One off sessions
From £80per session
£40 an hour, two hour minimum. One to one or in a pair.
- DJ tuition, two hours
- Vocal recording
- Studio time for any service
Build your future in music.
Learn. Create. Perform. Experience. Progress.
The EQ Lab is a music and creative industries pathway for young people, from the first time you touch a pair of decks to a genuine career in the industry. Part of Cultured Arts Ltd.
Lessons & studio time
Book a lesson. Book the room.
One to one or small group, on club standard kit, from your very first session through to advanced. Anyone can book, at any age.
Lessons & prices →
Basic to advancedDJingBeatmatching, phrasing, EQ, effects, set building and playing to a room. On CDJ-3000s and a DJM-V10.£960, or £80 one off
Basic to advancedMCingBars, breath control, timing over a beat, crowd work and holding a room live.£960, 12 weeks
Basic to advancedRappingWriting, flow, delivery, recording technique and finding a voice that is actually yours.£960, 12 weeks
Basic to advancedProductionFrom an empty project to a finished, mixed track you would happily send to a label.£960, 12 weeks
12 weeksTwelve week coursesOne to one or in pairs. DJing, music production or MCing and rapping, finishing with something to show for it.£960
OngoingArtist developmentSound, brand, content, releases and the business of turning it into a career.£960
By the hourStudio timeThe DJ room or the recording studio to yourself. Practise, record, film, livestream.£40 an hour
Level 01
Basic
Never touched it before, or messed about at home and want to do it properly.
Level 02
Intermediate
You can hold a mix together. Now it needs to sound deliberate rather than lucky.
Level 03
Advanced
Getting booked, or close to it. Refining a sound and preparing for real rooms.
Courses
12 weeks, 2 hours a week
£960per course
- DJ course
- Production course
- Song writing course
- Artist development
Shorter courses available to suit
Commissioned by
Councils, schools, care providers and major brands across the North West.
- Delivered for
- Bolton Council
- Recent programme
- 5 weeks, 10 sessions
- Studios
- Great Harwood, Bolton & Preston
- Support
- Continues after the course
Why us
We are already in the room.
We are not a hobby class that decided to write a website. We already deliver commissioned programmes for local authorities, work inside schools and care settings, and teach alongside people who are actively working in the music industry right now.
That matters for two reasons. A young person gets taught by someone who does this for a living rather than someone who read about it. And a commissioner gets a provider who understands purchase orders, safeguarding policies and reporting, because we have done it before.
Safeguarding comes first
All delivery staff hold enhanced DBS checks. We work to a written safeguarding policy with a named lead, carry public liability insurance, and provide site specific risk assessments before we deliver anywhere. Documents are supplied on request, before we set foot on your premises.
Real industry experience
Taught by people who actually do this.
Not theory delivered from a textbook. The people teaching here are releasing records, playing shows and working behind the scenes while they teach.
Where our tutors and network have released music, performed or worked:
ToolroomElrow MusicMinistry of Sound
SongstatsIbizaAmsterdam
FestivalsMajor nightclubsEvent production
Our producers have released through labels including Toolroom and Elrow Music. People in our network are currently performing with Ministry of Sound, playing Ibiza and Amsterdam, touring internationally and working with major brands and festivals.
Students can ask questions of people who were on a stage last weekend.
From the studio to the world
People who started where you are.
Artists and professionals connected to The EQ Lab and Cultured Arts, now working across the industry.
All success stories →Projects The EQ Lab has been involved in, ranging from Artist Management & Development to Music, Show & Event Production.
Signed to Sony
Franky Wah
Now signed to Sony, a regular on BBC Radio 1 and a Creamfields main stage name. Proof that the distance between a bedroom in the North of England and a festival stage is shorter than it looks.
Tutor & artist
Aggz
Teaching here week in, week out, while still gigging. The reason our lessons deal with what actually happens in a booth rather than what should happen in theory.
DJ duo & producers
Hott Like Detroit
They have released music and remixes on notable labels like Toolroom, Elrow Music and Freakin909. The duo has performed at major festivals and venues, including Creamfields, Hï Ibiza, Elrow and Made Festival.
On rotation
What is getting played in the booth.
Stick it on while you read the rest. The bars move to whatever is actually playing.
