Month: July 2022

It is often not stated enough that rhythm may be just as important as the beat itself, and yet that is the first thing that must be said about this mix by Taylor Bratches. It has rhythm.

I started this review hoping to hear new sounds by a new DJ coming to town this weekend, and instead I found something so much deeper, but isn’t that how this story always goes?

They wouldn’t linger in memories if they weren’t, in fact, worthy of being remembered, and yet, it’s amazing to think it all started with a simple beat. Well, that and rhythm, of course.

Over the course of one hour, this mix, the 12th installment of a series named ‘As You Like it Ground Level’, takes you through the many different sounds that I assume populate Taylor’s mind the way House and Techno consumes mine all the time. I love the funkiness of the House, the High Hats and the power of Techno, and everything else in between.

With this mix it’s different, though. Bouncing from Breakbeats, to UK Garage, to Drum and Bass, to ending with some heavy, subtle dubstep. I think there was even a moment of synthy bliss that almost resembled old school trancy breaks, which were extremely popular in the old school kandy raver days.

Breakbeats are such a massive part of the foundation of rave Culture and yet listening to this, you are reminded of what a distinct art form the genre can still be.

MC’s rapping, spontaneous beats, and as I mentioned, always that rhythm. I am captivated by this mix not just by the music that is played, but also by the message it is sending.

In studying this specific DJ I also stumbled across the fact that Taylor Bratches isn’t just a DJ, but also a very accomplished and talented writer of the Underground, very much a goal I strive for myself. I am as interested in her series called ‘Dance Floor Epiphanies’ on Resident Advisor, as I am in any track she may play.

Moments like these are truly amazing, when you find someone further down on a path that you are starting on yourself, and yet seeing them, reading their words, and hearing their music is such a true inspiration to continue on.

I’m sure there is more to be said both by Taylor Bratches, and about Taylor Bratches as well, but until then, let this brief summary prove as recommendation enough of a unique sound played by an intelligent mind connected to this culture.

I am happy to know that this DJ will be playing here in New Mexico this weekend on Saturday, July 30th at Insideout, and I look forward to reading even more of her words.

Link to Event Page

As I have found with many writers, the first words you read are merely the start on a path that winds deep into the mind of whoever decided to put them down in the first place.

If you have the chance, please, go early, stay late, and just keep following that beat, but only if you’ve got the right rhythm.

See you on the dancefloor.

Here are some other links related to this DJ and this mix.

www.taylorbratches.com/

www.ayli-sf.com

In my travels through Festival and Rave Culture, I have found that there are usually two types of people you will find out there on the road, and I suppose that applies to back here at home too.

First there are the people focused on the main event, and for good reason. We buy the ticket, we pick an outfit, we listen to all the music we can find, we make plans with our friends. We take all the excitement and we prepare for the big show.

And when it’s over, we enjoy the peace and silence after the fact. Maybe go back to the hotel, get some snacks, and just lay around. This is about 90% of the people I interact with. The standard in our culture.

But then there’s another 10%, and I’ll admit to you now, these are my people. The people who are always focused on the afterparty. Now, that isn’t to say they don’t have fun at the show or festival or rave, it’s just simply that, they always have that other one on the mind. They’re always saving just that little bit for that late one. The one not everybody can make it to.

I personally change my stance on this exact situation over and over again, and I have no shame in admitting that. Sometimes I’ll go to the show, get some food and go back to bed. Only having enough energy for the few hours of music that the main event offers. It’s the old man in me.

Other times I stay at the festival all day, and then go straight to the after party, dancing until the sunrise, without hesitation. Enjoying both with all my heart, but still reserving that energy to let it all go when I finally get to that late night dancefloor. What’s worse is I have no idea which side of me will show up until I get there and then it just happens.

I wonder if I’m the only one like that.

Anyways, the reason why I say all this is because this Saturday, July 30th, you will get a little bit of both here in Albuquerque New Mexico, starting first with a 80s/90’s themed party at the Doubletree presented by House Work and Patio 201.

Coming all the way from Milwaukee, is Soul Fuel Recordings DJ, John Hawley, who has always delivered that groovy beat we love so much.

Having such a solid DJ in the building guarantees to be a great night of house music, but I’m also happy to see he will be playing alongside some of the best House DJ’s in New Mexico.

