Follow the money. That’s what we’re always told when it comes to sleuthing ill-gotten gains and dodgy practice.

It’s also an instructive approach for revealing what’s at the root of the forces disrupting and downgrading life’s nicer rhythms right now.

If we follow the logic and observe where indecently-stuffed-bagfuls of venture capital are landing, the endgame is clear. Solving global hunger or reversing the climate crisis are nice enough ideas, but the paydirt is in developing endless new tools that encourage us to remain in our most comfortable chair or sofa, with the ability to sate virtually every possible need with minimal effort.

Working, playing, shopping, flirting, banking, wanking, learning, gambling and scrolling... always scrolling.

This ‘revolution’ is facilitated by building ever greater AI data centres, then locking everyone into unavoidable subscriptions, platforms and apps, and finally creaming off percentage revenues and personal data on every transaction and interaction, at vast scale.

When the resulting ‘lifestyle’ ends up feeling devoid of meaning, and our physical condition risks atrophy from not having to lift much more than a finger, we can summon a driverless robotaxi to carry us to the gym, were we can spend time contributing more data towards our gamified health app metrics in the delusional hope of feeling momentarily like we’re winning.

Reducing life’s burdens via clever innovations made huge sense when the arrival of the washing machine freed millions of woman from a daily drudgery, but the social good of each incremental easing of another little friction has diminishing returns.

Does gifting us the ability to have a tepid McDonalds brought half a mile to our door by a gig economy rider on an illegally powerful electric bike really do much to untie the apron-strings for those slaving over a hot microwave ready meal?

In the bland utopia our well-funded tech overlords are shaping, messy encounters like getting slaughtered with an unexpected bunch of strangers at the local pub, or pulling a random on a sweaty dancefloor, are little more than uncomfortable social moments ripe for being optimised away.

The unpredictable nature of meeting new people without algorithmic assist becomes something to fear and avoid, despite it’s potential for personal growth and happiness.

And as the vital act of socialising itself becomes just another maintenance activity, something we need to schedule for our wellbeing rather than a simple daily occurrence, we’re told that gyms and fitness studios offer a rare third space without the focus on unhealthy boozing, smoking and the rest.

So that’s good, right..?

Except the same kind of VC interests have their tentacles very much around many of these spaces now, optimising returns and diminishing the mess that makes a visit feel social and human. Whether that’s by operating without staff, not paying PRS (so instructors can’t use their own music playlists), or in some cases destroying decades of careful community-building.

Last month, the collapse of one such extractively-funded group saw the sudden closure of the world renowned Camden-born yoga studio, Triyoga. Set up in 2000 in Primrose Hill and lazily branded a ‘celeb fave’ ever since, once P-Hill Set locals like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Kate Moss had been spotted stumbling out in the early days, the studio would more accurately be described as one of London’s biggest wellness communities, established long before anything like that was even a thing.

As yoga really took off in the West, it was at the forefront of London’s scene, - earning its detractors in the process, of course - but also changing the lives of many who’d wandered in yoga-curious and ended up devoting years to the simple pursuit of shared sacred movement and breath.

For 23 years I’ve been one them. I didn’t feel the need to socialise too much beyond the mat, but just being in a room with others and working on the same physical challenges without any particular objective other than the practice itself, delivered so much of that friction of the human condition that is ultimately delicious in its struggle.

Over recent months, you could feel the dull creep of big capital edging aside all the unquantifiable value of community and human interaction. Teachers left after not getting paid, email updates, one so personal and heartfelt, were evasive or non-existent.

It’s difficult to know whether the soulless approach caused the group’s demise, or was a product of it, but buying something so special and effectively trashing the life out of it is something more often seen in tech acquisitions. Hmmm.

Thankfully, in the same vein we covered in our Camdenist panel the other day on analogue joy, the kickback against this depressing model is hugely optimistic to witness in action.

Independent yoga studios have offered the hundreds of Triyoga refugees free classes, and are squeezing in extra ones to give the teachers cut adrift a space to continue earning their living, too.

These include HOME, run by former Triyoga founder Jonathan and based in the original Primrose Hill location, and Mission, the huge studio set up by one-time Triyoga manager Genny, both of which have demonstrated that fostering a genuine sense of community, with passion and morals at its heart, trumps bland wellness empires every time.

I’ve visited both studios this week, and the human warmth that has emerged from the messy friction of Tri’s demise really highlights all that had been missing in the last days of its corporate misadventure.

Meanwhile, Michelle Pernetta, who was the first person to bring hot yoga to the UK in a site in Queen’s Crescent, Kentish Town a year before Triyoga even opened, is also about to make a return to the neighbourhood.

