“Radical, queer gathering”: Body Movements 2024 was a playground for London’s queer ravers

“Given today’s cultural and political landscape, events like Body Movements aren’t just important, they’re fucking essential,” BASHKKA tells Mixmag. In recent years, a tirade of anti-trans rhetoric has washed over the UK, the community used as political chess pieces or facing daily hate crime, which jumped by 11% from 2022 to 2023. “These events aren’t just celebrations, they’re statements of survival and resistance.”

BASHKKA calls for the dance music scene to confront its own hypocrisy, whether it’s found in biased booking practices, a lack of industry support for marginalised communities, or superficial diversity initiatives. “Real change means amplifying our voices and ensuring us access to headlining slots, media exposure, cover stories, and most importantly, industry power. I want to see us in those positions, making our own decisions.”

When it comes to selecting artists like BASHKKA – whose set is imbued with remixes of queer, pop and R&B icons – Saoirse and Clayton’s approach is different to most organisers. “We know the people that play at Body Movements – it’s people that are family, people that we love and have had these dancefloor experiences with,” Clayton says. “I think that’s what makes it feel different – you can tell there’s a lot of love in the space and love behind the people that are playing with us. They’re not just here to get a cheque.”

Exploring R&B, alt-pop, techno, and reggaeton in a B2B alongside her fellow Body Swap founder Harietta, Karlie Marx is one of the local up-and-coming trans DJs who Clayton asked to play. She says that for trans artists and fans, electronic music is “one of the few outlets we have”, which makes representation paramount. “The barriers of visibility as a trans DJ start before you even reach the club,” she says, recalling how earlier in her transition she could rarely make it to her gigs on public transport without being a victim of hate crime. “Those kinds of experiences keep you in the house and you lose out. The pathways can’t be the same because non-minoritised cis DJs have a head start on energy, money and safety.”