Included on the lineup are local favorites like Badcat, Chris Losack, and Beufie, who is making a return to our scene with the throwing of this show, and we are happy to welcome him back.

The show is 21+ and it goes from 6pm-10:30pm, creating a groovy start to what I know will be a fun and special night. You can get some drinks, maybe some food, and enjoy the groove.

But don’t waste too much energy because the night doesn’t end there. This one has an afterparty.

Starting at 10pm at Coat of Colors, the afterparty will be going early into the morning, with John Hawley himself playing another set, along with even more great Local House Dj’s.

On this lineup you have another chance to hear the Dope Feline DJ known as Badcat, as well as Vettaluv doing a b2b with Aimie Jane, Coco Medium, and lastly Swift Money, who will also be celebrating his birthday at the afters as well.

The show is expected to go till at least 5am, and if you are coming straight from Patio 201, the cover is only five more bucks, with it being ten if you’re just going to the afterparty. Which I know some people prefer.

What I like about this combination of events is it gives you a chance to hear great house music in two unique environments, by both a great out of state DJ who has shown his skill here before, and a long list of great New Mexico talent.

You can dance and lose your mind as the sun sets at the first show, and then chill, and maybe have some great conversations until the sunrise at the next one. A full night that leads into a full morning. Very much like the last time I saw this DJ.

The one and only time I saw John Hawley was at Sister Bar a few years ago, and it was a wonderful night of proper, funky, groovy house music, in an intimate environment surrounded by the people I grew up listening to House Music with.

It was different then. We were a bit more naïve, and innocent, I suppose. Time changes things, though. We get older. Friends grow apart. Life moves on. But House Music remains, and for that I will always be grateful and in debt to this city for the nights we had together.

No matter where you’re from, or how you got here, House Music is a family, and you could feel that on that night, as John gave us a taste of that Midwest House sound he represents so well. I’m excited for New Mexico to hear him again.

So, whichever event you choose. The main one, the afters, or even both, just make sure it’s exactly where you want to be, and show that on the dancefloor. For all the Dj’s I list, they are only half of the equation, as the dancefloor would be nothing without the people who populate it.

House music needs us to show up, just like we need House music to carry us through, and I hope you never forget that one.

Go late, stay till early, support the culture. House Culture. It will be everywhere this weekend, which is exactly the way it’s meant to be in New Mexico during the summer.

See at the Afters.

I feel I should be completely honest with you, and admit that I haven’t always been the biggest dubstep fan. In fact, I was absolutely a snob towards it for the longest time, and even now, I will always be upfront in saying it will never be my preferred sound.

I love House and Techno. That’s just who I am. But the reason why I’m writing this now is because that’s not who everybody else is, and at times, we have to stop and celebrate the different parts of this culture, and the people who introduced us to it all.

When I think of Zeds Dead I have quite a few memories, starting with the very first time I heard them at a Music Festival in San Bernardino called Escape.

Escape is a Halloween festival where everybody dresses up and the sounds are usually darker and scarier, sticking with a bit of techno, and maybe some hardstyle, and of course, dubstep.

I have always remained at the House and Techno stages at these events, but one year, I decided to go wander, and find something new. It’s really perhaps the best part of a festival when you think about it.

All the other stuff you plan for is kind of just part of it. You go for that reason so it’s almost as if when it happens you aren’t moved one way or the other.

It’s a side effect of going to festivals so much over the years. You get so used to seeing these big DJ’s playing on these massive stages, that you kind of forget about the spontaneity of it. The fun of the unknown. That’s what Zeds Dead was to me that night. The unknown.

I can remember hearing them play off in the distance. It was a remix of a Led Zeppelin song. Stairway to Heaven, I think.

“What is that?” I said aloud to myself. “Can we go over there?” I asked.

“Sure, who’s playing?” One said.

“Zeds Dead.” Said another.

“Oooo. Aren’t they a big deal?” I responded.

“Let’s go.”

It’s a beautiful feeling when a friend agrees to go hear new music with you, especially when you’re the one hearing it for the first time. They know what they’re about to hear and yet they willingly walk you into it, just to make sure you have the same feeling as well.

I’ve given that moment to others, and I was so happy to be the one being given the gift back this time. I even headbanged a little. Just a little.

