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A Guide To Boiler Room

In 2010 Blaise Bellville invited club DJ, Thristian Richards, and NTS Radio founder Femi Adeyemi to record a live mixtape at the offices of his online magazine, Platform. The session was recorded with a webcam in the unused boiler room of Platform’s office building. The footage was uploaded to Ustream and Boiler Room took its first breath.

A loss of focus and a waning appreciation of the underground music scene in London inspired the need for Boiler Room. Pirate radio culture is an integral part of Britain’s rich broadcasting history and in its own way, Boiler Room is a 21st century incarnation of that movement. Within a year the sessions gained so much traction that their flood of users regularly crashed the Ustream interface. Five years later and Boiler Room has become a curator, a testing ground for unheard material and a showcase of the finest talent from across the world.

The sessions take place in intimate, unconventional spaces and the audience attends on an invite-only basis. The idea is to maintain the original sweaty, dark, enclosed feeling of the first sessions and fill the room with people who really want to be there – because of the music and not because they can afford a heavy ticket price or want to look cool.

Record labels partner with Boiler Room for “takeover sessions” to showcase their artists and upcoming releases. Fairly unknown artists have broken their silence in these sessions while bigger artists have used the platform to sneakily introduce new material to the world. One of Boiler Room’s most profound moments occurred when Jamie XX debuted his Adele ‘Rolling in the Deep’ remix and almost broke the internet. The nature of the live broadcast inspires unity by making anyone with an internet connection feel like they are part of the audience. Being part of a Boiler Room audience places you in the front row of history. If you have ever woken up wishing you could experience a great night out again, Boiler Room’s archives are the place where you could recreate those feelings. As an artist, the archives are an invaluable learning tool and a yardstick for your own progress.

In recent conversations with a few local artists about the value of Boiler Room in their own lives, I discovered an emphatic consensus. Teh Synes, a drum n bass and footwork producer shared his thoughts, “Its importance lies in its candid viewpoint of the artist and as a showcase it doesn’t get much better than the artists back facing the dancefloor. It’s a kind of punk statement where the music and artist is the focus. This can really stimulate creativity in the right setting.”

While younger artists like Terrasoul, a house producer currently making waves in the Cape Town scene, find value in the educational aspect, “Boiler Room, being one of the most intimate recordings any DJ/Producer can take part in, is a vital way for upcoming DJs/Producers to learn what it takes to be a world class performer. There are only so many things one can learn through listening, but with a visual experience from the eyes of the DJ one can really grasp the essence and energy one requires to perform at your peak…”

In 2013, Boiler Room came to South Africa for the first time, in partnership with Cape Town Electronic Music Festival. The line-up showcased the talents of Floyd Lavine, Killer Robot, Sibot, Shangaan Electro and Black Coffee. In March 2015, Boiler Room returns to our shores and heads to Johannesburg for Round 2. In partnership with Ballantine’s, Boiler Room has created the Stay True Journeys which showcase the key players and unique music scenes that are thriving in countries around the world. In Johannesburg we will have front rows seats as the world is taught what it means to be part of South African electronic music culture with Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and Okmalumkoolkat.

There are a few things to keep in mind when attending a Boiler Room session, follow our guide and make the best of your experience.

How Boiler Room works (and how to make it work for you):

1. You may attend by invitation only – apply here
2. Venue details are divulged to ticket holders alone, keep that information safe
3. Arrive with an open mind and great attitude
4. The dancefloor is placed behind the artists, so they will be playing with their backs to you
5. There is no separation between you and the artist, you could possibly find yourself standing right next to your idol while he plays the songs you have on repeat on your iPod
6. The sessions are streamed live but also recorded and archived
7. Don’t be shy, party like no one is watching
8. Don’t get too drunk and do something stupid on camera, the world is watching and your indiscretion will be immortalized

A man and his webcam created one of the most revolutionary underground music platforms in recent history. Take that thought as your inspiration for the day and don’t discount the value of your own ideas.

Follow Angela on Twitter.