Sherelle on London Clubs as a Lifeline and How East End Chaos Shapes Her Sound

London producer and DJ Sherelle isn't just about putting out high-powered 160bpm tracks. She's a dancefloor vigilante that goes above and beyond to remedy the pitfalls of UK nightlife— a revolutionary force for good.

Not only has the East Londoner launched BEAUTIFUL, a label to platform and support Black and LGBTQI+ musicians, her recent tour SHERELLAND was capped at £10—a big fuck you to industry bigwigs that claim charging less for gigs is impossible. “I originally wanted to do it for a fiver, but that wasn’t possible,” she laughs.

Her debut album, WITH A VENGEANCE, is an upbeat 160bpm ride that rips through jungle, footwork, jersey club and Detroit house. While its influences are global, the core of the sound is in Sherelle’s east London youth, from the roar of the A406 motorway to the sweat of 2010s dubstep night.

On the album, she channels rage and depression into something positive and cathartic—resounding her strong belief in the club as a mental support lifeline. “You can hear the rawness in this record. Whether you're going through shit or extremely happy,  I just want people to get some form of release."

Below she tells Trippin about the places that shaped her sound—and why saving London’s nightlife is essential for social cohesion.

You’ve described this WITH A VENGEANCE as therapeutic—do you think electronic music spaces are important for mental health?

Clubs are a physical space which we can literally connect and chat to and touch each other and be in the presence of people. Clubbing has got really expensive—landlords pressuring clubs to pay more is directly affecting the consumer. There's so much that's wrong. In London, you're paying 70% of your salary on rent—then you’ve got other bills on top of that. Of course you're not gonna want to go out.

It almost feels like things are done quite purposefully to isolate us and not talk to each other. Look at what's happening currently in the world right now—the isolation of people and the fact that no one's really chatting to each other is crazy; it means people are coming up with differences amongst each other.

So clubs, and connections fostered through clubs, can fix social tensions?

Historically, it's quite clear. In the early 90s, we had football hooligans going into clubs and then coming out not racist and dressing differently. It's because people are spending time with each other and understanding and recognising each other's differences.

Clubs are so important. No one should really be paying top dollar to go and listen to some music. You've worked really hard during the week—you deserve a release. The fact that you are not able to have this because everything is so expensive now is a joke.

"Clubs are so important. No one should really be paying top dollar to go and listen to some music."

You’ve risen up through the London underground and remain tightly connected to the city you're from. What places in particular have shaped the sounds on this album?

I guess the kind of inner city life within London. I'm from Walthamstow, it has rough around the edges touch—at least, at the time when it wasn't gentrified. I grew up really close to the A406; one of the tunes that I've got from early days is called that. When you're looking at that motorway and seeing how vast it is, you get a real sense of scale. So as a Londoner, Walthamstow has definitely influenced my music.

I live now in Dalston; it's just constant commotion and craziness. It's never quiet. Being in East London means a lot to me. The hecticness of the title track ‘WITH A VENGEANCE’ is the epitome of walking from Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Junction, going to whatever bar while trying to not be run over by a bus or lime bike, or step in an auntie's big shopping bag.

You recorded the album between London and Amsterdam, but there’s also touches of Chicago, Detroit in there. Outside of London, what other flavours are we hearing and what global clubs have influenced you?

In Amsterdam, I’ve really enjoyed playing at the Dekmantel festival and Garage Noord, and have built a really amazing fan base there. Chicago obviously means a lot as well just due to the footwork side of my music. Smartbar—any time I’m hooking up with my home girl Ariel Zetina, it’s always a vibe.

I’ve never been to Detroit! I look forward to going, I didn’t even clock how influential it has been to me—DJ Assault, the music's just so fun and joyful and I really just wanted to carry that.

There are some elements of Jersey Club in there as well. It’s a big influence; I'm watching, listening to and have had the pleasure of playing alongside someone like UNIIQU3. She’s been working so hard—what she’s done for the scene is tremendous and amazing.

There might be some Paris in there, some Ed Banger influence, maybe more so for a tune called ‘XTCSUSP9ND3D’ just because of how rich and intense the tune sounds. It kind of reminds me of Justice songs off of Cross. I feel like all of those places collectively add a little something.

"The hecticness of the title track is the epitome of walking from Dalston Kingsland, going to whatever bar, while trying to not step in an auntie's big shopping bag."

If you could drop this album in one club that doesn’t exist anymore, which would it be?

Plastic People 'cause of the lineage. The album is rooted in when I was like a teenager in the early 2010s. A lot of the instrumentals and sonics and vibes can be heard in the sub-tracks. You can hear like [UK electronic label] Night Slugs orientated music, maybe some [dubstep label] DMZ.  I would want it to be there 'cause of how historical the club nights were in plastic people. I would happily, without a doubt, bring that back.

Sherelle plays London Roundhouse tonight. Click for more info.