Host
DJ Ritu MBE is an international turntablist, former BBC Radio presenter, and host/producer of iconic global music show, ‘A World in London’, at Mixcloud and Resonance 104.4FM. Championing marginalised music for 4 decades, Ritu is a key catalyst of the UK Asian Underground and Bhangra scenes, co-founding Outcaste Records, signing Nitin Sawhney and Badmarsh & Shri. Ritu has toured in over 35 countries, performing at major festivals/venues such as Glastonbury, Boiler Room, Jazz Café, Boxpark, Ministry of Sound, WOMAD, We Out Here, and Roskilde. Previous radio residencies include BBC London, Kiss 100, BBC World Service, National Swedish Radio, BBC Asian Network. Ritu compiled 10 albums for the Rough Guides showcasing South Asian music. Ritu’s diverse DJ repertoire includes Soul, Disco, Motown, House, Afrobeat, and lots more. In 2023 Ritu was awarded an MBE for services to music and broadcasting, and became the first British Asian DJ to receive a King’s honour. @djritu
Panelists
Colin Bell - Colin Bell, record label A&R manager of Bronski Beat and The Communards and openly gay former Managing Director of London Records, known for helping bring influential queer pop into the mainstream during the 1980s. In 1983 he discovered Bronski Beat through a Greater London Council arts initiative and supported releasing their debut single Smalltown Boy (1984), which became a landmark LGBTQ+ anthem. Reflecting on the decision, Bell said: “We absolutely knew that this was potentially a life-changing record for many people… It’s probably the record I am most proud of because it actually was risky. Turning it into a hit wasn’t as straightforward as you think.” His backing helped the song reach a wide audience and cement its place in queer and pop music history.
Anjali Prashar-Savoie is a cultural producer, writer, DJ and yoga teacher. Her work focusses on collaboration, creating opportunities that challenge inequalities in the cultural sector and alternative modes of making & being together. As well as working as a club programmer and festival producer, Anjali has researched, published writing and lectured on the topics of queer nightlife, community organising, labour rights, the institutionalisation of club cultures and the nighttime economy. She is active in the scene as a resident DJ with SISU, a platform celebrating women & non-binary DJs & behind-the-scenes roles. Anjali is a Board Member for the Good Night Out Campaign, a trailblazing training and advocacy group for safer nightlife, and currently works with a creative consultancy aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of night workers. Anjali's new book Club Commons: Moving Bodies to Grow Movements in Queer Nightlife & Beyond is available to order with Velocity Press and will be available on the night.
Thierry Schaffauser ‘I’m a sex worker, or a whore if you want, I’m queer, I’m a drug user, I’m a migrant, and recently I’ve read something about sexual addiction so maybe I will claim that as well! What I’m doing in terms of political activism I do, particularly everything, for freedom. Which is related to sexual minorities. I started activism with Act-Up in Paris around HIV politics. I’m very involved with sex worker activism, queer activism, things like that. And trade unions, the labour movement which is a new thing but you learn a lot. It’s interesting how sex workers have been excluded from institutions like the labour movement or the feminist movement. So we start making connections with, you know, Slut Walk, the GMB [a TUC-affiliated trade union].’ Documenting Thierry
Ian Johns is a London-born HIV activist (b. 1956) whose work has been closely tied to the city’s LGBTQ+ community since the early 1980s. A regular at The Bell in King’s Cross—often regarded as one of London’s first queer venues—Ian came of age during a period of profound social and political change. Raised by a lifelong socialist father and a mother active in the Greenham Common peace movement, he developed a strong political awareness early on. This was further shaped during the Thatcher years, particularly in response to the introduction of Section 28, which galvanized his commitment to LGBTQ+ rights. Following the loss of many friends to HIV/AIDS, Ian became actively involved in community support and advocacy. In the 1990s, he volunteered with Switchboard, where he provided information and support to callers, with a strong emphasis on HIV/AIDS awareness. He later became Human Resources Coordinator and a Director of the organisation. Ian has also contributed to HIV activism through his volunteer work with organisations such as Food Chain and ACT UP London, continuing his longstanding commitment to support, education, and community care.
Franck Sainte-Martine met Jimmy Somerville in August 1985 in London and became Rouen’s Act-Up secretary (end of 80ies – early 90ies). He has been singing for 30 years (including for Rouen’s Opera) and made artworks solely based on Jean Genet’s novels. Franck is co-author of the livre d’artiste Dreamland, gives talks, happenings, sets remembrance projects up, publishes videos and articles about some of his family members, his great-grand-uncle Octave Pelletier, in particular, a gay hypnotist, spy, counterspy and olive oil dealer in Nice (cf. London Archives and British Association for Local History).
Doctor Olimpia Burchiellaro is an economic anthropologist with a special focus on questions of gender/sexuality. She is a senior lecturer in Management at the University of Essex. She is the author of 'The Gentrification of Queer Activism' and sits on the Management Committee of Friends of the Joiners Arms
DJs
Naomi Khayohmi is a South London DJ known for groove-led, soulful and techy dancefloor sets rooted in funk, disco and house. Raised on Motown, disco, soca and calypso, her sound blends her musical heritage with London’s underground energy. Her sets are built for connection, movement and release — always keeping it moving, always keeping it grooving. She began DJing in 2014, playing at friends’ parties and underground gatherings, but it was in 2024 — with the launch of her own South London club night Stickyjam Music and the growth of grassroots rave This Is My Culture — that she became fully active on the scene. At This Is My Culture — a queer, activist-run grassroots rave celebrating sexual freedom and underground dance culture that was birthed out of ‘AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) London — she holds a resident slot, bringing her signature house sound to one of London’s most vital community-led parties. @Knayohmi / naomigabriel.com
Public Toilet Disco is a ‘This Is My Culture’ TIMC resident DJ and ACT UP London activist. He has previously residencies with Locomotive Disco in London and played LGBTQ+ club nights such as TRADE, UOKHUN, DiscoPussy (with Horse Meat Disco), Chic Cryptique, MUCKY, House of Naked, Club Pleasure, Scissors at Glastonbury Festival and is often found knocking round east London haunts like Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. He also has live sets on Foundation FM (with RAW SILK) and Voices Radio (with Arnie Wrong).