upperground

upperground is a new DJ residency at V&A East Museum, inviting artists and selectors to activate the museum’s upper ground floor on Thursday evenings.

Each edition places the spotlight on one guest DJ, giving them space to develop an extended set through their own musical language. Moving across genres, generations and geographies, upperground recognises DJing and selection as creative practices that connect histories, communities and sounds.

Taking place during the museum’s public opening hours, the programme explores how live music can change the way a museum is inhabited and create space to listen, dance, meet and experience the building differently.

Next up
On Thursday 13 August, upperground welcomes polyjammerous, the London cultural platform and multi genre club night founded by Kemi Obasola and Filsan Mohamed. For their V&A East takeover, resident DJ KEMI is joined by DIGITAL SAINT and Baby Jackz for three hours of music moving across club sounds and global electronic music.

Polyjammerous was founded from a desire to reimagine nightlife and create dancefloors that centre Black femmes, queer communities and genre fluid musical exploration. Drawing on sounds from across the Black diaspora and beyond, its events create playful, high energy spaces built around connection and collective joy. For upperground, KEMI, DIGITAL SAINT and Baby Jackz move through a broad sonic landscape spanning Afro tech, dancehall, amapiano, baile funk, garage, house, jungle and beyond.

Part of The Music is Black Festival from East Bank

6 August 2026 — Josh Caffé
upperground opened with London based DJ, producer, singer and activist Josh Caffé, whose practice moves through house, techno and queer club culture. His extended set brought the intimacy and energy of the dancefloor into V&A East Museum for the first edition of the residency.