THE REAL ALLNATUREL
Yasmeen Jaaber
ALL NATUREL
by Yasmeen Jaaber
THE REAL
Pink Potato Club, an event series that began in Richmond, Virginia, was created by DJ All Naturel in May of this year. Speaking with her, it became clear that curated experiences are their own form of artwork and deserve a special tenderness. People crave a connection to the things they love and there’s an elation present when sharing it with others.
Their latest party happened at the tail end of August, at The Material Room, a cozy one-room art space in Scott’s Addition. There was such a large turnout that the gallery was at capacity several times throughout the night.
Upon entering The Material Room, the smell and weight of the crowd’s sweat was impossible to ignore. Heat lined the air with moisture, and the music coated each and every body inside with a need to move. It was one of those places where dancing felt required, in a refreshing way. Coordinated dances and dance-offs broke out in the back of the room near the bar. Two people who were going particularly hard smiled at my disposable camera while sweat dripped off their faces. Their teeth shone through the room's purple hue and oozed exhilaration. Watching the third or fourth dance battle of the night, I wondered to myself if this was what the nineties felt like.
Outside of The Material Room in Scott's Addition, event goers were seen wearing DJ ALL NATUREL T-Shirts.
All Naturel, from Hampton Virginia, started DJing two years ago.
“But I've wanted to start DJing since high school, like 2015, 2016. I was inspired by Soundcloud DJs like DJ BOYGIRL and COSMO, who are both women. Which inspired me even more to take it on like, oh I can do this.”
But she kept putting it off. Finding a controller and getting started seemed like its own barrier and it was in 2021 when she started using Virtual DJ on her laptop. Starting out, she played mainly hip hop and r&b on her sets, but is now getting more familiar with club music.
“Jersey club, Ghettotech, Techno and stuff like House. I'm getting more familiar with genres I didn't grow up with.”
DJ ALL NATUREL at Pink Potato Club's latest event.
"I feel like I am putting myself to the test. And I'm learning a lot about myself"
At Pink Potato Club, everything can be re-mixed. Blasting out the speakers was the resonance of a singular lyric from Nicki Minaj’s Only: Hut-hut one, hut-hut two / Big titties, big butt too, repeating on an endless loop. Although the show included four DJs (DJ FAIRWAY, ALLNATUREL, FUCKNOCHIEF and RANESHOUNDS), the transitions between their sets were smooth.
“They are some of my favorite DJs, I've DJ'd with all of them besides DJ FAIRWAY. I love his mixes and he was down. So I was like, this is perfect- RANESHOUNDS is amazing. FUCKNOCHIEF is amazing.”
All Naturel began Pink Potato Club to have something of her own. She always wanted to name something after a potato, but just didn’t have anything to name. The potato, she says, is very nutritious and has a lot of health benefits for you.
“And that’s kind of what ties into the experiences I want to provide for people, leaving them feeling energized just from coming up with an idea from my mind and being able to translate that into an experience. And that impact, how people will feel 10 years from now. In 2023 I went to Pink Potato Club and it was awesome. I found my friends.”
In shifting from just a DJ to now a DJ and event organizer, All Naturel has encountered a healthy dose of stress. Because she has a vision that includes Projectors, 3-D work and Photographers, there is a lot of planning involved.
I feel like I am putting myself to the test. And I'm learning a lot about myself, I guess, too, and what I like, and also what I don't like. So, I know, I definitely will need more help going forward.
To manage the fear that comes with getting out of her comfort zone, All Naturel tends to lean on her friends. Most of them are creatives and they challenge her to do different things and express herself in different ways.
“Even though I'm scared to do certain things like this Pink Potato Club event- as the days get closer, I'm terrified, I don't know how big the turnout is gonna be- my friends are gonna be there. So I'll be okay.”
At their latest event, Pink Potato Club raised money for the Grimalkin Records music festival happening in October. Grimalkin is a Richmond-based organization that supports LGBTQ+ artists, artists of color, and disabled artists in recording and releasing music.
Despite Naturel’s fears, the Pink Potato Club event had a joyous energy, a great turnout, and beautiful visuals throughout the night. A handful of people even came rocking “I’M THE REAL DJ ALL NATUREL” T-Shirts. Support, care, love and safety were clearly important to the organizer and the people that came. I know I’m not the only one in Richmond looking forward to the next Pink Potato Club party.
Someone dancing at Pink Potato Club.
"my friends are gonna be there. So I'll be okay."