No tracks added yet
Add audio files to the audio folder, then list them in audio/tracks.json. Open playlist-editor.html to do it without touching code.
What can you do here
Music is one door in. There are many.
There are hundreds of jobs in this industry and only one of them is being the person on stage.
Everything on offer →DJ & production
- DJing on club standard kit
- Music production
- Electronic music
- Performance
- Music technology
Vocal & lyrical
- MCing
- Rapping
- Singing lessons
- Songwriting
- Vocal development
Content & social
- TikTok and short form
- Growing an audience
- Personal branding
- Content strategy
Events & industry roles
- Event management
- Artist liaison
- Lighting and visuals
- Stage and backstage
From £80 a session, £40 an hour with a two hour minimum. Twelve week courses £960. See all prices
More than music
Not everyone walks in wanting to make a record.
Some young people arrive ready to work. Others need somewhere to be first. The Chill Zone is a space to sit down, meet people, play PS5 and talk to a tutor without any pressure to produce anything.
That is deliberate. A lot of the young people we do our best work with would not have engaged if the first thing we did was sit them in front of a DAW. We are here to listen first and teach second.
- Somewhere safe to spend time
- Mentoring and a person to talk to
- SEN support and alternative approaches
- Confidence before certificates
Your pathway
Six steps, and we walk all of them with you.
01DiscoverTry it. No commitment, no assumption you already know anything.
02LearnReal skills on real equipment, taught by working professionals.
03BuildStructured teaching that leaves you with finished work to show for it.
04ExperienceWork placements, events and genuine industry exposure.
05PerformUnder 18 events and festival slots for grassroots talent.
06ProgressCollege, university or straight into work, with us still on the end of a message.
Industry opportunities
There is a career behind every part of a show.
Every festival a young person has ever been to was built by hundreds of people, and almost none of them were on the stage.
Artist liaisonEvent managementBackstage
ProductionLightingVisuals
Stage managementFestival crewPromotion
PhotographyVideographyArtist management
We help grassroots DJs and artists get onto under 18 events and festivals, which is real experience on a real bill rather than a certificate. We can also source work placements for undergraduates.
Industry pathways →Where it can lead
Some of our students are already getting paid.
Students who have put the work in are taking paid bookings while still at school, building a name, and earning from something they actually enjoy. That is what becomes possible when skill, experience and industry connections come together.
We would rather be honest than impressive: this is not a guarantee, and it is not typical of everyone who walks through the door. It takes work, and how far anyone goes depends on them.
For organisations
Schools, care settings and councils.
Fully insured, DBS checked, and we bring the kit to you. Invoiced against a purchase order on standard terms.
Schools & colleges
Electronic music education, SEN provision, alternative pathways and work experience. A genuine route for students who struggle in a traditional classroom.
Children's homes & care
Youth engagement, mentoring and creative development in a setting built for it. Confidence first, skills after, and online support when a young person cannot travel.
Councils & commissioners
Multi week funded programmes and mobile taster workshops. We deliver against your outcomes framework and report attendance and feedback. Recently five weeks for Bolton Council at Bolton Library.
Locations
Great Harwood, coming soon to Bolton and Preston.
Inside the Delph Road studio, Great Harwood
- Great Harwood
- Our home studio. Delph Road, Great Harwood, BB6 7HH. Two floors, free parking outside.
- Bolton
- Planned for 2027, subject to final agreements. Register your interest and we’ll let you know first.
- Preston
- Planned for 2027, subject to final agreements. Register your interest and we’ll let you know first.
- Your site
- Mobile setup. A library, hall, classroom or day room. We need a table and a plug socket.
- Somewhere else
- If there is enough demand in an area, talk to us about trialling a programme there.
Ongoing support
We are interested in what happens next.
A lot of providers finish the course, hand over a certificate and never hear from the young person again. We would rather stay in touch, because the useful part often comes later, when someone gets an offer and does not know whether to take it.
- Online teaching and support from home
- Help with coursework
- Career and progression advice
- Industry advice as things come up
Could this be the start of it?
Whether you want to DJ, produce, sing, write, make content, work events, or you just know you want to be around this and are not sure how, get in touch and we will help you work out where you fit.
Start the conversation →