Durham DJs talk about the city’s clubbing scene

From a deluge of cheesy tunes to 2am curfews, Durham nightlife is a far cry from that in bigger cities. One thing that sets it apart from the rest are the varied opportunities for student DJs to showcase their work in Durham’s clubs and bars.

Student DJs have played at some of Durham’s biggest nights, from SIGNAL and fashion shows to the recently launched Freak Out. We spoke to four DJs about their experiences and how they rate Durham’s clubbing scene.

Liam Watkins, Grey, Sociology

What got you started on DJing?

Developing an interest for electronic music as opposed to cheese which saturates the clubbing industry in Durham made me investigate the hardware behind performing and making a ‘set’. I soon bought a cheap controller and began experimenting with my own sounds and discovered it was something I not only enjoyed but at times became addicted to.

What are your musical influences?

I love jazz infused beats and it allowed me to start experimenting with overlapping the beats, merging the beats etc. When I arrived at university I was introduced more to House and Techno and from there began going to Newcastle’s biggest venues which I think is the best way to experience a genre – see people in action.

What has been your best gig in Durham?

Believe it or not my favourite experiences of playing in Durham have been at house parties. Although many do get shut down it is nice to be in a comfortable environment and be able to play whatever you want whenever you want.

Any funny anecdotes about DJing?

My funniest experience of clubbing was New Year’s Eve 2014 in Bristol in the old courthouse, fire station and police cells. The party was going on until 6AM but two people, who had been refused entry, tried to climb through the air vents – after which they got stuck and had to call emergency services. The power was shut down at 3AM for a brief 20 minute period until the d*cks had been ‘rescued’ and then the party continued.

 

Laura Hely Hutchinson, Collingwood, Music

What got you started on DJing?

I’m quite controlling at pres in terms of music so DJing seemed a good solution to this.  I hadn’t done any DJing before uni so I bought some cheap decks in freshers and got practising. Now I DJ more because it’s good to be able to represent women in an industry that lacks a female presence.

What are your musical influences?

DJ-wise, Annie Mac is a big inspiration, as there aren’t enough role models for female DJs. She’s such an established DJ now that she hates being questioned in interviews about being a woman in a male-dominated career because it doesn’t affect her anymore.

What has been your best gig in Durham?

Best gigs in Durham are the formals. There’s less pressure than a house party or a club night and there’s more flexibility to play what you want. No one takes the night too seriously, everyone’s having fun, and it’s great to play to my friends at college. Also my recent Freak Out gig was incredible.

Any funny anecdotes about DJing?

I was hired to play at an LGBT+ boat party to avoid the typical cheese that is played during these nights. They still had to put up a request list to keep people happy, so I had to try and mix Skepta with Disney songs.

 

Jono Theuring, Collingwood, English 

What got you started on DJing?

I was lucky enough to go to a school that offered Music Technology as an A Level, which gave me the chance to produce a three track album that included a trip hop version of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head.’

What are your musical influences?

DJ and musician Bonobo says that he uses his classical education to build the structure and flow of his mixes. Studying music at GCSE and learning the violin and piano before I even touched any decks has definitely given me an awareness of clashes.

What has been your best gig in Durham?

I had a good time playing in Wiff Waff’s Freak Out launch night. It was challenging playing hiphop because of the process of beat matching and trying to avoid lyrical clashes. It was also nostalgic coming up with a playlist because it contained songs I used to listen to at school.

Any funny anecdotes about DJing?

I played another gig at Wiff Waff on the first night of fresher’s week where it was literally just six of my friends. It wasn’t the peak of my DJ career but it was really fun to play what they wanted and it felt like we’d hired the club for the night.

 

Olivier Morain, Grey, Psychology

What got you started on DJing?

I’d been around the environment for a bit, as my best mates had already been DJing for a while. My best friend gave me an old controller when I came to Durham and I just picked it up.

What are your musical influences?

US hip hop, mostly East and South. French hip hop. Detroit techno, Chicago house, Parisian electro. Modern-ish jazz, funk, soul. Blues.

What has been your best gig in Durham?

I have really good memories of my first big night here actually. It was in Fishtank, two hour long hip hop set. Apart from that I’ve had some pretty good experiences around Durham but some house parties were wicked.

Any funny anecdotes about DJing?

I was doing a straight hip hop set in Durham with quite a bit of lesser known tunes; people were rating it. At some point a girl comes up to me asking if I had any Avicii. She had the courage to come back three other times for some Bieber, Steve Aoki and Guetta.