After that I didn’t think about Zeds Dead much. I mean, I loved the moment, and they were dope, but you just get lost in it again. Moving on to the next one, and the next one, and the next one. I just put it to the side.

And then something happened that I never saw coming. I made friends with people who loved Dubstep. And they didn’t just love it. They love loved it.

They were obsessed with it right around the same time as I was obsessing over techno, so it was a very strange experience to feel that energy from others that you have, but over something completely different.

And that’s when I hung out with two friends that managed to bring Zeds Dead up again. It was one night when we were all hanging out together, and if I’m remembering it right, it’s the only time I hung out with these two friends at the same time.

Which is strange to say because over the course of years I had found myself very close with the two, and yet, never did all of us end up in the same room until just right at that moment.

And what did the three of us talk about? Dubstep. We talked about Dubstep, and of course, we talked about Zeds Dead.

I remember sitting in the middle and having one on each side, and asking them about Zeds Dead.

“Are they really that good?”

“Why is everybody so obsessed with them?”

“What’s the difference?”

I had so many questions, and yet, I seemed so naïve and inexperienced in the presence of these two, but I suppose that’s what I liked.

Being a raver for over twenty years, you find it hard to find people who can teach you about electronic music, and yet, it’s such a valuable moment when it happens.

I’m so used to teaching others that it just feels so amazing to be the student again, and that’s what I was with these two. I was merely just there to learn, and they, thankfully, were willing to teach.

They started by agreeing that old Zeds Dead is better because it was rawer and more original, but neither could deny that new Zeds Dead was good too. I believe they split on the decision, though.

“I like old Zed’s Dead.”

“Well, I do too, but I think I like new a bit better.”

“That’s cool. That’s what’s good about them. They have so much good music.

“I know. I’ve been listening to them for so long it’s like I don’t know life without them.”

I sat and kind of just watched them debate. Throwing in questions here and there to keep it going. I had no ability to say anything, and yet I wanted nothing more than for them to keep talking.

They seemed so alien and different to me, and still so interesting and unique. What’s better is they didn’t just talk to me about it, but they actually played music to support what they were telling me.

When someone shares the music they love with you they aren’t just sharing something they are interested in, they are showing you a part of their soul. They’re letting you in, and I value that above so many material things this world will try to force on us.

They both showed me that side of them right there, and I am grateful for that moment. Which doesn’t happen as often as you expect it to.

What’s cooler is that I understood what they were saying. Whatever they were teaching me, it was working.

Earlier Zeds Dead is like more soulful, and emotional and bassier. Like subtle bass. New Zeds Dead is like glitchy, and erratic, and uptempo. Which I’m told are both huge aspects of all forms of dubstep.

I will never forget this one night I spent with these two friends as they sat and taught me about Zeds Dead, and all of dubstep for that matter. I felt embarrassed realizing how I had acted before, and how I refused to give this new genre a chance simply because I didn’t know it.

How long had I been doing this? How bad had it gotten? Was I really one of those snobs I swore I’d never become?

“YES!” I can hear them both saying, and I suppose that’s enough to change. Isn’t it?

In closing, part of why say this is because those two friends who showed me Zed’s Dead, aren’t friends anymore, and in fact it’s been about two years since I have spoken to either of them. An anniversary I can feel getting closer and closer.

And I won’t say why we stopped being friends, because looking back, I don’t think about the way it ended, I think about how good our friendship was beforehand. How much fun I had learning from them. And how great it felt to be their student.

What’s worse is I’m just not sure if I’ll ever see or speak to either of them again, which breaks my heart just a little bit more every time I think or say that. And although, it will continue to hurt, I know it will help to have this music to carry me through.

You can’t stop people from leaving your life, but you can hang on to the music they left behind for you to remember them by. The music that keeps your love alive.

So, I just wish to say, thanks to those two friends for showing me the music of Zeds Dead, who I still listen to sometimes when up early and alone, writing about the people who inspire me.

If I could talk to them again I would want to tell them about how I finally went to Chicago. And in Chicago I went to this festival I know they’d love.

I’d tell one of them how I went to the Dirtybird stage, and we’d both roll our eyes like we always do, then I know we’d probably just laugh some more.

Then I’d tell the other that I also experienced a Wakaan stage and a bit of Liquid Stranger, which was crazy, and an amazing experience all on its own.

