The five unique t-shirt designs reflect the stories told in the film
The team behind Back to Bass, a new documentary celebrating the queer drum & bass collective Unorthodox, has launched a t-shirt fundraising campaign to help raise money for post-production.
The upcoming feature-length documentary, set to premiere in late 2023, traces the Unorthodox movement from its founding in 2021 by the UK’s first drag queen drum & bass DJ, Nathan X, to the collective’s first-ever party.
Set in London, the film highlights the movement’s efforts to make the d&b genre a space for everyone, while also shining a light on dance music’s queer roots. As founder Nathan X explained, “Drum & bass is a way of life but so is being queer. It’s a shame people feel they have to segregate those.”
Back to Bass was directed and edited by London-based filmmaker Emily Badescu, whose work focuses on uplifting grassroots communities. She said: “I grew up going to drum & bass raves, and during the pandemic, like many others I was yearning for the collective experience of raving. The lockdown gave me time to reflect on my experience of drum & bass raves, the good and the bad parts.”
“I was on the lookout for people who were revolutionising the industry and I came across Unorthodox’s YouTube channel, and was blown away by the amazing work Nathan X was doing preparing for their first event,” she said. “I got in touch, assembled a crew (Deej Phillips; DOP and Liv Neller; Additional Camera) and set about documenting the lead up to the event.”
While the film has already been shot, the Unorthodox team have launched a new fundraising campaign in partnership with Everpress to sell a collection of exclusive graphic t-shirts in order to support the post-production. The Back to Bass x Everpress campaign features five unique t-shirt designs representing the five ‘characters’ in the film: Nathan X, Xīlhu Ayebaitari, Pinks & Clarkus, MC Chickaboo & Ash Kenazi. The t-shirts cost £27 each and can be purchased here.
The tees embrace a “90’s aesthetic”, combining “the grit of the drum & bass genre” with “punk, a value at the root of Drag and queer culture.” DJ Kenazi, who features in the documentary, explained that these ideas often gets overlooked in the “obsession with Drag Race and gays in pride month.”
Back To Bass is set to premiere in late 2023. More information can be found here.
Revisit DJ Mag’s feature on the LGBTQ+ club nights fighting for diversity in drum & bass, featuring interviews with members of the Unorthodox crew here.
In the summer of 2021, Unorthodox DJ Xilhu Ayebaitari launched a new stream series, Queer Rave, platforming Black & POC LGBTQ+ jungle and d&b artists. Ayebaitari was a recipient of the 2020 AZ Mag creative grant in collaboration with DJ Mag, who provided mentorship and facilities to Queer Rave throughout its development.
