A young Bury man has turned his passion into a reality by organising raves to showcase talented DJs in a ‘completely safe and inclusive environment’.
After hearing some of his close friends mixing, Nathan Brown, 22, felt their talent needed to be shared with the world and set up business LOCKED OFF while studying at university.
Despite now working full time, he is more determined than ever to keep the company going and push for local talent to be heard.
Nathan said: “I work full time as a Digital Marketing Apprentice, but I had always wanted to get involved in the music scene.
“I wanted to create my own night that offered a platform for smaller Bury and Manchester-based DJs to showcase their talent and build their careers.
“It is my passion, and I am just buzzed to help lesser-known talent have that chance to perform.
"On top of that, by doing LOCKED OFF, we are creating memories, as a community, that will last a lifetime.”
Although competing against similar events like the Warehouse project, Nathan believes LOCKED OFF is more inclusive of new talent and works as a safe environment to perform and rave.
He said: “What makes it stand out from other events is the sense of community involvement, you see a lot of the same faces attending and everyone in the room is there to have a great time.
“It is about the people that come to the event.
“I’ve been blown away with the number of people who have attended the last two events, it absolutely shattered my expectations, and it created a mega vibe that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.”
His ambition is to one day host a LOCKED OFF event in Ibiza with their resident DJs in the line-up.
His current resident DJs include Alex Longworth, Ben Ratcliffe, Jacob Lythgoe and Oliver Richards.
As well as his long-time friends, any talented locals and like-minded people are encouraged to get in contact with Nathan if they are interested in showcasing their skillset.
The next LOCKED OFF event will be held on Friday, September 9, at XLR, Manchester.
The event begins at 10pm and ticket holders must be aged over 18.
Nathan said: “The last two events have been a great success, with a sold-out show for our launch party and a much bigger turnout than expected for our second show.
“We’ve had such amazing feedback from everyone that attended and it’s such an insane feeling that all these people have chosen to spend their Saturday nights with us over anywhere else they could be.”
For more information head over to https://www.instagram.com/lockedoffmcr/
If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at Harriet.Heywood@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @Heywoodharriet_
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