Pioneering queer Black women-led sound system, Sistermatic, returns for Brixton street party next month

Sistermatic, the pioneering queer Black woman-led sound system crew, are set to return for their first party in almost 30 years next month.

On Friday, 17th February, the collective - who were the UK's first lesbian sound system - will team up with the Nite Dykez collective for a street party at Market Row in Brixton Village. Marking the official relaunch of Sistermatic, the party is timed to coincide with and celebrate this year's LGBT+ History Month.

Pioneered by Eddie Lockhart and Yvonne Taylor, Sistermatic ran a hugely influential monthly queer women’s club night out of South London Women’s Centre in Brixton from 1986 to 1995. It provided a space for Black queer women to, as they put it, "feel safe, celebrated, and party to good music".

The street part on 17th February is primarily a collaboration between Yvonne Taylor and GIN, co-founder of Nite Dykez, a monthly club night for LGBTQ+ women. The music for the evening will be led by Sistermatic's Shineeeye, as well as GIN and Mica Coca, co-founders of Nite Dykez. 

Running from 7pm to 11.30pm, it's a one-night-only event with free entry before 8pm, or £5 after. Organisers have billed it as "Black queer women present a musical journey from the 70s to date. An Intergenerational history of music that has graced QTIPOC dancefloor culture."

Speaking about the party, Taylor said “It feels very special to be back in Brixton. The place where I first  began doing club events for my community in London.”

“I feel proud to be able to collaborate with one of the most legendary sound systems for Black people from the 80s to date," added GIN. "Nite Dykez had always fused together an intergenerational sound journey into our DJ sets. It’s so exciting to connect with the original champions of the movement and Brixton.”

Laura Mills, the Event Coordinator and Cultural Programmer at Brixton Village said: “We are both excited and honoured to be a part of Sistermatic’s relaunch here in our market. To celebrate and bring forward a part of Brixton’s LGBTQ+ history in the heart of the town it started in. The collaboration with one of our favourite duos, Nite Dykez, renews and brings a new crowd to be a part of the legacy. We’re always happy to give a platform to the pioneering community who have always been here and will continue to be here.” 

Check out a long-read feature on Amaka exploring the legacy of Yvonne Taylor and Sistermatic. 

Read DJ Mag's Ria Hylton's feature on the history of UK sound system culture here.