But I’d also want to tell them how we had to leave that early so we could go inside the soccer stadium and see Louis the Child, and then eventually Kaskade under the stars, together.

And even though I know they don’t think about me, I still think about them, and in that moment I’d want them to know they were there with me too. If only for just one moment.

I guess what I’m saying, is if you have friends that you love, and who are willing to share new music with you, music that matters to them, say thank you, and value them. Value the window they are opening to their soul just for you. It doesn’t happen very often, does it?

We only went to that festival one day, which sucks, because on the third day Zeds Dead was on the lineup. We were on the other side of the city listening to House and Techno at a different festival, and we ended that Sunday night in a warehouse at an after party with a DJ we love so much.

There was another show, though, that very same night, at the House of Blues that I really wanted to go to, but the people I was there with had no interest at all. They just weren’t there for that.

And it’s not that we didn’t have fun, because we did. It was a blast.

But I also can’t deny, It made me wish those two friends were right there, and not for any other reason, than the fact that I know they would’ve probably agreed to go with me. Mainly because they would’ve loved who was playing.

And who do you think was playing?

Zeds Dead, baby. Zeds Dead.

See you on the Dancefloor.

Or not.

On Friday, July 22nd, Destructo will be playing at the Electric Playhouse, and I feel it safe to say that when he arrives you won’t just be getting a DJ set, but also an audience with a vital part of our Culture’s evolution and history.

When I started Our Dancefloor a major aspect of it was trying to document and study Rave History, and I feel there are very few people that have helped Modern Rave Culture get to where it is more than Gary Richards aka Destructo.

Because of that I approached this like a historian, and I spent the last week casually scanning the internet- mainly Wikipedia, Facebook and Google- trying to piece together as many facts about this person’s contribution as possible.

And now, as a way of showing a different perspective than just supporting a DJ and a show, I’m going to share what I found here, for the most part.

Gary’s contributions to this specific culture started during the golden rave days of the early 90’s in Southern California. Throwing warehouse raves and even the first EDC, he did it the right way, the old fashioned way, the way that helped forge who he is and also who we as ravers are as well.

I even learned that during this period he was instrumental in signing and developing the group known as Lords of Acid, a major act when I was younger, even before I knew about raves. It’s awesome to know that even then there was that connection.

After that, he started Hard Events, with the first Hard Music Festival being held In Los Angeles in 2007. The Hard events helped evolve what we once used to call Massives.

We didn’t have Massives here in New Mexico, as they were only usually in the bigger cities, but they were very much a precursor to the many festivals we experience now.

Hard Summer and Hard Day of the Dead were always events that were known about even out here as something different, and there’s no denying their impact, both with the unique acts they still book, and also with the approach they always took as being an alternative to new school festivals.

Not a lot of people remember Massives because they have since been absorbed by Festivals now, but for a long period Massives were what pushed things forward not just with their size, but also with the experiences they offered. They were proof of how big this movement was really getting.

What they did is they gave people the chance to see acts they’d never get to see at smaller shows, and they’d create memories and friendships on a so much grander scaler than ever known before.

That concept would come up again, with another idea Gary had, called Holy Ship.

The first Holy Ship was in 2012 and it offered something never thought possible. A first class cruise experience to a tropical island and back, and all set to the sound of some of the best electronic music in the world played live just for the people who love it the most.

I can still remember the first time my friends told me about Holy Ship, and it was so hard to believe such a feat could be pulled off. Such an experience on such a scale in such an environment was unthinkable during the early rave days, and yet to them Holy Ship wasn’t just about fun, but also about family.

After Holy Ship, Gary went on to start another Cruise experience called The Friendship with his production company All My Friends.

Friendship is very similar to Holy Ship, and yet what I like about it is the inclusion of more techno and darker sounds, which suit someone like me much more than Holy Ship, although, again, what they offer is very similar to the Massives before that. A chance to see acts in an environment and setting never possible before. I’m very excited to see where the Friendship sails to next.

Along with the creation of the Friendship, they have also started having these smaller festivals as well, dedicated to House Music in a way that I feel is getting overlooked by other companies sometimes. House music is what started all of this, and I am happy to know that there is still a strong commitment to it, by this DJ and the shows he throws.

