When Darran Bruce launched The DJ Sessions from his bedroom in 2009, livestreaming DJs was still an oddity. Video platforms were clunky, social media was barely out of its teens, and the idea of watching a club set online felt like a niche within a niche. Fast forward to 2026, and he’s produced more than 2,700 episodes, built a custom platform, partnered with Twitch, and developed a full ecosystem including radio, VR, mobile apps, and a growing archive that now stretches across continents and decades.
What started as a passion project has quietly become one of the longest-running digital hubs for DJ culture anywhere, known for its deep-format interviews, extended sets, and commitment to access. From bedroom broadcasts to European festivals, Bruce has stayed focused on the same core idea: building a space where artists, not algorithms, set the agenda.
We caught up with him to talk origins, longevity, and what comes next.
When you started The DJ Sessions back in 2009, live streaming DJs was still pretty niche. What originally pushed you to try it, and did you have any sense it would last this long?
When I started The DJ Sessions in 2009, livestreaming DJs with video was barely a thing. The idea took shape at Winter Music Conference that year. I was already running internet radio from a server at my house and had looked into video streaming, but the costs and hosting requirements were completely unrealistic. Then I found Ustream, and that changed everything.
That summer I tested workflows and figured out what was possible. Most tools were built for Windows and I’m a Mac guy, so it was a lot of trial and error. Social media was also starting to take off, so I’d stream in the mornings, post about it, and talk with friends about doing something bigger.
One night my friend Alex Eagleton from Club Vibes called and said, “I’m coming over. We’re doing The DJ Sessions.” Around September 2009 we streamed live from my apartment. I felt like I was in a nightclub the whole time, and taking the headphones off to silence made it hit even harder. I was hooked.
The next week I turned my bedroom into a studio and started inviting local DJs. When Dave Dresden came in for a set and interview, things really clicked. We were bringing major names into what was basically my bedroom and streaming them live years before most people understood why that mattered.
Did I know it would last this long? No. But I knew there was something special and that I wanted to build it. For years people asked who would want to watch livestream DJs or even what Twitch was. We moved there in 2018 and became a featured partnered show right away. Then 2020 hit, and suddenly everyone understood livestreaming.
I’d been producing film and television since I was 18 and podcasting since 2005. In 2013 I rebuilt The DJ Sessions as its own platform, and from there it just kept evolving.
Looking back now, do you feel like you were consciously building an archive, or did that side of it only really become clear years later?
Looking back, I do think I was building an archive early on. The goal was consistency. Go live once a week, create a place where DJs could play and talk about what they were working on. Wednesdays became the anchor, with long sets and proper conversation.
As the show grew and we moved into studio spaces, the output expanded. That mindset hasn’t changed, it’s just scaled. We’re now building toward 60 to 80 hours of content per month alongside syndicated programming and our internet station.
The website is where the archive becomes meaningful. You can search artists, find episodes and exclusive mixes, and now explore deeper music pages with direct links. Accessibility is a big part of that. With the latest site version we’re adding translations, subtitles and transcriptions across multiple languages, with voiceovers coming next. For me, keeping this history online isn’t an extra. It’s part of the mission.
The format has always leaned toward long sets and proper conversation rather than quick clips or big visual moments. Why was that approach important to you from the start?
Long-form was baked in from day one. I wanted people to connect with artists, not just see highlights. Early shows ran four hours, with DJs playing extended sets and interviews before and after. It gave context and space.
Over time we experimented with mobile sessions and on-location content, which were great but limited. The real shift came in 2020. When everyone started livestreaming, I had to ask what made us different. The answer was conversation. Artists were suddenly comfortable on camera, and long-form interviews finally worked at scale.
There’s endless short-form content now, and I understand why it works, but depth still matters. With transcriptions and chapter markers, people can jump to what they want while the full conversation stays intact. That remains the core of The DJ Sessions.
You’ve featured everyone from Paul Oakenfold and Ferry Corsten to local and emerging DJs. How do you balance established names with giving space to newer artists?
