SST Interviews: Artnel Johnson on the Origins of Venn Street Nightclub | Huddersfield

Artnel Johnson was a co-founder of a successful Caribbean nightclub that was at the heart of Huddersfield's sound system scene from 1967 until the late 1990s. Known locally as Venn Street (after the road it was located on) Artnel ran the nightclub alongside 11 others, including Errol Babb, Ruben Mctair and Willie Trevors.

In this interview, Artnel recalls the ups and downs of creating and maintaining a social space for the West Indian community. He charts his earlier attempts to create a purpose-built space with an insubstantial grant from the UK government; founding the Hudawi community centre with the help of the local council but later being forced to relinquish control of it; renting and then purchasing the Venn Street venue; and eventually running into financial difficulties that resulted in the club being sold back to the local Sikh family from whom it was originally bought.

The interview was conducted in 2021 in Huddersfield by Gopal Dutta, who produced the interview alongside Mandeep Samra. Zoe Opal East was camera operator.

Read about the making of this interview series on our blog: https://sonic-street-technologies.com...
Website: https://sonic-street-technologies.com
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