Right: Esra Canoğullari and Lara Sarkissian
CLUB CHAI
At the end of 2020, CLUB CHAI founders Lara Sarkissian (FOOZOOL) and Esra Canoğullari (8ULENTINA) announced that their label would close down. Their decision was explained with their will to focus on personal projects: “The CLUB CHAI ethos will continue through our individual practices and collaborations. We remain committed to work that challenges the Western perception of international music and genres.”
The five year long history of the label is celebrated with a release of the compilation CLUB CHAI vol.2. It consists of works from its resident artists and their friends in a wide range of forms of electronic music from ambient and noise, to IDM, trance, and breakbeat. An archival book will also be released to accompany the record.
CLUB CHAI is a record label, event series, and curatorial project founded by electronic artists 8ULENTINA and Lara Sarkissian in Oakland, California. They initially bonded over mutual interest in linking West Asia aesthetics and traditional rhythms to experimental club music, dancehall, and hip hop. Through its five years, CLUB CHAI has grown into a more interdisciplinary project with sound installations and curated fashion shows. It also became an important platform for the emerging artists from the MENA diasporas in the US and helped artists such as THOOM and DJ Haram launch their International artistic careers.
