundaye, J. (2024) Faber.
'Good times and dances might last forever...'
Okundaye, J. Guardian 2024