After a five-year run, Oakland event organizer and record label CLUB CHAI will discontinue operations in January, 2021. Before they do, they will release a final compilation album, CLUB CHAI Vol. 2, as well as the CLUB CHAI Archive Zine.
In a statement, CLUB CHAI founders 8ULENTINA and Lara Sarkissian emphasized that they didn’t make the decision in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, they intend to pursue their own individual projects as well as future collaborations.
“It’s important for us to acknowledge the amount of labor it takes to work on our individual art practices while also facilitating other artists’ projects, event organization, and running a label,” they wrote. “In order for us to grow as artists we must honor our work with the same intentionality and time. We are excited about the potential of this new chapter.”
“The CLUB CHAI ethos will continue through our individual practices and collaborations,” the statement goes on. “We remain committed to work that challenges the Western perception of international music and genres. 8ULENTINA and Lara Sarkissian will continue to collaborate, just outside of the framework of CLUB CHAI.”
To facilitate their future endeavors, the two artists also announced a fundraiser to “help us pay for gear, classes and software that is essential to our music practices.” Donations can be made via GoFundMe and PayPal.
As noted by Resident Advisor, CLUB CHAI has provided a home for releases by the likes of Jasmine Infiniti and quest?onmarc. Their events have billed such artists as Bored Lord, Architect, Fela Kutchi and Davia.
Both the CLUB CHAI Vol. 2, and the CLUB CHAI Archive Zine will arrive in January.
