Two famous DJ brothers have opened a new creative hub in Sutton.
Brothers Adrian and Justin Dixon were born and raised in Sutton and became famous as DJs in their early twenties.
The brothers, officially known as the Dixon Brothers, have opened a new creative hub at the Throwley Yard Cinema in Sutton to inspire and teach aspiring DJs.
Adrian Dixon, 42, told Your Local Guardian: “I’m a Sutton boy and grew up in the area where I would go to local youth centres on the weekends.
“And we formed a clique full of DJs, MCs, beatboxers, and fashion designers.
“It was at that point we started to figure out what we all wanted to do with our lives.
“Some people wanted to be artists, some were looking at businesses, and there was no blueprint back then.
“We formed a group, and we’d go around putting on events, and going up and down the UK as young DJs and MCs, playing at house parties and learning the art form.”
As Adrian and his friends grew up, they went their separate ways, but they always loved and were passionate about Sutton.
He explained that the group would always return to Sutton, no matter how far their universities were.
As Adrian went to university, his DJ career kicked into overdrive.
He said: “I realised I wanted to DJ the student parties and that went really well.
“And I became arguably one of the most sought-after student DJs at that point.”
Adrian made a name for himself in Birmingham and became a local celebrity.
Meanwhile, Justin Dixon was making a name for himself on the circuit down in London.
Due to the separation of the cities, both brothers weren’t as well known in the city where their brother was a local celebrity.
Adrian said: “We were DJing apart, and then we realised that it makes more sense for us all to come together.
“Our family and grandparents had always said to us that we should stick together.
“So, we started DJing together at a venue called Plan B in Brixton, and that is where Dixon Brothers as a duo was formed.”
Dixon Brothers began to expand all over the city, setting out into places where DJs from a similar background hadn’t performed.
They went on to make a mark for themselves as eclectic, knowledgeable DJs, who can put on high-energy shows.
From that point, they decided to get themselves on the radio, as they grew up listening to KISS FM, Radio One, Dreem Teem, and DJ Ez.
The Dixon Brothers grew in fame and popularity, and when Adrian returned to Sutton High Street, he saw potential to bring all he and his brother had worked on back to his hometown.
Adrian said: “I was on the High Street when I came across a venue with a vinyl in the window.
“So, I went into this venue, and there was a guy that was selling vintage vinyl, and in the corner was a coffee shop and a performance stage.
“It was The Sound Lounge.”
After getting in touch with Hannah White, the owner of The Sound Lounge, she explained to him all the work she had done with creating grassroots venues.
Hannah introduced Adrian to Preston Benson, founder of the Really Local Group, who had plans to build a venue in what is now Throwley Yard Cinema.
As much as it was a cinema, Preston wanted it to be a community space to bring creativity back and reestablish that High Street feel.
The Dixon Brothers had previously opened the Headliners DJ Academy, but after this opportunity came up, they put the name to bed and opened up 0181 Studios at Throwley Yard.
Adrian said: “We’ve called it 0181 Studios as that was the area code for Sutton.
“So, 0181 Studios was born overnight.
“We came up with the logo and name, and we took the idea, which was just a PDF really to present it to students at Kingston College the next day, like a litmus test to see if it works.
“It was to see if this was the kind of thing that students wanted.”
The students reacted positively, and, in September 2024, 0181 Studios officially opened its doors.
0181 Studios doesn’t just teach aspiring DJs how to DJ.
Adrian explained: “Teaching students how to DJ is just one of the things 0181 Studios offers.
“0181 Sound is what we’ve titled our DJ workshop.
“If you’re a beginner, it teaches you how to DJ, understand equipment and terminology, and maybe perform at your local venue or your family’s house party.
“But then you progress from there into intermediate when you’re taking it a little bit more seriously when you might start thinking about taking this on as a career.
“So, we’ve tiered our programs.”
Students can learn how to take their DJing from using two decks to six decks, or learn how to scratch and become a turntablist.
0181 Studios offers a variety of thoughtfully designed workshops and classes, all taught by industry professionals.
One aspiring DJ is 14-year-old DJ S-Rae, who performed at Throwley Yard’s opening event in September.
“It’s also a reflection of us, who, as young people, have gone on to do some really cool stuff in the world, but it all started in Sutton.”
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