It was one night at Club Voltage, in The Hague, Netherlands, that DJ Moortje — born on the island of Curaçao — invented bubbling, after accidentally setting a dancehall LP spinning at the wrong speed. In that instant, the soundtrack — and perhaps even a way of being — of the Caribbean diaspora so present in that Central European country was born. Sharine Rijsenburg’s film traces the genre’s origins while exploring its vibrant contemporary scene, so powerfully shaped by feminist energy.
Described as a propulsive and highly danceable music crafted by the Caribbean diaspora of the Netherlands, Bubblinh symbolises power, ownership and freedom of the diaspora. By explicitly forefronting the female voices of bubbling, the film shows a joyful and feminist landscape of a musical scene that perfectly embodies an emancipated way of living.
Tracing the historic and cultural roots of the club music, while exploring the contemporary scene that keeps pushing the envelope, Bubblibg Baby offers us a female and feminist perspective on one of the liveliest and most joyful expressions of Dutch-Caribbean cultural heritage. (Helena César)