She’s brining her Fierce Grace method to a beautiful railway arch at Hawley Wharf and, having lost her own local studio in challenging circumstances a few years ago, knows exactly what it feels like to have it such a central part of your daily life suddenly disappear.

“People sometimes underestimate what a yoga studio means to its community,” she says. “It's not just somewhere you go to exercise. It's where you go to feel strong when life has knocked you down. Where you find your courage, your peace, your people. The teachers know you. The familiar faces become friends. You belong.”

She too is offering Triyoga students and teachers a brilliant offer when she opens the doors next week. More info to follow here.

“I've poured everything I have into creating our new Camden studio,” she goes on. “It's half temple, half nightclub. You can work incredibly hard, completely let go, dance, meditate, or just lie there and breathe.” All of which sound like the antithesis of remaining slumped on the sofa ordering another Deliveroo, with just the right kind of unexpected edge.

Now that we’ve ironed out so many of the kinks in life comes the ironic realisation that without them, nothing much interesting happens. A life ostensibly made easy by tech isn’t really the kind of rich patchwork of experiences we actually crave.

It actually introduces plenty of new, unwanted little frictions into the system, too: having to book your own tickets for everything, often via hideous online queues, navigating glitchy self-service tills or QR code menus, getting locked out of banking due to layers of security…

As we know though, friction is where the most delicious stuff in life originates, and as the kickback against those who engineer it out for their own gain gathers pace, I actually think the tech future has the potential to be challenging in all the right ways.

NIGHTLIFE 🪩 Back when I was cutting my clubbing teeth on Camden’s dancefloors, Saturday night at the Electric Ballroom was a weekly occurrence. And a musically accessible big night out bash has been on offer in one form or another there to this day. The latest incarnation of this classic mashup of party anthems, R&B, pop and more is called The Loop, which has just made is debut and packs ‘um in this Sat 10th Oct and every week.

Also new on the Camden Riviera nightlife strip every Saturday is the arrival of the UK’s biggest indie night, Propaganda at the Barfly. It bring all the shamelessly huge guitar anthems and singalong classics this Sat 10th Oct. for a sleazily fashion-savvy crowd seeking the good times.

FOOD 🍜 Three Uncles, the Hong Kong-style Sui Mei roast meats vendor that you may well know from spots in Camden Town, Brixton or others is about to open a new branch in King’s Cross, on York Way. They will be offering 50% off the cost of your meal if you sign up to be first to receive news of the imminent opening, too.

FASHION 🕴🏼Men’s clothing brand Wax London has joined forces with Camden Town Brewery to offer a limited-edition collection of apparel, accessories and a one-off lager celebrating their shared NW5 roots. Head to the Beer Hall behind Kentish Town West station where you can pick up the exclusive shirt, cap or tote bag and sip on the the Wax London Lager until the end of the month.

EXHIBITION 🖼️ As part of the ongoing Bloomsbury Festival, there’s a new exhibition of unseen memorabilia and memories of ‘Bloomsbury Set’ author and gay rights champ E M Forster and paintings by Jim Buckingham the nephew of Forster’s working-class policeman friend Bob Buckingham. Now in his 80s, Jim Buckingham has put together a collection of memorabilia, letters, photographs and his own unseen life’s work of paintings including portraits of Forster himself. Next event is Mon 12th Oct at Holborn Library.

EVENT 💡Rebel Later Life: The Ideas Party is a one-day conference where guest speakers, authors and campaigners will be challenging the traditional media narrative around ageing. Keynote speaker Lynne Franks is alongside panels and workshops focussing on 'How to create a Funky Funeral', 'What if your Pension isn't Enough?' 'Can I Still Find a Partner after 50?' 'Creating an Income from the Things you Enjoy' plus a flamboyant photo studio, and a pleasure playground courtesy of sex toy company Hello Nancy. You’ll find it all at Cecil Sharp House on Sat 10th Oct. Camdenist readers get 50% OFF the ticket price (without lunch) using the code CAMDEN50 at the checkout.

EXHIBITION 📸 A new public indoor and outdoor show for Black History Season, Our People, Our Spirit, Our Stories starts today, Fri 9th Oct at Hawley Wharf. Curated in association with Orphée Kashala, the exhibition honors the pioneers, creatives, and artists who have shaped Camden’s community and cultural legacy, so look out for archival imagery, artworks, and photographs featuring the likes of Akala, Beryl Gilroy, Claudia Jones, Jazzie B, Little Simz, Normski and a hole load more.