It didn’t take long to realise this place was special ⭐️🫶🏾. From the moment I first walked into the
@thenycdownlow a few years ago, I felt at home and last
@glastofest , Ethan and I spent every night there.
This project feels like the culmination of so many loves — clubbing, music, dancing, photography, and community. It was also an excuse to spend every night in there again 🤭
They call it the greatest club in the world; and maybe they’re right. But we’d rarely seen work that revealed the world behind it all. Every piece we read spoke about the tight-knit family who make the Downlow what it is, and we wanted to shine a light on them 💘⭐️.
I’d seen photographers set up studios in wild locations before, and it felt like the perfect approach: to capture the magic as it happened, to pull people briefly from the bravado of the dancefloor and invite them to be still and to be seen.
Feeling particularly proud about this piece of work. It's an ode to the Downlow and the family it holds 😌
Big love to my partner-in-crime
@ethanljoseph - for your wit, brilliance, energy, and unbeatable dance moves. Also for carrying all that kit across the farm 😩
And thank you to the
@block9official family and everyone who let us in and made us feel like part of it all. Especially those who we photographed and interviewed. Special mention to
@zineabdi ,
@drms_85 ,
@mandelturnerofficial ,
@dj_paulette1 ,
@jonnywoouk ,
@atmosphereorientated ,
@prosumerama ,
@stephen_cassandra_eyre ,
@darlingcocokolin ,
@gideon_dj_official ,
@themimichanel ,
@kapp_________ ,
@sebastian.shyam ,
@dee.diggs as well as so many others 🫶🏾🫶🏾
I can’t wait to return in two years. I found a home among you, and I hope this document honours what we witnessed 🤞🏿😌
The full piece is now live now
@elephantmagazine - thank you
@emilyondineburke for the faith! I’ll also be sharing some more of the portraits and dance floor snaps over the next few days so y'all can have a gander 😘
Photography by
@obtikare
Interviews by
@ethanljoseph
Words by
@ethanljoseph and
@obtikare
Link bio!
#photography #nycdownlow #block9 #glastonbury #disco
