What started as a small party between friends became one of the most popular parties in the capital. Co-founded in 2021 by Sama Olanrewaju, James Anyiam, Kaz Brown and Tunde Adeniyi, the Dankie team has put Amapiano on the map in London. Last year the team ventured outside of the UK taking Dankie to Ibiza for a weekend.
This year, the team will be back in Ibiza again, but before they sail off to the Spanish Island, Dankie Sounds will be headlining at City Splash. The 30,000-person festival celebrates African and Caribbean music. The Dankie team will be amongst a line-up of artists like Beenie Man, Shenseea, and Busy Signal.
We sat down to speak to the team members Olanrewaju and Anyiam to discuss the beginnings of Dankie Sounds, City Splash, and what we can expect to see Dankie Sounds in the future. I log into Zoom eagerly waiting for the pair. As soon as they join the meeting I’m met with warm welcomes.
Though Anyiam is Nigerian he told Seasoned that he was exposed to South African music through a close Zimbabwean friend. But, it was during the pandemic that his love for Amapiano developed. “I was watching a lot of live performances from Amapiano DJs like Major League and I could see Amapiano getting bigger,” he says.
It was during this time that Anyiam started thinking about creating Amapiano parties in London. “I thought if we don’t jump on this, someone else is going to take it and it seemed like we were the first movers so we just ran with it,” he adds
Olanrewaju chimes in saying “Dankie Sonds was originally James’ idea, although we were both doing events before Dankie. Everyone in the Dankie team loves house music but James had the idea of making Amapiano events.”
When Anyiam started researching potential names for the brand, he stumbled on the word 'Dankie' which means thank you in Afrikaans. “Pair that with 'sounds' it’s like we’re saying thank you for the music, thank you for the sounds,’ Anyiam says.
Once they found a name and built a team with fellow members Brown and Adeniyi, Dankie Sounds was born. When they eventually threw their first party they knew they had something special on their hands.
During the conversation, we quickly bonded over our love of Amapiano and the buzz of being at an Amapiano party. Having been to Dankie Sounds myself, I can tell you that you cannot stand still at a Dankie party. “The atmosphere in Dankie just makes people want to dance, I’ve had friends who prefer Hip-Hop or Bashment music become Amapaino heads after going to Dankie,” Olanrewaju says.
Dankie Sounds is split between two events: Dankie Sounds and Dankie Rooms. Dankie Sounds is their main event but Dankie Rooms puts DJs at the centre. “We wanted to create a brand that touched on more than the music and focused on the DJs. Dankie Sounds is more of a production, it’s a massive show whereas Dankie Rooms is quite similar to Boiler Room where you can just focus on the music,” Olanrewaju says.
Dankie Sounds is part of a growing list of Black British parties. There's a plethora of events like Recess, DLT, Slowjamswitha, and Shindig, it feels like we're experiencing a Black British party renassaince in London.
Anyiam thinks the Black British party scene boomed after the end of lockdown. “We have so many different types of events now and after the pandemic, no one wants to stay home anymore.”
Olanrewaju believes these events are now offering more than just a party experience. “Before they were parties now it’s more of an experience and that was our aim for Dankie. That’s what I love about Black culture is that we’re here to give people an experience.”
The Dankie Sounds experience is what they aim to bring to City Splash this year. Last year, the Dankie team came as guests as part of the Recess stage but this year they’ll be venturing out by themselves. “Last year we had thousands of people come to our stage, it’s a blessing to see where we’ve come from and how much we’ve grown,” Olanrewaju says.
“It just shows the power of God,” Anyiam adds. Anyiam places a lot of importance on collaborations like Dankie Sounds and City Splash. “Collaborations are what the music scene needs, it shows that Black people can work together and there’s enough opportunities for everyone.
Anyiam adds that opportunities like City Splash allow Black people to showcase the culture. “People still don’t understand the depths of Amapiano and we like to call ourselves the bridge between the UK and South Africa. So if you’re new to Amapiano it’s best to come to Dankie Sounds because we feed it in a way for British people to understand.” Anyiam says.
But City Splash isn’t the last hurrah of the year. They’ll be taking over Ibiza again for a weekend in September. When asked what to expect there, Anyiam says “Bigger venues, better line ups and better vibes.”
In terms of future plans for Dankie Sounds, Olanrewaju says he wants to see Dankie Sounds all over the world. We want to get to the point where we’re all over the old.
You can buy tickets to City Splash here.