New Exeter House and Techno community meet-ups a hit in the city
A cafe in Exeter has become a regular meeting point for a rapidly expanding group of aspiring house and techno DJs.
So far Sunset Society cafe has hosted four successful community meet-ups giving new DJs the opportunity to spin their tunes on professional decks in a relaxed and supportive environment.
The house and techno Facebook group founder Tim Lawton is staggered by the response from local music lovers since the community’s launch last September.
At last Saturday’s meet-up, the first this year, Tim said: “There’s clearly a real thirst for music artists for a community like this.
“It’s attracting a wide range of ages from 18 to 60, a culmination of 90’s original ravers and newbies.”
The Sunset Society cafe manager Charlie West quickly saw an opportunity for the trendy venue after joining the Facebook group.
Charlie said: “I’ve had the idea of having an open deck night for a few years so I joined Tim’s House and Techno Facebook group and seeing the conversations in there I thought this cafe is going to be a good place to have people play.”
He also said that last weekend’s meet-up had its biggest turnout yet with 30 DJ’s contacting him about securing a DJ slot.
Ali, a final year student at Exeter University and experienced DJ said: “It’s a good trial run, you don’t have the pressure - it’s almost a simulatory kind of experience.”
For 56 year old Neil Chandler the group has fulfilled his ambition to play techno music not just in the cafe meet-ups but also commercially for Lawton’s techno night Gravitate.
Neil said: “There really wasn’t a house and techno scene in Exeter so it’s great to be involved in building a kind of vibe in Exeter that wasn’t there previously.”
As well as creating opportunities for music artists Tim said that he was delighted that the community is also serving people who may have recently moved into the area or just want to meet new people and socialise rather than just being about music.”
You can join Exeter's House & Techno Community group on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/exeterhouseandtechno
