BANK HOLIDAY BANGER...
Written over the space of 18 months, Prism of Pleasure encapsulates Elkka’s essence as a bold, queer woman who pushes freedom and sensuality to the forefront of her work. It hasn’t always been like this: born and raised in South Wales, with next to no queer community in her immediate vicinity, Elkka had to piece together her identity slowly and curiously, gradually finding herself along the way. After coming out and moving to London in her 20s, the musician started DJing, writing and producing, which eventually led to her launching her own record label, femme culture, and running her own queer club nights off the back of that. “I think sometimes things unlock, and start to make sense and then you just follow it,” Elkka says now. “I started to go out more and become part of a community. I was more confident in myself, so I was more confident in writing and producing – it all came together at the same time.”
Written around the notion of queer intimacy, Prism of Pleasure is like a peep into a steam-filled room of wonders, via the female gaze (a concept beautifully represented in the pink-tinged album artwork, photographed by Elkka’s wife and longtime creative collaborator Alex Lambert). From the smooth, silken vocals of “Crushhh” to the slow-winding, breathy beats of “Your Skin” (“I’m breathing you in, I want to taste every inch of your skin”) and the steady, undulating synth patterns of “surrender2me”, Prism of Pleasure unfurls like a patchwork of sweat-slick nights, emotional connectedness and hidden pleasures. “It’s like a celebration of [how far] I’ve come,” explains Elkka. “I was never taught about queer pleasure. I was never taught how important that is – not just sexually but generally in life. So I wanted to explore all of that more deeply.”
SYS founder Bonzai Bonner celebrates over a decade of TAKING YOU HIGHER with otherworldly line-ups and providing undoubtedly the best genre-spanning queer party going in Scotland! 11 YEARS of exceptional events under their belt, this is another prime time smasher tae get yersel' dancin'!
Irish-based and Scottish-born Katiee.eem has been making waves in the underground scene with high-energy sets that fuse a range of musical styles with doses of nostalgia and unexpected twists.
***** PLEASE READ BEFORE JOINING *****
Y'want a braw night? Of course you do! That's why SYS and The Berkeley Suite wants everyone tae have a stoatin' time wi' us.
We will not tolerate abuse of any kind, whether it's towards members of staff, customers, performers or promoters.
Gender neutral toilets will be available and a zero tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination. We aim to create an inclusive environment where freedom of expression is held to paramount importance.
If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, ask. Never assume you know or that pronouns can’t change. All genders are to be acknowledged and celebrated, including our beloved non-binary friends. There will be no tolerance of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, body shaming, ableism, Islamophobia, ageism, antisemitism, or anything less than total positivity towards sex workers.
All are encouraged to party safely and with intention. Take care of your friends. Support responsibility rather than encourage excess. Set limits on what you want to consume before the party. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help getting home, venue staff will happily help you get in a taxi.
/// NO CAMERA POLICY /////
The decision has been made to have a NO CAMERA policy for the party at The Berkeley Suite - everyone who joins us will have stickers placed on their phone's camera lens by our staff. Respect our decision for choosing this for the upcoming six hour party.
STROBE LIGHTS AND SMOKE MACHINE WILL BE IN USE.
THE DANCE FLOOR IS DOWN A FLIGHT OF OVER 20 STEPS WITH A HANDRAIL.
THERE IS SEATING AROUND THE EDGE OF DANCE FLOOR AND UPSTAIRS.