Booty Bass on origin, inspiration and spaces for women and non-binary DJs

For the first time, Friday night’s main music stage at the Harbour Festival is being given over to DJs.

The evening will see Booty Bass, women and non-binary DJ collective, mellifluously embracing bass music from across the globe in Queen Square.

In the run-up to the annual waterside event, Bristol24/7 caught up with Booty Bass founder Ngaio to find out what we can expect from their set.

Booty Bass describes itself as “a place to play big, bad, unapologetic bangers from around the globe”

Which members of Booty Bass will be playing Harbour Fest, Ngaio?
“Kofo, Fabienne, Sharari, Hannza and Bungzo. We’ll start off with some nice afrobeat, chill dancehall, that kind of stuff, then bring up the tempo through the night. It could be grime, afro house, baile funk, garage, anything!”

When did you first develop a love of music?
“My mum’s an incredible jazz/classical pianist and lyricist, my dad plays percussion, so music has always been around. If I was feeling something I didn’t understand I would start writing lyrics, when I felt energy in me that I didn’t know where to put I would go out dancing – music has always been integral to my mental and physical health. As I got older, I realised that there weren’t many women DJs or queer spaces playing the music that I wanted to listen to; those gaps made me fall in love with the idea of being around like-minded people.”

When did you first see some decks and think, ‘that’s for me’?
“I had DJ friends, but they were all men. Then I saw a Mix Nights (a non-profit working with women and non-binary people to develop DJ skills) course and signed up. I learn best around women, so I felt comfortable saying “I don’t know what this does”. After learning how all the buttons worked, I got my own little set. I used to practise at 6am, think about mixing all day at work, then come back and do it. I wasn’t thinking about it as any kind of job, I was just fascinated by putting songs together. That was around 2016.”

Booty Bass is playing at the Harbour Festival’s main stage on Friday

What musical inspirations have you been drawing on?
“The reason I probably carved out space for myself is that I like to party to music that isn’t going to be the same genre all night. When I started, if you wanted to hear, say, afrobeat, you’d have to go to a specific place playing it. I wanted to dance to afrobeat, but also some Brazilian music, or reggaeton, or dubstep, etc.”

What was the impetus for founding Booty Bass?
“I was going to the Plough in Easton and playing four hours on a Thursday night. Then I’d get other DJs to play the warm-up hour and give them experience – that can be quite a scary thing when you’re starting out, being led to the decks and left there with different equipment. When the Plough offered me New Year’s Eve, I invited all the DJs who’d done sets that worked together. That was 2018, the beginning of Booty Bass. We’ve been really mindful of how we want to be within the entertainment industry, because it’s fairly unforgiving. You’re expected to do long hours, late nights, people have different accessibility needs, and it can take a toll on mental health. We’re good at checking in with each other, trying to live out our values within the industry.”

What makes the Harbour Festival a special event for you?
“It’s something central for people from all over the city, and has a really interesting way of reimagining itself. And it’s free! So often, people are priced out from attending amazing events, but here we get to have fun with anyone who wants to come.”

Booty Bass will provide all of Friday night’s main stage soundtrack, playing from 5-10pm.

Main photo: @charleywilliamsphoto

Read next:

• Exploring the history of Bristol Harbour Festival
• Bristol Harbour Festival announces full programme for 2023
• DJ taster workshops announced for people of South Asian heritage 

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