It comes down to an open-door policy. Some of the most important moments happen before the wider world is paying attention. Hosting artists like Paul Oakenfold or Ferry Corsten was huge for me personally, but the show was never designed to focus only on headliners.
We look at whether someone is active, has a story to tell and makes sense for our audience. In 2022 we widened the scope to include industry professionals too, because scenes don’t survive on DJs alone. Managers, promoters, label owners and engineers rarely get visibility, yet they hold everything together.
We’ve also built infrastructure around discovery. Our database includes around 20,000 artists with long-term visibility through pages, syndication and archive access. The goal isn’t just one episode. It’s helping people remain discoverable after it airs.
Twitch has become central to what you do, but you were streaming long before platforms like that existed. How has the relationship between DJs and streaming changed over the years?
Streaming has changed mainly because the world finally caught up. Early on, bandwidth and hardware were major barriers. By 2018 that had shifted, but our hosting costs were becoming unsustainable, especially for the archive.
We connected with Twitch, pitched the show and became partners almost immediately. Front-page placement and thousands of live viewers felt like a turning point. After 2020, streaming went from niche to normal and became part of how DJs build community.
Twitch remains important to us, but our website is home. That’s where the archive, context and full experience live.
Accessibility feels like a big focus now, with captions, transcriptions and multi-language support in development. What made that become a priority rather than just a nice extra?
Accessibility matters because I want the platform to work for everyone. Captions, transcriptions and translations remove friction, whether someone is hard of hearing, watching without sound or not fluent in English.
We’ve rebuilt the site so these tools are integrated rather than bolted on. It’s not just technical. It’s human. It makes the conversations more welcoming and helps the content travel further when people search for it.
You’re expanding beyond livestreams into radio, written coverage, VR spaces and mobile formats. How do you decide which ideas are worth building and which ones stay on the drawing board?
If an idea fits the mission and I can see a path, it gets built. A lot of what people see now was planned years ago. The foundation was always there.
The internet station, VR space, mobile studio, apps and smart TV platforms all serve the same idea: giving people access in different ways. Not everyone experiences music the same way, so the platform has to stay flexible.
The return to Europe in 2026 feels significant, especially with Berlin as a base. What are you hoping those trips will add to The DJ Sessions creatively or culturally?
Europe in 2026 is huge for us, especially Berlin. It’s a city built on music, history and forward movement. Being on Riverside Studios’ float at Rave the Planet was one of the most powerful experiences of my life and showed the scale of this culture when you’re inside it.
That’s what I want Europe to add. Real-world connection. Virtual works, but being in the same room changes everything. Relationships form differently, and stories land differently. And I’ll admit, I’m also a foodie. Culture isn’t just music. It’s people, cities and everyday life.
The new Seattle venue concept sounds deliberately phone-free, which feels almost radical now. What kind of experience are you trying to create with that?
It’s about presence. When I started going to clubs in the early 90s, people were there to connect, not film. Now so much attention goes into screens instead of the room.
We’re not taking phones away. People still need them. We’re removing the camera function. We already produce professional livestreams, and a shaky phone video doesn’t add anything. If people want to share the moment, they can share the link and let others experience it properly.
The aim is simple. Bring people back into the room.
After more than 2,700 episodes, what still excites you enough to keep pushing this forward, and what do you want The DJ Sessions to represent over the next few years?
Electronic music never stands still. There’s always a new sound, a new artist, a shift in the culture. It’s universal. People can speak different languages and still feel the same track in the same way.
Technology evolves alongside that. Livestreaming took years to be taken seriously, and the next wave is already forming. Over the next few years, I want The DJ Sessions to represent three things: a real global archive, a platform that keeps doors open at every level, and a bridge between music and the future where technology helps people connect rather than distract.
I don’t see myself stopping. I want to grow the team, the output and the partnerships, and keep building something artists and fans can genuinely be proud of.
Head to www.thedjsessions.com for more
The post Darran Bruce on Building One of Electronic Music’s Longest-Running Livestream Platforms appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.