The sunny plains of Australia are home to some incredible bases of creativity. Over in Brisbane, QUIVR represents electronic music. A creative platform, It encapsulates all the amazing happenings for all things dance music in the city, providing a space for scenes to grow and flourish.
QUIVR is many things to many people. It’s a radio station, a bar, a DJ school, a community hub, a place where creative ideas and dreams are supported and come to life. Since its launch in 2020, the platform has crafted intimate and exciting radio programming – QUIVR RADIO – that brings all electronic sounds together under one roof. While also empowering the next generation of DJs to get started on the decks.
We speak to Co-Founders Hollee and Dara Sol about the birth of QUIVR, it’s DJ school and Brisbane’s bustling creative community.
What’s the story behind QUIVR?
Dara Sol: In 2019, Hollee returned to Brisbane after years of globe-trotting. A DJ herself and observing trends globally, she had a lightbulb moment: Brisbane’s electronic scene deserves to be seen! The idea for a livestream DJ booth was born. She rented a 3x3m booth in a laneway and with off-cuts from her best friend’s fence, she built the QUIVR DJ studio with her partner Dara. We went about broadcasting Brisbane to the world in February 2020.
By absolute chance we were just ahead of the curve before livestreaming became everyone’s lockdown hobby. Suddenly, QUIVR was the unofficial mental health support group for DJs and their mates who couldn’t get out of the house. As the world slowly re-opened, people started emerging from their cocoons, wandering down our laneway. They’d ask us, ‘can you teach us how to DJ?’ And so, naturally, we created a DJ school.
Fast forward three years of livestreams and we noticed people were gathering their crew, grabbing beers from the burger joint next door and turning our laneway into a micro party. We thought, ‘what’s missing here? Oh right, a bar!’ So we built one right next to the DJ booth. Hand-built with a couple of YouTube videos and Dara’s high school woodworking skills.
Now, five years of the DJ booth and two years of the laneway bar later, we’ve got a one-of-a-kind experience. You can rent the booth by the hour five days a week and, on bar nights, keep the party going until midnight. It’s like having your own mini party within our party. You’re inside playing your set in a soundproof booth, while our curated DJs are outside in the laneway setting the tone for the lane and the bar.
All of our Mixcloud sets are capturing the sound of our laneway, recorded live at the bar and serve as our radio offering.
What are some of the values that you hold close as a creative platform?
Hollee Sol: Brisbane’s got a story to tell. We’re all about showcasing local talent. Brisbane is packed with an eclectic mix of talent and tastes that deserve the spotlight. The original idea? Simple. We wanted to put Brisbane on the global electronic music map, so maybe by chance the world could notice that other cities with an underground scene are worth noticing. We wanted to help unearth talent and make Brisbane a force to be reckoned with. So, opening a school was a no-brainer. It’s our investment in the city’s creative spirit, teaching people not just how to press the buttons but how to plug into the community’s musical vibe, growing together in sound and taste. As a radio station, we’re here to showcase the vast world of music in Brisbane and what it really means to translate the sound of a city.
What do you think makes Brisbane tick as a city?
Hollee: Brisbane is Australia’s sun-soaked, no-frills paradise. We’re often called a ‘big town’ rather than a city and, honestly, we’re cool with that. People here are genuinely stoked to see you and chat. The dress code? Think casual throwbacks and anything that’ll keep you cool (because, you know, it’s basically always summer).
The big news? The 2032 Olympics are coming, and we’re gearing up for the world to finally give us the attention we deserve. Brisbane’s busy ramping up its identity, making sure it’s not just the place people stop by, but the place they remember. And let’s be real, we’re here for it. We’re ready to be part of whatever makes Brisbane the most memorable place on the map when the world comes knocking. We started QUIVR here because there was still so much opportunity to contribute. We really feel like QUIVR is now firmly part of the origin story of making electronic music a feature of Brisbane.
Tell us a bit about how you engage with your local community.
Dara: It’s all we do! As a physical space we are a literal clubhouse for our community. We’re that rare spot where someone can walk in as a beginner—whether they’re a DJ doing their first set or a crew dreaming up their first party brand—and leave as part of something bigger. Even if you’re not a DJ, people contribute to the space by bringing good energy, vibes and smiles. We foster connections by being consistent. Showing up every week with our doors open and keeping the vibe ego-free.
What has satisfied you most about building the QUIVR community?
Dara: It’s the individual stories that really hit home. Like the young person who lost a family member and came to the booth to cry it out for hours while playing tracks that reminded her of them. Because sometimes, music is all you’ve got. Or the guy living out of his car who would swing by QUIVR once a week for a mental health check-in. There’s also the young guy with ASD who finally found his thing and was able to express himself through music. Let’s not forget the person who got sponsored by a fellow community member to do our DJ course. Who, by the way, ended up playing Boiler Room. No big deal. These stories are the heart of it all. Proof that, sometimes, the right track (or the right booth) can change everything. The most satisfying phrase to say at QUIVR is ‘welcome back.’
What would you say to someone who wants to build a community in the way that you have?
Hollee: It helps that we have a physical space. So much of ‘community building’ these days refers to the online space, when we really just got back to basics with building a location people wanted to be in. We often think of QUIVR as this central energy that everyone gives to – us included. It’s never been about us, it’s always been about this collective thing that we’re building together. QUIVR only exists because of what other people contribute to it and we think that’s the magic. There’s not an ego to be seen. People genuinely want to contribute. If you foster a culture of contribution, the community can’t help itself but bond together.
We’ve always made it all about them – we listened and watched. The community has always told us what to do and what they needed. We just noticed what they were naturally doing and asking for. So we built a bar and a school. We’ve made it our intention to create a physical space where people feel they can express who they are and be celebrated for it.
Who are some members of your community you want to give a shoutout to?
Dara: Squidgenini, 1tbsp, Luke Brazier, Neesha Alexander, First Beige and David Versace.
What are some of QUIVR’s proudest achievements so far?
Dara: At QUIVR, our proudest moments are less about us and more about the energy we unleash. Like our DJ School Graduation Day, the undisputed champ of our calendar. It’s the day we remember why we bother. Not to churn out club-style DJs, but to arm regular folks with the skills to press the buttons and watch them surprise themselves. Four weeks; that’s all it takes to turn shy wallflowers into baby DJs, dropping 20-minute mixes like they’ve been at it forever. The vibe? Pure love. Mates and family cheering like it’s a stadium, tears flowing, and us cackling as someone’s nan takes over the dancefloor.
These grads are our secret sauce, the lifeblood of QUIVR. They don’t just leave—they boomerang back for birthdays, bringing their mates with them. And the journey doesn’t stop at graduation. We nurture them from that first set to headlining our parties, with some even going on to play Boiler Room sets (true story). Music is the ultimate wingman, and we’re just here playing matchmaker.
What are QUIVR’s plans for 2025?
Hollee: Every Friday and Saturday night you can tune in and hear what is happening at the bar through our live radio broadcast. We want to push that listening experience far and wide! If you miss the IRL night you can hear the recorded mixes back on Mixcloud. We know this is the way to get the sound of QUIVR – and ultimately Brisbane – out to the wider community. If you want to know what Brisbane sounds like – tune in or listen back!