‘The sky’s the limit’ say creators of Nottingham’s first ever drum and bass rooftop party

Video: Square One’s co-founders talk through their biggest event yet

The creators of Nottingham’s first ever drum and bass rooftop party have said ‘the sky’s the limit’ for how far they can take it.

Square One, a drum and bass night based in Nottingham, is throwing the city’s first rooftop party dedicated to one of dance music’s fastest genres.

Saltwater plays host on Friday (June 2) from 2-11pm with Rescue Rooms then hosting an afterparty from 11pm-4am.

Alongside Jake Springthorpe, Miles Waghorn is one of the founders of Square One and says they are trying out things they have never done before.

square,one,co,founder,miles,waghorn,jake,springthorpe
Square One co-founders Miles Waghorn, left, and Jake Springthorpe (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

He said: “We’ve got DJs coming in from all over the UK, especially live vocal artists which is something quite new for us.

“Myself and Jake Springthorpe used to play all around the city and we had a passion for music, especially drum and bass.

“We decided if we were going to play out more in the city we needed to start a night, we brought together a group of friends and got them to come to the first night.

“We started at Market Bar about two and a half years ago on a rainy Wednesday night and since then, it has gone from strength to strength.”

square,one,rescue,rooms
Square One, Official Outlook warm up party @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 24.03.17 (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

Miles said the night got its name by chance and they were planning to call it something much different.

“We were going to call the night Protocol but then one of our friends went online and saw that there was something already called that.

“I then reacted by saying ‘oh no, I guess we’re back to square one’, and we all just looked each other and it sort of worked.

“It has stuck ever since then and that was the birth of Square One.”

Square One, Official Outlook warm up party @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 24.03.17 (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

The co-founders had been DJing for years before coming up with the idea to put on their own nights around Nottingham.

Miles said: “I’ve been DJing since I was 15 or 16 – I used to do an online radio show in my parents’ utility room which was based in Brighton called Brap FM.

“Since then, I played more and more until I got to university when it really kicked off; I used to go around to Jake’s house and we’d mix together and see what we could come up with.

“For us now, this isn’t about us getting as big and as profitable as possible – it’s about putting on the music we want to see in this city.”

square,one,rooftop,party
Square One, Official Outlook warm up party @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 24.03.17 (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

Co-founder of Square One and DJ Jake Springthorpe says Square One has come a long way since it started.

He said: “After doing four nights in our first year at Market Bar, we took it to Stealth and Rescue Rooms who decided to take us on.

“We’ve been doing monthly nights there ever since and they have been amazing, they do so much for us.

“I have to give credit to the technical staff who go to extreme lengths every night to put on the shows for us.

“I’ve been to a million nights at Stealth every Friday but they always go the extra mile for us; they bring in extra lights and lasers.”

square,one,rescue,rooms
Square One, Official Outlook warm up party @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 24.03.17 (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

Jake says because they bring something different, venues have got behind them.

“We’re their only regular drum and bass night at the moment and I think they’re used to house music but when they get dnb, they really get on board with it.

“Miles and I always play the nights and that’s one of the benefits of running the nights I guess – the privilege of being able to do that in front of crowds is awesome.

“I got into it because I used to go into the big nights and thought, I want to be that guy up there as a lot of people do but I was fortunate enough to make it a reality.

“I used to DJ a lot at house parties before giving myself the right to do it at Square One.”

square,one,rescue,rooms
Square One, Official Outlook warm up party @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 24.03.17 (Picture: Jack Kimber Photography)

Both co-founders are aiming their sights for the future of Square One high.

Jake said: “The dream is to be running Square One festival which, when you see how far we’ve come in such a short space of time, is not really going to be too far away.

“Expect something big to come from us soon, the sky’s the limit.”