Aside from all the facts I just listed, what should be stated about this person is that everywhere he goes a feeling or vibe follows him, and although he is not the only one who can do this, you can’t deny that what you get is something more than just a guy spinning records for bit.

What you get is somebody who has devoted their life to this culture for around thirty years, and at every step of the way, they have helped improve it, while helping others share their music and their style. I’m happy he’s coming to town, and I’m happy for my friends, and the Ship Fam reunion I’m sure they will be having because of this.

As time goes on, and we experience this life more and more, there’s this thing that starts to happen that you just don’t notice. You’re there for the music, but you find yourself eventually being there for each other. Of course, your love for what led you there remains, but from that blooms a new love. A love for the culture we belong to.

This Friday a major part of where our culture is today is coming to Electric Playhouse in the form of Destructo, and I can’t recommend enough how much you should go enjoy the moment. Playing along with him will be DJ Glen, and local favorite Xblyssid, so please, go early, stay late, and this time, don’t just support the culture, give yourself a lesson on its history.

A history that will always make sure to include Gary Richards.

See you guys on the cruise ship dancefloor.

*I would like to state that none of the images from this story are mine, and all credit for them should be given to the compound photographers. My use of them is strictly as a way to help tell the story more and I claim no ownership over them.

Tonight, somewhere in a warehouse in or around Downtown Los Angeles, there will be a gathering of four crews to throw an event known to all the techno freaks in the area simply as Compound.

It’s become a bit of a tradition to those who know, and yet I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I only attended one Compound to this date.

Although, I shouldn’t say embarrassed because I feel strongly that what was given to me on that one night, was more than I asked for. It gave me a chance to see things that were about to change before they actually did.

And I suppose I should also add that I don’t say that as much for Compound itself, but rather for the people I was there with, the people I may never go to another Compound with again, but as I said before, that one time was more than enough. Im grateful to share my Compound story.

It was the first one after the Quarantine, and therefore, full of DJ’s from the area, with a b2b of Truncate and Drumcell being the centerpiece under their two headed alias Cell Injection. A chance to return to the dancefloor set to the sounds of the DJ’s that lured me out into the dark LA night so many times before.

Looking back, a year later, I see so clearly it was a turning point for me and the people around me. Life starts to change even before you notice, and the people you meet through it start to go their own way. But that’s what you want for each other. It’s just a part of the whole ride.

When I was younger I used to resent this occurrence. Why did we have to lose friends? And these moments? And the chance to have it again? Why is the end always so completely the end?

As I’ve grown older I wish I had an answer for all of these questions, and yet I know now more than ever that sometimes with the end you just don’t get an answer. Sometimes you are just forced to live with it, one way or the other.

And I don’t wish for you to think this was the end, not at all, but rather, a change. A new beginning. Time for something different. For me and the friends I was with, at least.

We had a good run, though, for the most part. As it is with all friends. We went all over the place together. Festivals. Warehouses. Afterparties. Nightclubs. We had our good times.

But we were also growing apart, and I don’t feel we even wanted to see that a year ago. Maybe it’s not so easy sometimes to tell people, ‘it’s okay to let go’. But of course, as with the saying, you’ll have to let go too.

Compound was the moment I let go, and it’s tough to admit that, because I was the only one who knew it. But what a chance it really was.

The music pounded heavy and loud in the darkest corner of that massive warehouse as the lights and lasers and smoke just consumed us all. On top of that, it just felt so good to be back to what we loved.

The quarantine took so much more out of us all than just time, and I could feel the weight of it on that night. We wanted it back. We resented what it had forced out of us. How could we be the same if we didn’t have the music and each other? And now that it was back would we be able to go back as well? Was it too late for us?

We spent that night like we spent so many nights together. Running around, listening to music, and just enjoying the moment, with each other.

The back room was just like the back room always is. Hidden away, consumed by heat and darkness and overwhelming pulsating sounds. A complete surrender to the basic nature of Techno, surrounded by people you can’t even see, and yet you know they are there.

A spiritiual experience, to say the least.

There was even a moment, as the night turned to morning, maybe around 2 or 3 am that we were all sitting outside together, just for a minute. I suppose if I had to count there had to be ten people or more. All friends I made over my time traveling to Southern California through the music.

