From a Grey College kitchen to the Klute basement, Zachary and Will told us, “there’s only one room you want to be in”. They unveiled the details for the launch of their electronic club night scheduled for this Friday.
‘Building from the floor’ of a college kitchen
Zachary Berney, also known as “BERNZ”, a first-year International Relations student from Grey College, told us that OneRoom was developed on the third night of Freshers’ Week. As a fresher, he explained the importance of a new and refreshing perspective on Durham nightlife, in the hope of de-commercialising clubs.
His vision began within the confines of his kitchen walls. They started with a few decks and around 35 students, showcasing talent from the bottom, rather than succumbing to the potential repetitiveness of other nights.
OneRoom aims to hone a more collective, personalised and intimate environment, attracting those who enjoy the music, rather than simply getting drunk and consequently underappreciating its artistry.
Born from ‘Overheard at Durham’
Zachary told us that he took to a Facebook forum known as “Overheard at Durham” in order to reach out to fellow student DJs. From that very post, OneRoom was born.
Will Caygill, second year Chemistry student from Van Mildert, and Ruben Grout, Ustinov postgraduate joined forces with Zachary, expanding their scope by reaching out to a diverse age range of undergraduates, and mature students.
This idea was shaped by their collective DJ experiences both at home and overseas, with notable locations like the Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza, the San Antonio strip, and BamBuKu. Others include Distrikt Bar Leeds, and Headrow House. They hope to mirror these experiences onto the Durham vision.
OneRoom x Klute: Details of their launch this Friday
OneRoom’s first event is scheduled for this coming Friday, at the Klute basement. Entry is £2, and the team told us they aimed to keep events as affordable as possible. Profit is not their aim; any money raised will be put back into arranging future events.
Capacity is limited to 80-90 tickets. OneRoom described this as a “test” in order to gauge their initial popularity, hoping to grow their reach beyond Grey’s kitchen circle. The event’s small and selective nature truly emphasises the intimacy of music, building upon their founding ‘”friend-network”, which has led them to this point today.
Founder Zachary described the overwhelmingly chaotic feeling, and potential claustrophobia which often comes with larger settings, stressing the benefits of smaller capacities, all united through a shared appreciation of sound.
The ultimate space for ‘people who care for the sound’
OneRoom offers a “distinct sound”, with genres ranging from speed garage to UKG. They stress the quality of the music, achieved through experience, passion and dedication.
Their emphasis on house music ultimately stems from the fact it is already a universal genre, yet isn’t as concentrated in Durham. OneRoom told us they believe this is something that Durham is missing, and so they aim to fill this gap by “bringing in something which already has an appetite for it”.
Shaping a new generation of memorable music talents
They urge students to come along and invest in something “which is fresh”, redefining club culture by a new generation. Significantly, they see this as a from the often complacent, over-familiarity which they ascribed to other club nights.
Crucially, they are committed to providing a platform for other hopeful talents to break their way into the scene, who otherwise may not be given another chance to play again.
OneRoom likened this to other events who often place a greater deal of emphasis on recurring headliners, rather than broadening their line-ups to include new faces and styles of music.
