Chic-Londres is beyond excitement at the prospect of going to see 2012 Golden Globes best actor winner Idris Elba DJing at Kilburn’s Love & Liquor. And anyone who’s seen cult TV series The Wire -in which the plays Baltimore’s drug baron “Stringer” Bell- will understand why. And while we would be happy to endure one more “actor-turned-DJ”‘s bad set just for the sheer pleasure of partying with him, it appears that Elba -who recently starred in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and has been tipped as the next James Bond- is actually a seasoned DJ, who started at the desks aged 14 and has since collaborated with the like of Jay-Z and Mumford & Sons. In short: his latest project 7 Wallace, a series of seven nights starting on 25 December when he is spinning at Love & Liquor every Friday until 15th March, is not to be missed…
However popular his next roles might be -from the forthcoming Nelson Mandela to James Bond, for which he’s hotly tipped- Idris Elba (40) will forever be remembered by his legions of fans as Russell “Stringer” Bell, The Wire’s most charismatic character. For those unfortunate who still haven’t seen the cult American series, he plays a Baltimore’s drug baron turned business student, and one of the most compulsively attractive and multi-layered character ever created for the screen. This role has made him hot property, both in England and in Hollywood, where he’s won a Golden Globe Best Actor award in 2012 for his portrayal as a tortured detective in the award-winning BBC series Luther and has been voted one of the “100 most beautiful people in the world” by People Magazine.
But just as Jamie Foxx, the American actor to whom he’s often been compared, Hackney-born Idris Elba seems just as talented on the spinning desks as he is on film, with East London’s roots that dig deep into club culture. Having started DJing aged 14, he had his own pirate radio show in the early 90’s before making a name for himself as DJ Driis in New York, mixing up house and garage with hip hop. In 2006 he went on to co-produce and perform in the intro to Jay-Z’s American Gangster and in 2012, he opened Usher’s concert at Ibiza’s Ushuaia, directed and performed in the Mumford and Sons’ video “Lover of the Light” and recently played with will.i.am and David Guetta at a party.
And if you’re wondering what “7 Wallace” stands for, apart from being the name under which Idris Elba is now DJing, it’s the address of the house where he used to live while filming Luther, and where he played after-hours with his friends. It’s this party atmosphere which he aims to reproduce at Love & Liquor, where he will be bringing along his own friends to play with him. Which means that some serious A-listers might be expected at Love & Liquor, the super glam and recently opened Kilburn club inspired by Brooklyn’s cocktail lounges, and already a favourite of Tinie Tempah, Will-i-am and Rita Ora.
Idris Elba Presents 7 Wallace at Love & Liquor Every Friday from 25th december to 15th March:www.loveandliquor.co.uk
