Watch: Glasgow DJ Frazi.er creates community for techno enthusiasts on Sauchiehall Street

SYMBØL is the latest club to become a part of the nightlife scene on Sauchiehall Street, launched by the globally renowned DJ and producer Frazi.er - one of Glasgow’s own - as a hub for dance music in the city centre and a space for artists to hone their craft.

The 250-capacity basement venue took the site of the former Blue Arrow Jazz Club, being stripped back to its concrete shell with ambient lighting fixtures and a sound system that fills the room.

“We’re trying to bring the passion back to music and clubbing”, Frazi.er said.

Techno was already thriving in underground clubs across Europe but it was lockdown that spurred a new wave of local interest and artists; its digital nature made it an accessible medium for those with newfound spare time to experiment, and thus a collective yearning for some kind of community base was evident as we came out the other side.

Frazi.er and his partners utilised this and SYMBØL was moulded into existence.

“We want to educate people back to the basics.

“Don’t come in at 10pm expecting to bring 150 bpm of hard techno, the night should be a bit of a journey and should teach people to be artistic.”

“A basement club of this size is the perfect space to offer people that education.

“It’s not as if you’re walking out on a big stage with 5,000 people, it’s a 250 cap venue.”

Frazi.er laid the foundations for his own career in Ibiza where he organised and attended dance parties before trying his hand in the DJ booth.

While playing warm up sets for bigger artists he developed his sound according to the audience’s response, unintentionally building a passion for the technicality and craftsmanship of music.

While he’s present in running the club during the day, it’s rare you’ll find him there at night. Most weekends he’s elsewhere taking his tunes global - Manchester, Berlin, Toronto, Madrid are among the list of locations he currently has lined up.

On 30 December last year, he launched CONCEPT festival at the OVO Hydro which became Glasgow’s biggest ever indoor techno event and hosted the likes of Italian improv duo 999999999, German heavyweights SHDW & Obscure Shape, Mexico City’s emerging Lokier and dance tycoon Dax J.

SYMBØL has already showcased major international names on its programme including Lee Ann Roberts, Daria Kolosova, Rebekah and DLV, and has plans to welcome more Scottish DJs and other live acts in its future.

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