Misogyny, Race, Class & Mayfair

from the promoters perspective.

I’m pressed and I’ve got some shit to get off my chest.

This DSTRKT V Black Girls PR drama is an example of the race card (term I detest) being wrongly used and I’m

going to explain why. I’ve actually hosted at Dstrkt before; my company, Haus of Lux PR, did the KTZ London

Fashion Week Party there and while it was kinda fun in some ways ­ largely thanks to U’Luvka Vodka providing

us with free booze all night and an assortment of celebs to gawk at ­ overall, it was sort of shit for the atmosphere

of the club is not what KTZ or myself represent. Plus the place looks like a Latvian 1€ strip club ­ personal

opinion, but Ugo (GM and Black Dutch might I also add) did pay us which can be very inconsistent in Mayfair!

Now I’ve been a promoter since I was legal enough to drink. Luckily I was never one of those thirsty street

promoters trying to beg girls. “oh come here”, “Come to my club” Nope not me! I work on retainers. IE. I

create the event or I host a night. Hosting = We come, we mash it up, I invoice you, you pay me, delayed as

always but you pay me my fee! So I was more of an event’s curator / vibes pied piper if you will.

NOW Ladies & Gentlemen You can not go to places like DSTRKT that charge a GRAND to £2000 per table, expecting to drink for free and

get free entry for you and your girls if you are not up to par with their clientèle standards ­ MAYFAIR clientèle

standards. Which for the most part is

unattainable! I repeat ­

UNATTAINABLE!

(Haus of Lux @ W Hotel)

I’m booshie, I put my hands up. I am booshie as HELL! That doesn't mean I can not go to visions in Dalston or

East London and “shack out” with the rest of the kids… BUT I like nice wine bars and small club environments

with a sophisticated atmosphere, decent music, where I won’t have to go through metal detectors and be

groped up and down by some random, for my “own security”. I’m past that! Now there are two types of Mayfair

venues, the ones that grope you up and down (DSTRKT) and the ones that let you walk in freely... if you have a

reservation, guestlist or membership. When it comes to Mayfair there is a CODE, code of entry conduct if you

will. Let me break it down for you because there are some of my brothers & sisters out there that just don’t get it.

Code of Entry Conduct 1. You must be a model or of modal propositions ­ if you ain’t cute, why would they want you in their club?

This industry is SHALLOW!

2. Be in the industry or know someone in that club and I don’t mean some any stupid promoter you met on

whatsapp ­ I mean GMs, Bar managers, The Door Girl, as not even the DJ or promoter can save you from that

queue sometimes … SO KNOW SOMEBODY IMPORTANT!!

3. Have the money to pay for this lifestyle ­ you think they’ll turn your ass away if you offered to buy a table?

Think about it… don’t worry I’ll wait. No they won’t, they want the big money like any other business! If you

ain’t got it take your broke ass home! You shouldn’t be there anyway... damn freeloader!

Now It’s not right and it nots fair but that’s Mayfair and it’s a known fact! Go to a commercial venue if you don’t

like it.

Let me tell you what happened, let me actually break it down for you, guaranteed this was the script or usual

script in Mayfair with most commercial Mayfair clubs.

These poor girls got gassed and lied to by the promoter.

Promoter: “Yo b what’s good, man’s got free guest­list or comp guest­list and a couple bottles at DSTRKT, you

heard of it??”

Girl searches Google and sees Beyonce/Rihanna/Jay­Z leaving club.

Girl: “Yeah, yeah yeah I heard of it”

Promoter: “Well come through”

Girl: “Can I bring my girls”

Promoter thinks jackpot here ­ more money if her girls look like her but wants reassurance (misogyny at its

plight!)

Promoter: “Course!! but they have to be choong/on fleek/banging" (whatever terminology kids use these days)…

Girl: “Yeah my girls always be on!”

Promoter: “Aight cool, you’re on my guest­list”.

Now something you all probably don’t know is that the promoter gets paid £10/20 per every girl who gets into

the club. If they were on the paying list he will get paid half of the door entry, if she was on the free list the

promoter will either not get paid for her, or THE CLUB will pay that promoter a set fee per girl rate, this is also

how promoter bottles work (refilled with cheap vodka always ­ mostly everywhere!): 10 girls = 1 bottle, 20 girls

= 2 bottles etc. Those said girls get in and sit on the promoters table, Free Drinks etc etc. Personally I think this

is a mild form of prostitution… self­imposed prostitution!

Let me ask you a question. If you are a Club owner / Manager, and your paying promoters to bring you girls. Are you going to pay that

promoter for girls that reach the margin of average? Be Honest! NO SHADE, these girls are QUEENS and are

MORE THAN WELCOME to any of my nights. I’m all about energy and vibes NOT about what you look like.

