2 guys that care about planting trees and dancing to techno!

TreeHouse House + Techno | 28th February | Rye Wax

FrIends Dan O'Neill and Lee Malcolm are putting on a pretty sick event at Rye Wax in Peckham this February - TreeHouse. Event manager Dan and DJ and producer Lee are combing their love of house + techno music with planting trees. The guys are putting on a big night raising money for Trees for Cities charity - a UK charity that works to improve lives in local communities by planting trees in cities.

We caught up with Dan to find out what the hell TreeHouse is all about, why they like trees and what he thinks of Peckham.

Event manager Dan O'Neill (left) and DJ + producer Lee Malcolm. Image cred: TreeHouse

What is your background in the events and music scene?

I have been working in arts venues for 15 years. First in theatre and then comedy before my current role running shows at the Southbank Centre, where I focus on operational planning for contemporary gigs. My highlight was working Robert Smith's Meltdown Festival, with the lineup including The Cure, Deftones and Nine Inch Nails! It also featured TreeHouse curator and headliner Jinjé, (AKA Lee Malcolm) performing as part of 5 piece techno group Vessels. It was an epic week.

When and why did you start TreeHouse?

Lee had the idea last year, he wanted to put on a night that would raise money for a conservation charity through the medium he knows best, whamming out amazing dance music. He asked me to help and it was a no-brainer.

What kind of night can people expect from TreeHouse?

A room full of really lovely people raving to some incredible house and techno in Rye Wax, a wicked club right next to Peckham Rye station. Lee will be playing a lot of his own tracks and has put together a lineup of amazingly talented DJs from Leeds and London. It will NOT disappoint.

TreeHouse raising funds for the charity Trees for Cities, what’s your connection to this charity?

I set out to find a charity that would focus on tree planting but that also would resonate with people living in cities, as we are looking to spread this night around the country. I found Trees for Cities and as the name suggests they fit the bill perfectly. This was further cemented when I got in touch and found them to not only be lovely people but also keen to re-connect with the clubbing scene that helped fund them 25 years ago. It was a perfect match!

Why do you think charities like this are important for communities?

The work they do directly involves the community, planting trees up and down the country as they have done since the '90s. The benefits can be seen all around us, even if people aren't always aware of who it is that has made their cities greener!

DJ and producer Lee Malcolm. Image cred: TreeHouse

So, why hold a night at Rye Wax?

Lee played a set with an artist called Dark Sky in 2018 at a gig run by Digital City (we have their amazing BarryDark on our TreeHouse lineup). Lee loved the venue and the atmosphere of the room and was really keen to go back.

SE15 is all about inspiring people to “own their time” whether that’s going to a sick event, taking up a hobby, visiting an exhibition, working on a side hustle or just taking time out to relax and recharge. What do you do to ‘own your time’?

Constantly go to gigs and obsessively make Spotify playlists. Also, computer games because I'm really edgy. Otherwise, I spend as much time as I physically can with my fiancé without driving her insane.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Always a fair amount of techno, big fan of Max Cooper, Rival Consoles and more recently Sunda Arc. Otherwise, I've been listening to a lot of Khruangbin, Viagra Boys, Lower Dens and can't wait for the new Thundercat album. Podcast wise it's Adam Buxton and Athletico Mince all the way for me, they're pretty much all I need.