Introducing: Retrojam

Retrojam will probably be a name you’ve seen on your news feed or Facebook event inbox recently. But unlike many events which get discarded or forgotten about, it looks like Retrojam will definitely be a name to remember.

The Soton Tab managed to talk to the founder, Will Cutting, to find out about Retrojam and what it hopes to bring to the students of Southampton.

Firstly Will, for readers who are completely unaware of Retrojam, can you tell us what it’s all about?

Retrojam is a disco fusion night, hosted at Junk, with a bit of everything. It’s a combination of disco house, funk, classic disco and soul. It’s all about those feel-good, uplifting vibes with cruising rhythms and funky basslines. It’s run by myself, with the help of close mates and Junk Club, whom I’m very grateful for having, without them Retrojam wouldn’t exist.

What motivated you to start Retrojam? Did you feel there was a gap in the market for a disco themed night?

I started DJing during Freshers’ and at some house parties towards the end of the year. During that time I discovered FutureGarden and their events. They were playing some really cool music, quite chilled yet rolling disco tracks; underground stuff that seemed to appeal to the masses. This year, my second year, my house mates and I were keen to emulate this, so we started throwing some parties of our own and we took every opportunity that came by. Our music selection was initially very broad, ranging from future garage, to jungle, ghetto funk, all the way to disco. Disco seemed to work best, so by the end of first term I really started to indulge in the genre. I began to search for disco nights in Southampton, but to my surprise there wasn’t a reputable night I felt was dedicated to disco. So I thought fuck it, I’ll make night!

You recently held your first event at the end of April. How did it come about and how successfully do you think it went?

I decided Junk had to be the club to work with since their sound system is just second to none in Southampton. So I just rang them up, organised a meeting and they seemed really interested. It just went from there! The first event couldn’t have gone better really, everything went pretty smoothly. I was pretty surprised with the turn out to be honest, I did not expect 400 people to rock up! I guess Southampton was in dire need of a disco night. But yeah it couldn’t have gone as well as it did without the strong support from my housemates, coursemates and friends who all turned up and poured their hearts out on the dance floor! I’m truly grateful.

Sounds like it went extremely well, I know I’ve heard nothing but positive reviews from friends. Could you tell us a little about the next event and what we can expect?

The next Retrojam is on June 4th, just over a week away! There will be sets from myself and my friends, Francois and Chris. We will be focussing on the best dance music that disco and disco house has to offer. Just like last time, we’re aiming to produce an atmosphere based on good times, good people and good music! Advance tickets have nearly sold out, but fear not, there’ll be 100 left on the door!

Lastly, you mentioned FutureGarden and their success in the Southampton area and their background as university students. Do you hope to emulate their success? What do you see in the future for Retrojam?

At the moment, Junk and ourselves have been looking at doing around two a term next year. I’ve been looking into taking it to Nottingham, but nothings set in stone yet. We shall see!

Let us know what you think of Retrojam in the comments below!