DJ’s stream dance parties during lockdown

WELL versed performers, Julie McClaren and Darren Newby of Sweat Dreams DJ’s recognised an opportunity and began live streaming their performances during lockdown.

Usually found supporting and playing at local venues such as The Mallow, Karova and Faux Social Club, the pair said they had been thinking about streaming for quite a while but just didn’t have the resources.

“We had been talking about starting to stream in late 2019 as a way of practicing between gigs and connecting with a wider audience, but it wasn’t until March that we got all the bits and pieces we needed to get started,” Newby said.

“We ran our first stream when stage three restrictions first came into effect in Victoria and since then we’ve hosted around a dozen online events.

“We really had no idea what we were doing that first gig and it was a bit stressful thinking that the technology might fail us, but in the end it was more fun than we ever thought it would be.”

To stay connected in a fun and light-hearted way, the pair aimed to provide a brief distraction from world events for their friends, family and wider community.

With an influx of positive responses to the steams, McClaren said they were excited to get involved and eventually decided to call the online gigs Voyeurismo Discos.

“We chose this name because a lot of the music we play is grounded in disco music, and there’s a voyeuristic element because what we’re broadcasting what an average Friday or Saturday night at our place looks like, having fun and being silly in our lounge room,” she said.

“We have some committed friends and followers who have tuned in to the majority of our online gigs and we really appreciate their support.

“What we love is receiving photos from people who have dressed up for our gigs and have a dance in their lounge room, or other friends who are just enjoying our music in their PJs from the couch.”

Although the live streams are proving successful for everyone involved, Sweat Dreams are excited to take their musical offerings on stage and in front of a crowd once again.

Newby said that they miss the buzz of playing at parties and venues where they can adjust the music to suit the mood of the crowd and especially missing having a dance with their friends.

“We’re sad that events like Meredith, Hopkins Creek and Falls aren’t able to go ahead just yet but we’re hopeful that these iconic events can start up again in future,” he said.

“Once real-life gigs start again, we might do the online gigs a little less frequently, maybe once a month instead of fortnightly.

“As restrictions lift we’re also really keen to find some unusual places to film our sets like rooftops and bush settings.”

The pair said like so many others they realised just how important it is in 2020 to be able to make fun out of the resources they had on hand.

“As well as being good for your physical health, dancing is great for your brain and listening to music and dancing has given us something positive to focus on during a period where it could be easy to focus on the negative,” McClaren said.

“There’s something primal about dancing and even people who say they don’t dance can’t ignore rhythm and best of all, dancing is free.

“If we can help some people out by providing fun tunes and light entertainment in silly outfits then we’ve done our job.”

To tune into Sweat Dream’s live streams visit facebook.com/sweatdreams.djs.