Adobe Disco

Disco is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, and yet it’s one of those things where once you hear it you know exactly what it is. And I’m not talking about the 70’s Bee Gee’s disco, although, I like that too. I’m talking about the disco that has evolved, the disco that has matured, the disco that is intelligent and educated. That’s the first thing that struck my mind when I first spent time with the Albuquerque Dj crew known as Adobe Disco.

Here are four completely unique and different people, who have all been educated and raised on this music in their own way, and yet somehow, they have found each other at this moment and at this time. And how? Through the music, of course.

What started as a spontaneous merging of sounds one night has now, four years later, become a unique and inviting experience every single time it happens. The idea is simple. A safe, fun, inclusive and welcoming environment for people from any walk of life who wish to lose themselves to the sounds of disco and house. No matter where they play their idea is the same. The vibe attracts the tribe, and with this tribe you can feel the love even before you see them. The music speaks for itself.

First, there is Dave 12, a local legend to anybody aware of House Music in New Mexico. I met him as a teenager hanging around The Loft Record store, where he worked for years. I can still remember the days when I’d go in and listen for what felt like hours, and Dave would stand there and let me find my way. Never any pressure to follow one sound or idea, the Loft gave our culture a place to find ourselves and grow into what it is now.

I still miss that place every day, and yet seeing Dave 12 spin records again, just like he’s done for so long, reminds me that this connection is still alive, but it’s also up to us to cherish and help it grow. His sound today is just as good, though, if not better, because now I can hear the experience in what he plays. Still playing vinyl, still staying true to a culture he helped build here in New Mexico.

Next is LNSC ROB. Rob is not just a DJ who’s sound I love but he’s also the one who welcomed me into the Adobe Disco environment and showed me what they were all about. Originally from El Paso, another place very close to my heart, I was immediately moved by his passion and commitment to not just this sound, but also to doing it right. Rob believes this music can save and even cleanse us and I feel the same.

If you are not moved by this music, why are you here? And if you’re not working to be a positive part of it, again, why are you here? New Mexico is in the middle of an identity shift, and I believe LNSC ROB, and Adobe Disco are a part of sending that in the right direction. I look forward to seeing where Rob, Adobe Disco, and another project he’s already working on, Cenit, are going next. And I know when he plays disco, he knows what he’s talking about. And not just by learning it but by living it as well.

HALOE 5K and I hit it off immediately, and I see so much of that revolves around us both being students of music. We talked about both seeing the Wu Tang Clan at separate times in different cities, and yet the magic was still the same. He told me about seeing Frankie Knuckles at the Paramount in Santa Fe to only about 50 people, and I told him how I hung that flyer on my wall for years because I was so upset that I was too young to go. One of those ones I never made it to, and yet I was happy to speak to someone who was there. Someone to share the story with me.

He gave me that. And then he played, and again what I like about all four of these DJ’s is that they play intelligent disco. They know what they’re playing, and they believe in it. It’s not a competition either, like sometimes you’ll see with groups of DJ’s. They want each other to do well, and to play their sound and that is what HALOE 5K is doing. He’s playing his sound in his city with his people. The music is the gift and the knowledge he shares is a bonus.

BOOGALOO B and I didn’t talk much and yet, I see so clearly, we didn’t have to. He is a DJ, and as a DJ his job is to speak to me through the music and he did that. In our current culture there has been so much pressure on the DJ to do everything that we forget their one and only goal is to play the music they love for people out there on the dancefloor. With his music he said more to me than most people say with a thousand words and that is something that I feel compelled to share.

With Adobe Disco the music comes first, and the progression of everybody’s sound is the goal. BOOGALOO B Is confident and aware of what he’s playing, and you can see that expand when playing with these other three. They each know what they like and the same time, they push each other more. I look forward to seeing BOOGALOO B play out amongst the people, so they can see what I see, a true and real commitment to this sound. The sound we love. Disco.

With all that said, hearing a crew play records together in a private and small environment is nothing compared to hearing them out in public creating their own vibe with friends, family, and strangers alike. That’s what’s happening this weekend at Still Sprits. Adobe Disco will take over from 9pm-2am and they will play whatever comes out, and that is something you just have to hear and feel for yourselves.

What’s better is this time they have welcomed House Legend Reverend Mitton along for the ride, and when you combine the sounds of these five it’s a night that isn’t just celebrating where New Mexico is but also where it’s going. I know I will spend more time with Adobe Disco, and I know I will write more about them down the line, but for now, and for this weekend, all I can say, is go early, stay late, and support the culture.

They are asking for donations of $5 to support the Adobe Disco vibe, and all they ask is for you to come in peace and to come with a positive vibe and ready to dance. Disco will always have my heart and with Adobe Disco I have found others who feel the same. This music has saved our lives and now it’s time to celebrate and support that. Feb 26th, Adobe Disco is having a show. Meet me there. Let’s help build something real, and safe, and lets do it together. Thank you to the guys at Adobe Disco for showing me their style, and sharing their time, and their music, and most of all their words. Disco has grown up, and so have we. See you on the dancefloor?