The Good Shit Community — 121

At 21-23 Cambridge Terrace, underneath a backpackers, in a dingy basement lies 121; quite possibly the best dance club in all of Aotearoa. What started out as a few friends hosting house parties and raves turned into a full blown house and techno club that managed to reignite Wellingtons world of dance music.

If you've lived in Wellington long enough then you've probably staggered down into this basement at some point and been lucky enough to witness the energy — and you'll recognise that they're onto some seriously good shit.

We hit up Cam, one half of the duo that started 121 and resident DJ to ask him a few questions about the good shit they're doing....

What has been the effect on your business post-lockdown last year and what is the biggest challenge you’ve faced during this current lockdown?

I mean we felt the pinch as all other venue owners, promoters, artists etc in the industry did, however the NZ Music scene has bounced back like never before. There are so many new artists, parties & festivals happening all over its pretty exciting times! I think the biggest challenge with this lockdown is that it kinda came out of nowhere, most of us now have systems in place to manage being closed for extended periods of time but it's a lot of let down and re scheduling which can get frustrating. At the end of the day though I think we all agree that going hard early and staying at home is our best way forward so we just hanging in tight!

What’s the biggest revelation you’ve had during these times?

Phones suck, Ive really missed going out and hanging with my friends! Makes me wanna put more time into being around them.

Who are your inspirations and has this evolved over time?

St. Germain is my one, his 2001 Tourist album uss so classic it pulls samples from so many genres of music and wraps it into these classy deep grooves. Other inspirations are definitely travelling Europe, every country has such a unique way of partying, be it the DJ’s or the dance floors there's much to choose from its wild!

If you had to lockdown with one celebrity/person of influence, dead or alive, who would it be?

Carl Cox. He looks like a jolly dude and we would probably just mix techno and watch Moto GP haha

Why did you choose Wellington to start your business? Was it difficult to establish yourself as a business in Wellington?

Wellington is home, Olly (Cams business partner) had been doing 121 house parties around town which had a huuuuuuge local network of friends from our school years, I was still living in Sydney but when he flew me back to play a show in town we both realised linking up our skills could bring something special so I decided to move back. In terms of establishing ourselves, Wellington has a rich history in dance music so the foundations were already there we just needed to spark it back up.

How can local people help your community? What can they do to support?

Get out there and go support local venues, bands/DJ’s, keep up this crazy momentum of music being everywhere party hard, look after your mates and have fun doing it!

What is your quintessential Wellington experience?

A Benic at Brooklyn bunker ;)

Go to lockdown food/recipe?

Bmu’s Breakfast Bap’s !!

What is the essential mix and/or album/ep the people need to listen to during lockdown?

Naarm/Melbourne Based duo OK EG Intertidal EP on the label Waxo Paradiso. Late night relaxation at its best.

To keep up to date with when the club will open and support the good shit they do keep locked to their gram!