SIXTH FORM DISCO
[THE STORY]
Sixth Form Disco is the event sound system created, curated and run by Simon Baker & Jay Jones. In previous lives, Simon and Jay had both worked as DJs; Simon on the London pirate radio scene of the late '80s and early '90s, Jay hosting student parties and gigs. Later training in sound, Simon has been Emma's Sound Designer for over twelve years; spanning Kneehigh, Shakespeare's Globe and Wise Children. Jay joined the gang in 2014 and, when Simon and Jay’s professional and personal interests collided, the sound adventure that is Sixth Form Disco was born.
In 2016, Simon and Jay, along with several others from Emma’s loyal technical team, joined Shakespeare's Globe. Their mission was to celebrate and explore the use of modern technology in the space, mirroring Shakespeare’s 'original practice' as an experimental, contemporary theatre maker. The result of this experiment, as we all now know, is history.
The name of the sound system is derived from a headline in The Telegraph on May 5th 2016 which read 'Shakespeare's Globe risks wrath after installing a 'Sixth Form Disco’'. Simon and Jay took this as a compliment and proudly claimed the title for themselves, so when Emma decided she wanted an old school party to celebrate the end of her ill-fated first season, she called on Sixth Form Disco to do the honours.
Sixth Form Disco also provided the soundtrack for the last night party of Emma's tenure at Shakespeare’s Globe. The previous year they had been reprimanded for playing past their midnight curfew and, always responding to a note, the team set the final 15 minutes of the party to time-code. A time code is a way of syncing sound, video and lighting and they pre-recorded a special mix based on the season’s Summer Of Love theme. Being storytellers, midnight became significant - so as the clock struck 12 the team turned off the sound and lights in the Globe forever and left the Ball for good. We've decided to share that mix with you here.
Since The Globe, Sixth Form Disco has hosted and played many party nights for Wise Children. Jay is now part of the Audio Team at The Royal Albert Hall and Simon is part of the Wise Children digital team as well as pursuing his award-winning freelance design career.