SNS LDNers feat. Chocolate Darlins FC

Back in September we linked up with Chocolate Darlins FC – a creative music-based duo made up of DJ’s Jess Ajose & Keke. SNS’ very own Nia sat down and had a chat with them about how CDFC came about, what it represents, and what we can expect to hear on their show. They've also curated an exclusive mix which you can listen to here, as well as some of their previous No Signal shows which you can find here

Check out their interview below, as well as images by Bryan Aseya.

SNS: So what we saying then, Afrobeats or Bashment?

Jess: Ahh we’re not gonna do that!

Keke: We can’t do that, we have love for both! We’re not trying to do this Africa vs Caribbean ting!

Jess: I remember we had a conversation about how each – maybe not bashment, but more so dancehall – draws influence from each other.

SNS: It’s been a tough past few months, but we still saw you doing your show during the current pandemic - how did you manage to adapt & work around this?

Jess: I would say that No Signal was a saving grace for a lot of black creatives, including ourselves. I think that it was the catalyst for us really taking Chocolate Darlins seriously, because then we were actually recording shows. Even more recently, we’ve been thinking creatively about our platform and the type of content we want to put out – now we have an Instagram page (@chocolatedarlins.fc). I also feel like us working from home has made it an easier time to be creative because we have more time available – you’re not travelling as much and there’s just less hours spent in meetings. Also, when you work in the office you tend to do a lot of overtime, so you’re not really leaving at the time that you should be leaving.

Keke: I feel like it’s been quite good for me and Jess because we got to invest in decks, there was a lot of time to practice our blends & mixes, and then just to record more stuff and put more stuff out there. But at the same time, I felt like I lacked inspiration at times. Especially like half-way through lockdown when it felt like we had been doing it for month. I wasn’t seeing or experiencing anything different to give me that motivation, so sometimes it was hard.

SNS: How did you find adjusting from coming out of lockdown and going back into the office, not necessarily having all that free time?

Keke: It’s been really difficult. During lockdown it was good because with the birth of No Signal, it was really the start of us taking it seriously and we had a lot of time and a lot of energy to put into building this Chocolate Darlins platform. But now going back to work it is quite difficult, we don’t have as much time and also I’m just tired! The speed I was going at before, then to slow down, and then to try to go back to that speed, I’ve been struggling! Simple things like running for the bus, it’s taking me two days to recover! It has been difficult, but money haffi run! I think I need to give it a bit more time because it has only been a few weeks since I’ve been going back in to the office, we can adapt to anything but we just need to give it some time.

SNS: You mentioned you also both work at 1xtra, so I guess you’re always meeting & working with different musicians - have you ever been starstruck before? And if so, by who?

Keke: You know what, I have been working in radio for 3 years now, and even before that I was doing little work experiences when I was 14-15 years old. When I was doing that work experience, I met Kelly Rowland for the first time. And on the inside, I lost my head. But since then, I kind of just learnt to be professional because it’s not like you’re out with friends at a concert and can really enjoy listening to them performing your favourite songs. You’re in a headspace where you’re at work, it’s not really the place to start screaming. I guess we’re just used to it now.

Jess: Likewise. I’ve been working in radio for 4, maybe 5 years. So like Keke said, I think we’re both just used to being in that environment.

SNS: What’s your current favourite album or song that’s released this year/at the moment?

Keke: I couldn’t even tell you. This is hard because I hate doing this. I really do love music and it’s hard for me to pick, but a song that I think is proper beautiful, and has a little bit of sentiment for me and my boyfriend is Like I Want You by Giveon. That tune right there gets to the tear ducts! Oh My God! It holds a special place. Other than that, I can’t really think.

Jess: I think for me, Album-wise, I’ve been listening to a lot of Supergood by Duckworth. It’s super good!

Keke: Honourable shoutout-out goes to Young Dolph though! That album that he just dropped!!

Jess: Man like Young Dolph! – And this is the chat you can expect to hear on the show

SNS: Last question, what do you have planned for Chocolate Darlins in the future?

Jess: In all honesty, we haven’t thought that far ahead. I think we’re both just naturally open to seeing where it goes. Hopefully, along the way we start to have more plans and opportunities and stuff. So far, it’s been great because people have been shouting us for certain opportunities that you can hear about soon. But yeah I think overall, just being a representation for two black females showing you that you can do whatever you want

Keke: That’s what I was going to say, I don’t think we have a strict business plan like that. Like Jess said, we’re just happy to see where it goes but we definitely want to make sure that we represent black youth and young black girls, especially in this current generation, being a professional and being creative at the same time. Like being Nigerian or Jamaican, and British – being able to be exactly who we are and not having to change to get to where we want. You just have to work hard and be passionate about it, and you can be successful. We want to be able to create a hub or space where black girls can feel like they can be themselves

Jess: And also just be different variations of themselves, because I feel like growing up there was quite rigid ways of what it was like to be black, or to be a black girl, especially in school. It’s nice just to be able to show that you can be yourself. And to be fair, a lot of young black girls now, even in their teens, it’s cool to see them doing what they want to do and just being an individual in what they want to do, which wasn’t something we had.

Keke: That was something that we spoke about when we was thinking of our show plan of what was our show meant to represent. Like we don’t necessarily fit in a box of what people think being black is. Being black isn’t talking street and being loud. There’s so many more layers to being black and British that people don’t really see a lot. Especially in the mainstream, like it’s drill now and everyone’s got to be tough, but not at all. You can make pop songs aswell – that’s still black, and the history of dance music is black, so you can do anything you want!