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Alex Silverfish Remembered
Reported by News Editor
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Submitted 05-03-10 15:21
Friends of underground techno legend Alex Silverfish have set up a Facebook group to commemorate Alex’s contributions to London’s alternative culture, 18 months after Alex committed suicide in her East London flat.
The Italian born DJ established one of London’s first all night art-space locations at Charing Cross Road in the early 90s (called Silverfish) going on to host hundreds of unlicensed warehouse parties in the city over the next decade.
Chatting to Skrufff.com in 2002, she sounded a note of caution about the direction the free party scene was moving in, highlighting her always keen sensitivity to others.
“When you do parties you’re in charge of lots of people and responsible for their lives because they let themselves go to the music, to the drugs and the drink and you become the only one that is in charge as a promoter, of their lives. You need to be aware all the time,” she advised.
“You need to be safety conscious because tragedies can happen in a matter of seconds. I don’t see people paying enough attention to these matters. If they addressed these issues more they’d find their parties stopped less and have their sound systems confiscated a bit less than they do now,” she said.
“Sometimes on the London underground techno scene you see people on ketamine that look exactly like zombies and to me, having put a lot of energy into this scene and techno music, I feel a bit guilty about having produced all this, if this is the ultimate result of what we wanted to achieve. Maybe we’ve produced the exact opposite of what we wanted to and that thought worries me? Maybe we’ve been giving the wrong message to the new generation?” she added.
Changing sex in 2003, she embraced the flamboyance offered by the electroclash scene and clubs such as Nag Nag Nag and the Cock though suffered in her private life as a new generation of teenage Bengali gangs began relentlessly tormenting her on her East London housing estate.
“Experiencing aggression and receiving hate has been a constant for quite a few years, so much so that maybe I’m almost becoming used to the daily abuse,” she told Skrufff in 2004, “We live in a society of resentment, rejection of freedom and homophobic hate.”
The new Facebook group (dubbed ‘The Silverfish Collective- In Memory Of Alex Oppido’ summed up Alex’s legacy succinctly.
“The Silverfish concept has inspired generations DJs, club promoters, artists, musicians and record shop owners,” it says, “The death of one of its founders and most creative member has lowered the curtains to an era that will never be forgotten. A fund raising event will be held soon in London in memory of Alex.”
http://tinyurl.com/y92p2z4 (Click here to access Alex’s Facebook memorial page)
Jonty Skrufff (http://skrufff.com): Follow Jonty on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jontyskrufff Share this :: : : : 
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