This story originally appeared in i-D’s The Post Truth Truth Issue, no. 357, Autumn 2019. Order your copy here.
London’s jazz scene is a big deal right now. Head to Deptford on a Wednesday night and you’ll find yourself at its epicentre, Steam Down, a weekly jam session turned dance party. More than just an event, Steam Down is a core collective of musicians surrounded by a wider community of artists, poets, MCs, singers, producers and dancers. “It’s a subcultural organism waiting for you to join in,” says founder and bandleader Ahnanse, who is also a producer, vocalist and skilled saxophonist. “It’s not about spectacle. It’s about live experiences and bringing people together to be a part of something.”
Since summer 2017, Steam Down has scored guest appearances from Kamasi Washington, brought their relentless positive energy to Glastonbury, and hosted their own series of shows at Camden’s Roundhouse. “It was all born out of the idea of bringing people together through music,” Ahnanse continues, “of giving musicians a space to meet and perform.” One of the central eight, And Is Phi – a vocalist and half of soul duo Sawa Manga – echoes this thought. “Steam Down is a place of passion to create new realities, to activate gifts and make that journey,” she says. “It’s very technical and people are really good, whether self-taught or classically trained. There’s no hierarchy.”
Go to a Steam Down party, MC and poet Nadeem Din-Gabisi says, and you can expect “transformation and transcendence”. There’s energy too, and plenty of it. “I think us making the choice to bring positive energy into the space hopefully means that we’re leaving people in a better space than when they came into the event,” Ahnanse says. “Expect sounds and rhythms that you feel in your body; melodies and harmonies that reach down inside of yourself and pull something beautiful out of you.”
Together, they’ve created one of the most exciting things happening in London, and are building a space and a culture that’s open to all. “We’re doing something that’s a bit unprecedented at this time,” And Is Phi continues. “So there’s also a growing sense of responsibility because yes, there’s hype, but I think a lot of people really need these events.” Ahnanse signs off with his ultimate aim: “I’d like Steam Down to be remembered as a space that broke down boundaries, as something that created music that represented what’s happening in our world right now, and that left a positive mark on people’s lives.”
Credits
Photography Josh Olins
Styling Max Clark
Hair Cim Mahony at LGA Management.
Make-up Ciara O’Shea at LGA Management using Fenty Beauty.
Nail technician Trish Lomax at JAQ Management using Cnd.
Set design Max Bellhouse at The Magnet Agency.
Photography assistance Jeremy Young.
Digital technician Brian Cleaver.
Styling assistance Giovanni Beda, Joe Palmer, Monica Armario and Gal Klein.
Hair assistance Tarik Bennafla and Rohmarra Kerr.
Make-up assistance Jade Smith.
Set design assistance Miranda Latimer.
Production Etty Bellhouse.
Production assistance Molly Senior.