Robin O'Brien Lynch joined deck-wrecking, block-rocking wannabes for a weekend frenzy at DJ school.
Alan Steel, international music promoter and friend to the stars, pulls up in a cherry-red '66 Mustang, yakking to the Prodigy's Liam Howlett on his phone.
Arveene and Tu-Ki, superstar DJ and champion scratchmaster respectively, are swapping tunes at the decks. Assorted Irish clubland legends are milling about the lobby, cloaked in the anonymity that DJs have and popstars crave.
In among all these establishment figures are their new students, 15 rookie DJs and musicians. Ireland's next generation of deck-wrecking, block-rocking wannabes are getting out of their bedrooms and taking their new toys to school at the DJ & Digital Music Academy (DDMA) in Dublin's Digital Hub in Temple Bar.
Run by Arveene and Dublin-based promoter Steve Murray, the two-day course takes place every two months, and aims to ease the path to success for budding all-stars in any part of the music business.
"A lot of people starting off can be intimidated, and they don't know how to go about getting work, getting their stuff heard or meeting the right people. Our main aim here is to demystify that process," says Murray, who has come from being entertainment officer at DCU to promoting some of the Republic's biggest club nights.
Murray and Arveene met in 2001 at the Red Bull Music Academy, an annual two-week workshop for a select few young artists, chosen from across the globe.
That event gave them the inspiration to set up their own academy in Dublin, and after a successful pilot scheme, the DDMA was begun. The second academy was held over the weekend.
The minimum age is 16, but there is no upper limit and all levels of experience are welcomed. Applicants are invited to rate their skill levels on a scale from one to 10, and these usually range from modest zeroes to brash nines and 10s. Classes are held in two custom-designed rooms at the Digital Hub on Thomas Street, stacked with brand new turntables, monitors and mixing desks.
The set-up is matey and informal. Lectures consist of music chatter and videos - the workshops are impromptu jamming sessions and each night finishes with a hands-on master mixing class for the students, chaired by Tu-Ki, International Turntable Federation Champion for 2003.
Dublin clubland is an intimate scene, and throughout the weekend a string of local legends show up to help out their good mates Arveene and Steve. "The people we've invited to teach on the course are people we've learnt from ourselves: they're articulate, they use simple language and simple methods, and they send out the message without any slang or spiel," says Murray.
From a list of 35 names the organisers settle on a core group of 11 or 12, who will be teaching at each academy."We could get some big names, which would be better for promotion and marketing, but the big names aren't as good at getting the message across. As far as we're concerned the team we have are big names; they're the best at what they do," he says.
More than just a masterclass in spinning and scratching, the DDMA also helps its students to market and promote themselves; even how to pick the right DJ name. The first thing students receive is a list of phone numbers and e-mail addresses of major promoters and event managers, a ready-made little black book to give them a start on the long road to success.
Arveene wants to shatter the illusion that people just coast their way to fame and fortune.
"A lot of people misunderststand DJ culture, they see it as a load of geezers sitting up all night getting wasted and listening to music," he says.
"We work really hard, and all our friends and colleagues work really hard as well. It's hard work to get from the bedroom to the big gigs, but it can be done. You just need determination."
