James McAllister has been on a “bit of a journey” since receiving his first set of DJ decks as a teenager.
The Aberdeen resident has been DJing as a hobby throughout his adult life, but when lockdown hit he decided to use it as a way to give back to those in his community.
He launched the Facebook page DJ’s Factory Live with his friend, David Bain, almost two years ago to provide weekend entertainment when everyone was stuck indoors.
As the community grew, he discovered the online sets provided the perfect platform to fundraise for the causes important to him.
“It’s just a hobby,” he said. “I’m just helping folk by doing what I normally do.”
A growing community
The Facebook page has gained more than 6,000 followers since launching – with fans tuning in every week to enjoy the livestream events.
This support has helped them raise thousands of pounds for different causes in that time – including £500 for Cash for Kids last Christmas and £1,000 for bereavement support charity, Sands.
When one of the administrators of the page lost his wife early last year, the DJ community came together to raise funds for her funeral.
Mr McAllister said: “The DJs said ‘we have to help them’, so we did three days online with 30 DJs and raised £1500.
“We all feel like we’re helping a friend.”
Now there are around 40 to 50 DJs involved who are based worldwide, with Mr McAllister organising all the events from his home in Aberdeen.
The 37-year-old added: “We have DJs all over the world, bust mostly in the UK. The closest would be Peterhead, and then Manchester and Bolton.
“Others are in the US, Australia and Puerto Rico, so I need to schedule the sets depending on the different time zones. Some are even professionals, including a Vegas DJ who will do special events for us.”
Giving something back
Mr McAllister, who works as a school janitor, worked with his fellow DJs to raise funds for an Aberdeen-based foodbank in the summer.
He set up an online fundraiser so those tuning in to enjoy the clubland tunes could also donate to the Mastrick Community Centre foodbank who have experienced an influx in demand this year.
Over one weekend they managed to raise £500 to go towards buying essential items – and have continued to support the foodbank ever since.
He added: “I’ve known Vickie, the centre coordinator, for a long time. I went along to visit the foodbank and had no idea how much they needed.
“This is a way to give something back.”
Conversation