Shoreditch Sunday night club session Hot 2 Trot hot hoofs it over to East Bloc from this Sunday. Venue owner Wayne Shires, promoter Steven Sharp and DJ/promoter Pagano explain why the ‘Bloc is the perfect fit for the ‘Trot…
WAYNE SHIRES
Hot 2 Trot is moving to your venue East Bloc. What was the thinking behind the move?
It just made sense really. Don’t get me wrong, we had a fantastic supportive time at Club Aquarium, but it simply made sense to concentrate the party by moving it to East Bloc. The venue has proved itself over the past few years and gay customers recognise it more as a gay venue, so between the new promoting team we all agreed that this move was going to potentially take this party, which we all so believe in, to the next level.
The venue boasts three different rooms. What can future Hot 2 Trotters expect from East Bloc?
Yes indeed, with the additional 3rd room ‘HOT Kitsch POP’, which will be open weekly, we can offer even more variety, which is so important in this never ending recession on, as they say, a “school night”! Each space will offer something different musically and will open up the appeal that Hot 2 Trot is aiming to achieve. Following the success of Summer Rites, we have a great opportunity to invite so many different genres to create a Hot 2 Trot mix up. It’s a hot clubbing melting pot at this night – we can’t wait!
PAGANO
What makes Hot 2 Trot stand out from the others musically?
Since its inception we’ve tried to go back to the roots of clubbing by bringing together different and well loved styles of music in different rooms avoiding the pastiche you sometimes hear at mainstream gay events. This means in the main room you can hear cutting-edge house, deep and tech music, and we leave pop and urban to other rooms.
Your extremely busy internationally with gigs all over the world. What’s the best thing about returning to London every Sunday to play at your own party?
The majority of my international gigs are large events where I am expected to deliver a certain type of sound and this does not leave me much room to try new things, or to think outside the box. ‘Hot 2 Trot’ gives me the opportunity to play things I wouldn’t necessarily play in a big room, everything from classics to new obscure tracks. I find that seeing familiar faces enjoying these special DJ sets is really rewarding.
STEVEN SHARP
How does it feel to be promoting a new Sunday night again in gay London?
It’s great to be back in the Sunday promoting market! I had five very happy years turning round other Sunday night parties with great deals of success, but as a promoter the best challenge is in co-creating something different with an incredible, different team, and new for gay London with a unique approach to marketing and music in a new part of cutting edge London clubland.
East London is quite simply impressive, you never know who you will bump into during the day and in the night! It’s always eye opening and there is a real honest feeling you are in the middle of what’s going on right now.
What are your expectations for Hot 2 Trot?
We have assembled an incredible team from the beautiful hosts: Ursula Snakes, Danny Boyce and new kid on the bloc, Jordan Adams, to an incredible crew of ground breaking DJs who are on board from Tom Stephan, Borja Pena to Massimo and TheMenWhoFell2Earth, Jamie De Rooy, Barbara Bush, Richard Mortimer and Noah Maiden. Each with an individual style but very East London! We will endeavour to offer an alternative to Sunday nights – something London town in my opinion has been waiting for. For far too long, baby!
Hot 2 Trot is at East Bloc (217-219 City Road, EC1V 1JN) every Sunday.
