Blog

Back in 2022, after a long and stressful lockdown for many of our learners and staff, Under the Stars nightclub was finally ready to welcome our community back to the dancefloor at The Leadmill. We were so joyous about it that we shouted our return loudly, and people listened! Look North came to film our opening night, and aired the footage on TV the next evening. It was such a positive news story that BBC Breakfast picked it up.

Watching us on that BBC Breakfast show were some staff members from AlphaTheta, the company that owns Pioneer DJ, Rekordbox, and more. They immediately noticed that our DJs were using their innovative DJ products in our workshops and at club nights, and they were very impressed. So impressed, in fact, that they contacted our CEO Ruth and asked if they could come and see us—and their equipment—in action.

AlphaTheta brands their work under the ‘One Through Music’ banner, aiming “to enhance the creative potential of music and enable a world filled with joy.” This aligns brilliantly with our own ethos, so we invited them to one of our club nights at The Leadmill. Anita, head of Legal, and some of her team made the trip North and were blown away by what they saw and heard.

Fast forward to summer 2024, when the AlphaTheta team extended an invitation for a reciprocal visit to their HQ in London. We weren’t going to turn down that opportunity! So on Tuesday, 1st October, six learners and six staff members from Under the Stars headed off for a day of pure DJ indulgence. Here’s what some of our DJs had to say:

Arshad: “It was great. The people were nice and caring. They took us around on a tour. The food was nice, the people were great. We got a cup of tea when we got there. There were lots of studios; we had lunch, then we did stuff on the decks. Goody bags as well—reyt good t-shirts, headphones, notebook, everything. It was absolutely wicked.”

Julia: “Taking our group of six DJs to the AlphaTheta HQ was a treat from start to finish. They worked so hard to give us a memorable day. Nothing was too much trouble, and they made us feel like stars! My highlight was seeing the polaroid of ‘DJ Shaq’ pinned up next to Carl Cox on the AlphaTheta Wall of Fame—exactly where he belongs!”

Anita from AlphaTheta sent this message following our visit: “We thoroughly enjoyed the day, and it’s one we will remember. You are an amazing team with amazing people, and what you do means so very much. You genuinely improve lives and are a true inspiration.”

It goes without saying that we loved visiting the Alphatheta studio. Here’s hoping there will be other opportunities to partner with such a great company in the future!