Loose Ends Entertainment has ignited an immersive experience centered on the heart of house and tech music — bridging a gap in Charleston’s music scene. There’s a chance to catch one of its popular dance parties at The Refinery, Saturday, April 27.
The entertainment company, founded in 2023 by Ben Austin (also known by his DJ name Baustin) fills the need for a dedicated space to enjoy and dance to house music.
Austin envisioned creating a transformative house music experience for the Charleston community. When he met fellow DJ Brandon Davidson (aka Bran Saint Rand) at a music festival in 2022, they had an immediate connection over their shared passion for house music. They decided to collaborate and bring in another Charleston native, DJ Jack Callahan, to bring the vision of Loose Ends Entertainment to life.
“It just felt like Charleston hasn’t really had much of a house music scene,” Davidson said. “There’s been some one-off events here and there, but overall, consistency was lacking.”
The house experience
“House music has always been centered in bringing people together to dance,” Davidson said.
House music emerged in the early 1980s, stemming from disco. The foundation of house music culture is built upon creating an inclusive place for people to gather, listen to music and dance freely — the guys set out to create just that.
“We were like ‘let’s just go in and approach some places to see if we can transform these already great environments into more of an underground nightlife scene once a month,’” Davidson said. “That’s how the Locally Sourced event came about.”
Loose Ends initial event series, called Locally Sourced, was hosted at the recently closed Neon Tiger restaurant, which transformed into an electric nightclub featuring live performances by local and regional artists.
“It was evident that we need to offer something extremely unique — provide the energy and good vibe — but a new experience,” Austin said. “Having our own space differentiates us and it allows us a little bit of artistic freedom.”
The Loose Ends’ team curates an experience from start to finish. This might entail adjusting the lights or music tempo to align with the room’s energy, inviting people to immerse themselves in the music and experience a sense of connection within the space.
“Connectivity is the driving force in building the community,” Austin said. “Curating this event and giving more opportunity to engage in our music gives people a chance to connect more with themselves and the people around them.”
Loose Ends explores the possibilities of how it can build relationships within its growing community, to mutually benefit one another, not only in terms of business but on a personal level, too.
“It has everything to do with the music, but it’s also a community — a fun-loving, passionate, like-minded group of people that come together through house, tech or art,” Austin said.
Taking it to the Refinery rooftop
Loose Ends is stepping into a new era with a fresh venue — the Locally Sourced Open Air series will be held at The Refinery. Once every month, Refinery’s rooftop will be converted into a scenic outdoor club atmosphere just in time for summer.
It’s an extension of its previous Locally Sourced series, which was held at Neon Tiger, but now with an outdoor party and room to grow. Davidson and Austin said they’re focusing on bringing more collaborations to introduce new themes, designs and an overall richer experience with each event.
The first Locally Sourced Open Air event is happening this Saturday, April 27 and tickets are selling fast. If you don’t grab one in time — don’t panic. Loose Ends has more events as well as some exciting new venues to announce coming soon.
Stay updated on announcements through their Instagram and for more local events focused on house and dance music, follow @holycityhousemusic.
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