Putting a spin on things

Movimientos was born in 2004 after activists from five London-based Latin American campaign groups had a hunch.

There must be more to building solidarity than just organising demos, meetings and mailing lists.

Following the philosophy that "it's not my revolution if I can't dance," they started a free midweek night in a Camden basement bar once a month in the hope of attracting a different crowd to the cause.

"We want to provide a platform for groups to reach a new audience," explains co-founder Cal Jader. "And, as a DJ, I'm always interested in showcasing new sounds and educating people while they dance."

The combination of underground revolutionary documentaries, grass-roots political debate, cutting-edge Latin dance music and cheap booze was a hit.

Within a short time, the party had to move to the larger Salmon and Compass bar in London's Angel, where it still packs them in every first Thursday of the month. Unfortunately, the drinks are a tad pricier.

Nights are normally themed around a country or regional issue and begin with a movie on that subject, with the film-makers themselves often answering questions.

"The two main issues that we've been focusing on recently are the environment and the rights of indigenous people, which, of course, are very much linked," says Jader. "Our scope has widened to involve green activist groups and the Native Spirit foundation, which promotes the rights of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas."

Next week's event looks at Ecuador, with a presentation by the Yasuni Green Gold campaign on pressing the progressive Correa government to rule against drilling for oil under some of the last remaining non-contact tribes in the country.

It's good to get there early, because the cinema room is packed by 8pm and it soon gets hard to avoid a one-in-one-out situation. Luckily, the dancefloor downstairs is lively, with the sound system spinning everything from traditional salsa to more contemporary aciton, a psychedelic version of reggaeton.

Guest bands and musicians, many from Latin America, bring you closer to the culture as well as the politics. Live instruments fade in and out, MCs come and go, but the beat goes on. It has the feel of an underground techno party, with musicians and DJs dancing and chatting at the bar between stints behind the decks.

Though there are many regulars - you'll meet the same people time and again - what makes Movimientos different to most socials is that there's a real mix politically. It can be almost refreshing to hear random right-wing views from Latin American tourists who have been steered here by Time Out and they're the ones who can benefit most from being exposed to these radical ideas.

Over the years, the Movimientos footprint has expanded to include monthly nights in the Notting Hill Arts Club and the Brixton Jamm, but these have a bigger gig feel. Jader and the crew also host Glastonbury Left Field's Latin fiesta and have programmed council and other festivals with the Global Local project along with joint events at underground activist mecca the Synergy Centre.

"With these new nights, we've branched off into different kinds of Latin music and added elements of performance art. We want to provide a Latin alternative which doesn't just involve salsa and reggaeton, because the domination of these types of music can cloud people's perspective," he says.

It's all come a long way since the Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina and Nicaragua solidarity campaigns and Hands Off Venezuela thought up a new way to mix pop and politics. But what's the next step - taking the movement to Latin America, perhaps?

"We've been invited to play in Venezuela, so there are a few possibilities along those lines," reveals Jader, "but our main focus has always been to raise awareness here. We'd be pretty excited to put the club on there, it'd be a bit like coming home."

Movimientos is at the Salmon and Compass, 58 Penton Street, London N1 on Thursday October 2 2008 from 7pm to 2am. Entry by donations before 9pm, £3 after.

ON THE INTERNET

www.movimientos.org.uk