‘Success Is In The Eye Of The Beholder’ - The Magic Behind Dankie Sounds

Have you ever wondered what the recipe is for one of the best events in London? At first you’ll need: impeccable faith, good vision, a solid team, resilience and a sprinkle of the Holy Spirit…no biggie! 

The combination described is the magic behind entertainment brand, Dankie Sounds. Creating a space for electrifying energy, good vibes and the sounds of Amapiano is no easy feat! The London based collective ― Babatunde Adeniyi, Sama Olanrewaju, James Anyiam and Reuben Brown continue to move the dial by providing a space for a creative community of people to gather, create, play and amplify electrifying dance music originating from Africa. 

The quartet attribute their success to “never settling” sticking to the “brand ethos” and remaining “tunnel vision”. It’s no wonder Dankie Sounds is the number one hybrid event within the Amapiano scene and this year, the brand were able to take their gleaming success overseas to Ibiza. 

The masterminds behind Dankie Sounds are revolutionising Black British Nightlife by “providing spaces for self-expression, celebrating Black art, music, and fashion. It has fostered a sense of community and empowerment.”  The brand are “evolving with new trends, embracing inclusivity, and continuing to be a vibrant force in cultural expression.” Long may it continue!

In this interview, the founders of Dankie Sounds take a deep dive into the success of Dankie Sounds, the challenges that comes with running events and how Black British nightlife has evolved. Get comfortable and absorb all the wisdom from a bunch of successful Black brothers. 

Why the name Dankie Sounds? 

“Danko is a South African slang word for ‘Thank you” and also is a UK slang word for ‘Dank” or “Lit”. Jimmy the-co founder thought making the brand name Dankie Sounds was a better fit.”

How did Dankie Sounds come about? 

“Dankie Sounds was created in lockdown when we discovered the Amapiano culture from South Africa – mainly through the Major League DJz Balcony mixes and Kabza’s 2020 project “I am The King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust.

While we already loved EDM music and had plans to enter the scene, Amapiano felt like a divine gift. An EDM genre that incorporates the rhythms and culture of Africa – it was as if God was communicating with us individually, not knowing it would bring us together. Jimmy and Tunde initiated the brand, fast forward, they began teasing new content on social media, hinting at something exciting. Sama caught wind of this and reached out to Jimmy, leading to a group call and a site visit to our first venue (Near and Far Camden). That’s how Dankie Sounds became official!”

What made you all take the leap and quit your day jobs? 

“At the time we understood the importance of dedicating our time and effort into what we saw as a life changing brand. 100% commitment was needed to take the brand to great heights. We also understand the value in sacrifice, so ultimately we self fund Dankie Sounds and understood we needed to be as focused as we could.”

What advice would you offer anyone afraid to take that risk? 

“Trust God and trust yourself, the journey is difficult and only take the risk if you can 100% commit to it.”

Why do you think you work as a team? 

“Firstly, we put God first, so all decisions and events start with a prayer. Secondly, we all play our position within the brand, this is important as we understand each others strengths and weaknesses. We all trust each other but also are willing to question one another if we believe better solutions are at hand.”

What role does each person play? 

“Jimmy – Social media- all of our posts and unique captions coupled with excellent organization is Jimmy’s.

Kaz- Content - all of our amazing looking flyers and creative content is done by Kaz. Kaz and James work alongside each other to ensure we shake the internet!

Tunde – Project management, Venue finding - Tunde has a knack for thinking of excellent strategy to ensure our operations are as smooth as possible. Whilst also being the direct contact to the brilliant venues he sources.

Sama – Head of Talent- Sama ensures the music at Dankie Sounds consistently rocks, from the instrumental players, to the DJs and performers, programming the unique musical lineups to ‘Provide the sounds of tomorrow”.

Did you anticipate the success of Dankie Sounds? 

“We understood after our first event how special it was even with 130 people. We always believed Dankie Sounds would be successful because if God is for us who can be against us?!”

How would you say Black British nightlife has evolved? 

“Nightlife since lockdown has changed a lot, and become more diverse. Sundays becoming the main day of the weekend for partying as day parties are taking over.”

How has Black British nightlife shaped the culture? Where would you say its heading?

“Black nightlife has had a significant impact on shaping culture by providing spaces for self-expression, celebrating Black art, music, and fashion. It has fostered a sense of community and empowerment. As for where it's heading, it's evolving with new trends, embracing inclusivity, and continuing to be a vibrant force in cultural expression.”

Is being able to take events abroad a marker of success? 

“We believe being able to grow a brand and create one that customers trust enough to fly to another country is a marker of success. Also success is in the eye of the beholder, we currently took customers to Ibiza and projected having 300 customers. For us that would have been a success however we had over 2000 people come instead!”

What are some of the challenges you have faced being in event management? 

“We would say staying relevant and matching expectations of customers and ourselves.”

How have you remained consistent and kept the momentum? Especially with other competitors and how the UK Black event space industry is on the rise. 

“Never settling! We understand you can be here today and gone tomorrow. So dwelling on success can’t be an option. Also focusing on ourselves and sticking true to our brand ethos, tunnel vision is important.”

What would you do differently now that you have a lot of experience? 

“Nothing. All of the challenges have brought us here and wouldn’t change it for the world.”

What are things people don’t often think about when running events? 

“How expensive events are, running an event you have to understand it takes time to grow a brand and you are investing a lot or all of your money back into the business.”

Finally…What elements should organisers focus on to differentiate themselves from other events? 

“To differentiate themselves, event organizers should focus on creating unique experiences, curating diverse lineups, incorporating innovative themes, and prioritizing inclusivity and representation. By offering something fresh, inclusive, and memorable, they can stand out from other events and attract a diverse audience.”