Hence why I had SO MANY complaints about my Vogue Fashion Night out Party at W Hotel

(https://youtu.be/T0ZsWeg7Lf0), with some GUESTS complaining and calling the event… Common.

First I was angry and hurt by this, then I realized that I don’t give two craps about those kinds of people!!

Elitists!! White, Black, Brown, Asian, Blue I don’t care. I only care about the energy you bring to my night

because the best nights are mash­up nights. Different cultures, classes, genders, orientations ENJOYING

VIBES, that’s what I provide and are my favourite kind of nights out ­ I just so happen to be lucky enough to have

a relationship with some Mayfair and Soho venues that allow me to provide this.

(KTZ Event)

But A LOT of these clubs are elitist! Now elitism is made up of classism which is also one of the main

foundations of racism… right? but most people fall into that average social margin ( can be referred to as

“basic bitches” or “common” ­ male & female). We all can’t afford designer clothes, stylists and makeup artists

and this is how elitists view us ­as basic (be it in our attitude, language or aesthetic), shockingly some of

these elitists are of multicultural backgrounds.

Now what annoys me is a lot of the time black people ONLY absorb rejection as racism. This is not to say

racism within the hospitality sector or any industry for that matter doesn’t exist, It does and though I haven’t

experienced it first hand (thank god), I’ve heard some horror stories! (see Edward Adoo article).

But I have been in a group where friends of mine were discriminated against due to what they were wearing

(though I got in and can be totally shady like that if I told you to dress up lol) and being with a mixed group of

guys, mostly white, which again I got in and they didn't.

But I have also been to places where all of my guys got in and were given a free bottle just for our attendance

but this is rare and Is usually down to a friend working there.

(Playboy Club)

Don’t get me wrong I understand people’s frustrations as there is barely a black industry in this country, so a

lot of the time rejection and lack of cultural diversity in these industries can feel like an attack ­ so therefore

we must to get our pitchforks out and stir­up the social activism yelling racism.

(DSTRKT)

But… I digress; these clubs ARE NOT paying NOBODY for average looking FREELOADERS, especially if they

don’t qualify under the 3 Entry Codes of Conduct. It’s is hard to FIGHT against elitism as there will always be

wealth in this world but we can not use sole racism as a blanket for THE WIDER ISSUES.

(diversity in DSTRKT ­ KTZ event)

THE MAIN Issue with Mayfair clubs is misogyny; the objectification of Women through this disgusting shallow rating system,

classism, caste discrimination and elitism; it’s all about the ideals of beauty and class ­ Men & Women at

the top of the Mayfair food chain (General Managers, Owners & Door girls as elitists ALL discriminate as

it’s part of their door policy). That’s why white, black and every other shade in between have been rejected

from DSTRKT and other Mayfair clubs, in fact I am sure this is a worldwide issue. Elitists will discriminate

you based on their perception of class: so unattractive, minorities, overweight, LGBT and the disabled but they

DO NOT discriminate against MONEY!!!!!! (not that it buys you class but alas, shallow industry)

Groups of guys black & white, trans, overweight, looking too casual and the disabled have all been

discriminated against IN MAYFAIR!

I’ve partied and hosted at DSTRKT on random nights out with a team of ALL black men and women, different

hairstyles, orientations and black pigmentation ­ Because we ALL looked like we had MONEY! And this is the

fundamental issue ­ WE LOOK AT PEOPLE LIKE THEY ARE CURRENCY!

Elitism and caste discrimination NOT PURE AND SOLELY racism!! If you want to lead a life of fake luxury

perception, spending half your night on Instagram and Facebook journalling your every two­step, then be

prepared to be dissected by these elitist Mayfair clubs from your Hair to your Shoes… Or go where you know

you’re going to fit in and feel comfortable! Where you are not going to have to pimp yourself out for a free drink.

Its disgusting and why I don’t work in Mayfair much these days, but it’s that simple and whilst there is wealth

and a social hierarchy in this world, MAYFAIR WILL NEVER CHANGE! Just new clubs opening up and closing

down. DSTRKT will just close for refurbishments, create a new name and everyone will still have their Job, it’s

owned by Russian Billionaires who don’t care about your pitchforks and banners, they only care about MONEY!

So please, let’s talk about THE MAIN ISSUE ­ We live in a Class Discriminative Country! So for the love of

god, GO WHERE YOU FIT IN! Or dress the part and I mean REALLY dress the part! That’s if you want to act

like you're one of them for the night, i’ve actually seen acute Cinderella Complex when it comes to girls and

promoters but that’s another issue and a different story.

Written By. George Sean Alto, Events Curator