Talking with Mina, DJ & founder of London’s coolest alcohol-free party, Club Soft
A quick Q&A touching on her goals and inspirations (from Shenzhen to Newcastle)
At 7pm on a bitterly cold, windy Saturday, Londoners wait quietly on the Wandsworth Town overground platform. Beneath their feet lies a warm, raucous dancefloor, where Ghanaian rapper Bryte high fives dancers, teaches us to “move sɛsɛ, and go down low”, and leads a conga. The song ends, everyone claps and whoops, and Bryte thanks us for our energy with a smile on his face, “and the best thing is, no one here is drunk, we’re just having a good time.”
The event is named Club Soft, organised by critically acclaimed DJ/producer Mina. The bar is stocked with organic lemonades, ice teas and alcohol-free beers, and the lineup is full of joyous, global club sounds. Having followed Mina for some time and booked her for my own event series, I’ve got a lot of respect for her work exploring party business models that don’t rely on alcohol sales. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world of music about our future.
In my Monday-Thursday strategy job at the Mix, we work with a lot of beverage companies (alcoholic and non) that are also looking to futureproof themselves (see my previous article on the subject). In the hopes of bridging these worlds, I thought it would be good to give Mina a call a few days after I attended the last Club Soft. I hope you enjoy reading our chat, and if you want a proper knees up, the next Club Soft is this Saturday on March 29th, !
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The Mix: Hi Mina! I know that you’re talking to me from Ghana right now, and you've travelled around the world with your work. Could you tell me about some spaces that inspired you?
Mina: There was this incredible venue in Cape Town called Ghost. It was a co-working space, they had a radio station and it was a real kind of hub for the creative community, and then there were workshops and events in the evenings. It was right in the center of the city and kind of hidden, they didn't post the address publicly.
The Mix: And what about aesthetically, what visual memories do you have?
Mina: Well at Ghost you had Table Mountain in the background and everything was peaceful. There are some clubs in China that are really cool, Oil Club in Shenzhen is incredible, it feels like every aspect has been purposefully thought out for, like, making a nice experience, it's got this beautiful walkway entrance.
I think I'm moving more towards venues that are less warehouse-y and have a more homely atmosphere. I played this bar in Japan that was just felt like someone's living room, you know. In contrast, I recently went to Drumsheds [15,000 capacity electronic music venue in London] and you really feel like you’re being herded, there was no warmth there.
When people walk into Club Soft I want them to feel like “ah I’m home, I’ve found my people.” Like that's how I felt, you know? I feel like I'm putting on my perfect party; great sound, all the music I love, finishes at 9pm, loads of alcohol free drinks. It’s literally my dream, so I just feel grateful that other people enjoyed it.
The Mix: Have you seen any other promoters doing interesting things that could work in a future where people are drinking less?
Mina: Cobalt Studios in Newcastle are doing Thursday events where they do live music with a meal and then you watch live music, and it’s like £13, which is such a good deal.
[Cobalt Studios’ website describes ‘Fresh Thursdays’ as “a platform to bring you fresh new music served up alongside a homecooked plant based meal, board games and candles… these gigs are cosy, communal nights and often you get to hear completely new music for the very first time. The music varies across multiple genres but it is usually fairly gentle listening type music & well suited to a relaxed Thursday night.”]
The Mix: Genius. Could you imagine this at Club Soft?
Mina: Well people like to dance and let loose, so I don't think having a massive meal beforehand is that great, but maybe at the end of the event, we could work out some really nice vegan food, and then everyone could just stuff their faces because they'd be so hungry and tired! Maybe we could walk out a table for everyone to sit around, it could be like a family dinner with people to meet. But it would be complicated, getting the licenses that you need.
The Mix: There was a point on Saturday, Bryte was teaching us a dance move where you kick your shin out really fast, I found it really exciting getting the hang of it. I definitely wouldn’t have tried it in an alcohol-focussed space! At my events we provide paints and art tools to ticket holders so they can respond to the music in that way, are there any other activities that you want to facilitate at your party?
Mina: I’m really focussed on having people dance in an amazing space. I’d like to explore having a live band perform, as I feel like it can bring people out of their shells a bit more, because you’ve got someone to bounce off, who’s bringing that energy out. Aside from that, I’d like to really go in on the production and decoration, get loads of really delicious snacks and drinks and just elevate it.
The Mix: Thinking about how we could make that possible, let’s imagine that a big alcohol brand was launching a new soft drink, and they wanted to put its name on your flyer. Would that work?
Mina: It’s hard to say from hypotheticals, it depends on the relationship. Maybe there could be space for some kind of activation, but I don’t think I would want a brand logo on the flyer. I like the idea of them having an overall vision that aligns with what I'm looking for, and for it to grow organically. Lemonaid & ChariTea have been great in providing drinks for us, they clearly want to support cool stuff that’s happening and see the value of their drink being drunk at the event.
The Mix: Interesting, food for thought! Thank you for talking to me, and congratulations on the event, it was really great.
Mina: Thank you! I feel like everyone in that room had the cheat code of like, how to have fun in life. A lot of people would look at the flyer and think, “I'm not going to have fun”. And it's like, you're actually going to have *more* fun than you do in the regular party.
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Mina’s original interest in alcohol-free partying came because she suffers from chronic migraines; she wanted to reduce their triggers, and moreover to show people that they can enjoy the mental and physical benefits of dancing without alcohol. All around the world, people like her are going outside and making the case for social culture, fighting against the coalescent factors of post-covid anxiety, cost of living crises, anti-social social media and an intense cultural focus upon appearance.
There are a lot of memories waiting to be made and a lot of value for brands in being there when they happen (no one is going to tell their grandkids about all-night Netflix sessions). Any company with a stake in the act of socialising should do what they can to support creative promoters, put their money where their mouth is and get involved.
