The History of

The Boiler Room

By Anirudh Chatterjee & Sakura Amano

After stumbling into a dark, dusty room with nothing but pipes and a rusting steam boiler in London, young entrepreneur Blaise Bellville saw the potential for something most others didn’t: a movement that countered mainstream music. In a moment of inspiration, Belville moved his DJ decks into the basement, deciding to call his brand “The Boiler Room” after its unconventional location. For this new project he captured DJ sets by livestreaming it to the world, and unlike large-scale music productions, all he needed to execute his vision was a camera duct taped to the wall, a sort of makeshift camcorder. At the time, Boiler Room sets primarily featured underground music, which was a soundwave only niche audiences would pick up on.

Yet, the Boiler Room’s roots in underground music are what helped propel their platform forward. The authenticity and rawness of the performances attracted people who sought something beyond mainstream pop, and who instead wanted to interact with subcultures that provided alternative options to overplayed radio records.

What further added to the appeal is that the first handful of Boiler Room events were hosted in undisclosed locations, with crowds consisting of invite-only guests and music-industry insiders. This attributed a sense of mystery to the movement that attracted fans who were eager to learn about the latest phenomenon to take over the music scene. 

In addition, the open-access live streams allowed word-of-mouth marketing to accelerate Boiler Room’s growth on an unprecedented level. For example, sharing livestream links that led directly to the DJ’s sets created a form of organic marketing more powerful than traditional advertising, since the effect was driven by the audience’s enthusiasm to see their favorite small artists perform from locations all over the world. 

As Boiler Room built its fanbase, major outlets began to take note. Big organizations like Time Out, BBC, Fader, and Hypetrak all commended Boiler Room for its cultural impact, elevating the brand to a level where they hosted performances by huge stars including Theo Parrish, James Blake, and Radiohead. The brand’s momentum as a worldwide revolution has enabled it to host over 8000 DJ sets and 5000 artists to date. 

Despite the spotlight, Boiler Room refuses to cater to current media trends that prioritize catchy snippets over narratives that retain emotional depth. Instead, the brand remains devoted to capturing the authenticity of underground artists and their avid supporters. According to music industry journalist Randi Zimmerman, regular attendees of Boiler Room performances describe the experience as “something that you simply can’t find anywhere else”. For those who craved escape – or who just wanted to dance for a moment in time – Boiler Room was a perfect scene for release.

Though originally Boiler Room was centered around garage and house music due to its alternative roots, the brand has since added a wider range of genres to its repertoire, including hip-hop, classical, and modern jazz performances. Boiler Room has also gone on to partner with some of the biggest names in music including widely beloved artists Joji, Kaytranada, and Daniel Caesar, whose sets have collectively racked up over 25M+ views on YouTube.

Above all else, the biggest effect Boiler Room has on its audience – and why it is a cultural phenomenon worth highlighting – is the inclusive environment it cultivates, where one is free to express themselves, inhibitions aside. Just take a moment to watch the first couple minutes of Kaytranada’s Boiler Room set and you’ll notice the unfiltered connection that characterizes the relationship between artist and audience. This is the unique and irreplicable essence of the Boiler Room, a place where you can let loose and let the good times roll.