After moving in to the heart of the city’s club district five years ago, W Boston is poised to shake up the city nightlife scene with the announcement of the hiring of Brek.One as their new Music Curator.
The in-demand DJ, who spins regularly at Royale, Bijou, Middlesex and other spots, and who holds a residency at Tunnel, the nightclub below the W, was recently invited to join a small group of curators working to bring a unique and forward-thinking music-based experiences that might be found at smaller boutique hotels into their hotels’ more expansive spaces.
“My primary focus right now is to build a sonic identity for the W that is based around their three passion points, which are music, art and fashion,” says Brek, who will host a launch party for the W Boston’s 2015 music programming tomorrow night. “I look at all the trends that are going on globally in these specific areas, and translate it back to the sonic identity and make it a specific experience just to Boston, according to the history, the diversity, and the area in which the W actually exists.”
W Boston opened in 2009, but only acquired the entertainment license required to have DJs come spin earlier this year. The lounge’s potential as something beyond a destination for hotel guests or passersby is something Brek is keen to explore.
“Off the jump, I knew what kind of sound I wanted to create,” he says. “I wanted to make the W an anomaly in Boston, being downtown and around all these bottle service clubs, but I wanted to see DJs in the city that maybe played somewhere like Royale one night, then Good Life the next night, then Bijou the next, then Middlesex. They are kind of playing both ends of the DJ life. Not so commercial, yet commercial.”
He found that sound in the W’s two new resident DJs, Durkin (Wednesdays 7pm-10) and Braun Dapper (Fridays 8pm-11), who’s respective reputations reflect the eclectic taste Brek is looking for.
“Where Durkin has this unique style of producing and is kind of ahead of trend when it comes to the whole music scene, I’m bringing him in on Wednesday where his sound will have its own place to live in the city, and will bring similar artists like the Soulection guys to kind of build that base,” he explains. “Braun will be primarily Fridays, playing things like Durkin plays but more so bringing it into the deep house, clubby-but-not-Top-40 element. Braun has great DJ skills when it comes to that. When it comes down to the music, those are the guys that I’m building the base with.”
The music is one part of a cohesive aesthetic that Brek hopes to achieve with the #MIXSQUARED Experience on Wednesdays and Fridays. He’s banking on his passion and eye for detail — like having the DJs collaborate with mixologists to create a signature cocktail only available during their set — to make W Boston a hub for nightlife and music culture. And meatballs.
“One of the things that a lot of people don’t know is that they have an amazing menu,” he says. “I will be working to highlight the burger and the story behind it, and also the meatballs. There is a woman who works as a housekeeper within the W, and it’s her recipe that they are using for their meatballs. My goal is for people to come and not only obviously hear good music and have drinks, but also to see that there are genuine people behind the product. That’s when something means more, when there’s a story behind something. I’m trying to create this story where people can understand and appreciate the W and the lounge for being what it is outside of just a hotel.”
You can get a taste of the #MIXSQUARED Experience for yourself tomorrow (Wednesday) night at Brek’s Music Curator launch party at W Boston, featuring a selection of cocktails and sets by Durkin and Braun Dapper. Brek promises further events focused on music, art and fashion, ranging from special guest DJs to showcases and installations, will be following soon, with the first being this Sunday night, when he’ll team with Bad Rabbits for their own pre/post/skipped Boston Music Awards party just a few blocks down the street from the ceremony.
“#MIXSQUARED will incorporate all the senses and will give you a reason to come back,” he says. “And that creates culture to me. Dope experiences and people coming back creates culture. People will want to be around that, they’ll want to create around that.”
BREK.ONE MUSIC CURATOR LAUNCH PARTY w/ Braun Draper & Durkin. WED 12.10 W HOTEL, 100 STUART ST., BOSTON 617.261.8700. 7PM/FREE/21+.
