So, tell us a little about yourself
My name’s Errol — event curator, DJ, sometime journalist and founder of Touching Bass. Touching Bass is a movement of London-based soul disciples focused on connecting like-minded people through music, dance and community-based events. We hold down a biweekly NTS Radio show and a monthly dance (communicated via texting service) in South London but ultimately everything I do involves bringing people together.
What’s your cuisine of choice?
A very difficult toss up between Caribbean, Thai and Ethiopian food for me. I’ve always been really into spicy food. In fact, now I think about it that’s definitely a trait that has been passed down from generation to generation on my Jamaican dad’s side of the family. My grandad infamously ate whole scotch bonnet peppers on a regular basis, my dad never let Encona Hot Pepper Sauce stray too far from his plate and I’m only now slowly weaning myself off an overly-peppery diet.
Caribbean cuisine holds a dear place in my heart so let’s go with that. I just got back from a really special trip to Jamaica with my partner, Alex Rita, and two friends (Tayo and Krystal). I hadn’t been back in 20+ years so you can imagine how many plates of rice and peas I consumed. In Jamaica, cheap but very flavoursome food was so readily available in most places and so my favourite spots tended to be unassuming, roadside and seaside outlets. I’d never had lobster before I went and was so glad that my first experience was on a sunny beach in Port Antonio, the north-eastern region of the island. The seafood was ‘taste the saltwater’ fresh and costed less than £10 — shouts to Fabian and his mum! There’s also plenty of plant-based diet options for the ital peopledem too.
Anything you don’t mess with?
I’m not counting it out completely but from what I’ve experienced, Eastern European food isn’t really for me.
Does food play a part within the Touching Bass Collective?
Definitely. Most Touching Bass group meetings are preceded by a dinner where everyone brings a dish to the table. 2018’s pre-Christmas din dins at Tayo’s house is the standout though. Yoyo came through with the mango curry that had me in my feelings.
Wherever possible, I’ve also tried to incorporate food into the TB dance because it stems back to the Caribbean tradition of food and music going hand in hand. I have the strongest memories of family gatherings where the elders balanced paper plates full of jerk chicken and rice while simultaneously two-stepping. In my eyes, you should be able to feed your soul and your stomach at the same time. The most recent location for the dance doubles up as a Caribbean restaurant in the day, which means that you can grab yourself a saltfish patty while you skank.