Award winning streaming organisation StreamGM has announced MainRoom, Greater Manchester’s first live-streamed, grassroots clubbing series.
MainRoom will capture the region’s iconic, underground club culture.
Each monthly episode will broadcast live and direct from the dancefloors of the deepest, darkest spaces, nightspots, rooftops, and basements around the city-region.
The series will profile vibrant and emerging events, with a focus on shining a spotlight on the beautiful diversity of Mancunian nightlife, capturing Greater Manchester’s ever-evolving styles and scenes, bringing the region’s dancefloors to living rooms across the globe and building an archive of the most exciting DJs and promoters operating in the city.
Each MainRoom will be announced and promoted in advance by StreamGM and the club nights they are collaborating with, with the three-hour broadcasts available to watch here.
MainRoom will launch on Sunday July 24th, livestreaming an exciting, new event at Escape to Freight Island called: She’s In Control.
She’s In Control aims to put artists who are women and people of marginalised genders at the front and centre of this one-day shindig, which is part of the Better Sundays Summer festivals series at Freight Island.
The line-up of amazing local, established, and emerging talent is part of the ongoing revolution to address years of gender imbalance behind the DJ turntables.
Taking part in the She’s In Control MainRoom livestream are rising stars; Jade Li, Edie, Danielle Moore from band Crazy P and Homoelectric resident, Gina Breeze.
The She’s In Control and MainRoom collaboration will also raise awareness and funds for local organisation ‘Brighter Sound’ whose aim is to ‘develop the music creators, leaders and industry professionals of the future, with a particular focus on supporting those who are historically and currently underrepresented.’
StreamGM’s MainRoom series will be presented by Rebecca Swarray, who is the founder and curator of Manchester based events and arts collective,RebeccaNeverBecky and co-founder of queer DJ Collective, Queer Latifah.
She is also known as DJ Mix-Stress, a respected and firm favourite on the Manchester clubbing scene and beyond, with her soulful and uplifting sets.
Other episodes lined up for MainRoom include collaborations with: La Discotheque, Not Bad For A Girl, Mixing Mates, Black Gold Arts and Band on the Wall.
Co-founder of StreamGM Laura Graham said, “Greater Manchester’s clubbing scene is historic, and renowned as THE destination city for a night out.
This is partly due to the region’s vast clubbing tapestry, amazing super clubs, and major venues across the city, but also because Greater Manchester has always maintained a thriving, progressive and influential, grassroots clubbing scene, and it’s this scene we want to identify and explore.
MainRoom will provide visibility for Manchester’s local clubbing culture, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, accessibility, empowerment, and most of all – fun times – for marginalised groups.
We will collaborate directly with promoters and take amazing local talent and new clubbing concepts beyond the venue walls with our online audiences. MainRoom will also give viewers a sense of the latest music, dance and fashion trends, straight from the club vibes and dancefloors.
People all over the world will be able to use MainRoom to dip into Manchester’s epic clubbing scene, use our streams as soundtracks to house parties, or watch them to research future nights out in the city.
During United We Stream, our team were overwhelmed by messages from people for whom live streaming had given them access to events they would never normally be able to attend for myriad reasons, from disability and caring responsibilities to location or cost. MainRoom will open Mancunian clubbing to EVERYONE.
Each episode will also function as a growing archive to illustrate Manchester’s diverse clubbing scene.”
MainRoom host Rebecca commented, “MainRoom is a vital and exciting platform that will showcase exactly what the real creative essence of Manchester is.
Platforming people on the ground, creating spaces and places for the under-presented and less visible is vital for cultural identity. This city has a melting pot of diverse talent, and I am honoured to be involved in MainRoom and look forward to speaking, showcasing, and interviewing some amazing people doing amazing things.”
She’s In Control is masterminded by respected promoter BB who also runs renowned, inclusive club night: Supernature.
BB explained, “She’s In Control is inspired by a series of interviews that Kamila Rymadjo, a music journalist based in Manchester, conducted with several other women DJs and I, investigating ‘ageism and sexism on the dance floor’ and in electronic dance music.
Kamila’s excellent journalism has made me want to make She’s In Control really count, in both celebrating DJs who are women and people of marginalised genders, and to help raise awareness of the work of Brighter Sound.
DJ-ing at and putting on Supernature parties in my 50s, has been a way to provide me and other local DJs with a chance to get behind the decks and play to a crowd, something that I never thought I’d be able to do or be successful at, and inclusivity is at the very heart of what we do.
She’s In Control has allowed me to widen these opportunities to an amazing range of artists, all of whom I admire for who they are and what they are achieving.
I am thrilled to be able to platform She’s in Control through StreamGM’s MainRoom, and for people from Manchester and beyond to realise so much amazing and original talent lies within our community. Thank you to Freight Island for giving us the most wonderful launch venue for She’s In Control.”
Mixing Mates founder Kerry McColgan continued, “I started up Mixing Mates in October 2017, as a project to bring DJ’s that I wanted to hear and have a dance with, in a venue in the city; yet no other promoters in Manchester were bringing these people here for a set.
I contacted Stage & Radio in the Northern Quarter, who provided us the space to go forth and start booking these artists. Five years later, we’re still going strong, and you can still find us there in their intimate 150 cap sized basement that we like to call our home.
We are night based around a bunch of mates getting together to bring to you some of our favourite DJ’s, music & dance moves. We are thrilled to collaborate with StreamGM to platform our vibes on MainRoom.”
Darren Pritchard founder of Black Gold Arts concluded, “Black Gold Arts are excited to be involved in StreamGM’s MainRoom series. We represent a community that is vastly underrepresented in the arts. Any opportunity to shine a light on the work we do is fully welcome.”
From the team that created Greater Manchester’s international, smash hit 2020 fundraising project United We Stream, StreamGM is a not-for-profit streaming service, showcasing amazing cultural talent from Greater Manchester. StreamGM is supported by GMCA Culture’s Strategic budget, in recognition of the key role of the platform in providing global audiences for Greater Manchester culture.
StreamGM recently partnered with FAC51 The Hacienda for their landmark 40th Birthday party, and livestreamed their entire eight hour event, direct from the carpark of the Hacienda Apartments on Whitworth St.
The sold-out event on Saturday May 21st featured renowned Hacienda resident DJ’s: Graeme Park, Paulette, Jon Da Silva, KKlass, Hewan Clarke and Greg Wilson, and was watched by ravers all over the world through StreamGM’s vast global, online community and digital platform.
The ‘for one night only’ broadcast has already accrued over 120,000 views across various StreamGM platforms. The show can be watched back on StreamGM’s website, or YouTube page. The Hacienda pledged all profits from the birthday rave up, for Legacy of War Foundation and The Christie charity, and held an online auction to win a rare guitar signed by Peter Hook and The Hacienda resident DJ’s.
Other previous StreamGM collaborations include: Manchester International Festival, ‘Unconvention’ music industry conference, and GM Digital Pride. StreamGM has also won a plethora of industry awards for their work, including a Royal Television Society Award.
The MainRoom series concept demonstrates StreamGM’s ongoing commitment to promote the absolute best culture from the region, bringing artists, performers, DJ’s, musicians and stages from across Greater Manchester into living rooms around the world.
