House keeps ‘scene alive’

Darleen’s bar in Busselton has used live streaming to maintain its loyal Friday Night House Party patrons thanks to Rua Te Weehi, AKA DJ Roux.

Roux has been the resident DJ at Darleen’s since its opening in 2016, and his prolific talent for house mixing has resulted in a storied reputation among late-night revellers in Busselton.

Entering the COVID-19 pandemic, Roux was convinced the South West and Darleen’s would not see the devastating effects of the virus, and House Party would keep on rolling, until a government mandate to close all bars and restaurants ruined the vibe on March 23.

Seven weeks later, hospitality businesses are desperate to maintain their regular customers by delivering takeaway food and drinks or, in Darleen’s case, by keeping the Friday Night House Party going.

Roux said technology and copyright issues had been a significant hurdle to leap, but the core group of DJs were ready to supply Busselton with great tunes for their Friday nights at home.

“The last Friday when we played outside Darleen’s we just streamed off my phone — there were 3000 engagements. A couple of our streams have reached over 1000 views,” he said.

“It’s trying to keep the scene alive while we’re all stuck inside by keeping it relevant either on Twitch or Facebook or sometimes Instagram.

Music has always been a major passion for Roux, who is also head chef at Amelia Park Lodge in Abbey.

“I think music and cooking are pretty similar things when it comes to creativity,” he said.

“With cooking you’re mixing ingredients to make a dish and when you DJ, you’re mixing songs and elements to make a performance.

“I’ve been into music since I was a kid.

“I play six instruments and I’ve been DJing for 15 years now.

“I’ve learnt drums, bass, keys and music production over the years.” He said Darleen’s Friday Night House Party was a creative and inclusive environment for young adults and artists from Busselton to mingle and learn what it took to perform live in a club-style environment.

“We’ve slowly added lights and great club speakers so we’re developing and giving up-and- coming young DJs a go so they can play in front of a crowd and use professional equipment,” he said.

The DJ has inspired many music lovers in the community to continue to hone their craft during social restrictions.

You can find the Friday Night House Party stream on Facebook and Twitch tonight.