It was a very powerful moment to have. To them these moments must happen all the time, and yet I have no way of telling them, that as soon as they have them, they are over. And as we danced nonstop until the warehouse finally went silent, I can remember walking away that one last time. My first time, and perhaps my only.

What was I expecting? What did I find? I had more questions than answers, and yet I felt so comforted by saying, I finally went to Compound. It was the experience I needed, but then again, everyone is different for every person.

This year’s lineup features two absolutely outstanding European Techno Dj’s in O Phase and Rebekah. O Phase tears the roof off where ever he goes, and he helps set the standard not just for quality Techno Dj’s, but also for the music they make as well. O Phase at Compound will be an absolutely powerful experience.

Rebekah still to this day played one of the best techno sets I’ve ever heard in my life when I saw her play at Crssd Music Festival in San Diego, just south of where she’s playing tonight.

I can remember so clearly the moment she stepped up to the decks there at the City Steps right against the Oceanside, and the way she changed both the people listening in the crowd and also the environment around her.

It’s a moment where I knew, again, Techno was for me, and seeing the way she altered everything her music came into contact with was as powerful an example of Techno’s true nature as any moment I’ve ever experienced.

Rebekah is that good and she’s that unique. I am beyond excited for the people of LA tonight to hear how she sounds in a dark warehouse supported by the production that only Compound does.

So if you’re in LA, go have an experience of your own, and just remember, everyone is not like the last. But it doesn’t have to be. It just has to be right for you, and the people you’re there with. Right now.

The music is the excuse but not the reason. Go to Compound tonight. It’ll help show you that.

See you on the Dancefloor.

There are very few times in a raver’s life when they are able to see just how far the scene they belong to has truly come. To see the progress made for the culture.

That’s how I feel when I think of two nights coming up in August, and I’m happy to be the one who gets to look back at how long it’s taken to get to them.

Each show represents a real moment not just for this city, but for the many house music lovers that have contributed to it for so long. All the years, and the shows, and the nights spent on the dancefloor all helped build towards moments like this, where we can see how much has really changed. That’s what’s about to happen on the Effex rooftop next month.

First, on August 5th, from Chicago, Illinois comes one of the best House Music DJ’s in the entire world. The one and only Gene Farris.

His history as both a DJ and a producer are just as impressive as how he actually sounds in person. The ultimate test of a true DJ is how they sound that first time, which for me and Gene was a moment I don’t think I will ever forget.

The only time I saw Gene Farris was last year in his hometown of Chicago at Arc Music Festival. It was the first time the festival was being held and it was filled with a long list of DJ’s from around the world matched with legends from Chicago itself.

It was an epic weekend in many ways that overwhelmed me more than perhaps I can ever explain, and yet a clear moment I remember so well, was being at the Elrow stage, which was under a giant metal canopy and decorated with psychedelic decorations everywhere.

The DJ set up itself was designed to look like it was along the side of a VW van from the sixties, and if you’ve ever heard of an Elrow show you know it comes with props, performers, and of course, world class DJ’s who fit the sound.

It was some time on the second day, I think, when I was dancing to myself, and I heard the voice of Gene himself welcoming us to Chicago, and saying how proud he was to be there. From there the confetti began to fall from the ceiling and you could hardly even see the person standing next to you. Then he played this.

It was an amazing moment on the dancefloor made perfect by the music of Gene Farris in the city that he made it in. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and yet I’m so happy to know that a small part of that will be here in Albuquerque for all my friends to hear for themselves.

Gene Farris is one of the best House DJ’s in the world and getting him to stop by for just one night is something I cannot support more. Of all the DJ’s who are coming to this city this year, this may very well the best one. Please go and support Chicago as this time, it’s coming to you.

The second night in August that I am excited for happens on August 12th, as one of my favorite DJ’s in the world is somehow magically coming to New Mexico to play under the desert sky just for us.

Carlo Lio is one of those DJ’s who needs no real introduction. Originally from Toronto, he has taken his unique Dirty Disco sound all around the world, and with every step of the way he appears to just be getting better.

I have seen Carlo Lio live twice, with the first time being at the now closed Denver nightclub forever known as Beta.

It was the day after we had seen a DJ from Germany named Chris Liebing, play Techno in this old Dental Supply Warehouse for like five hours without mercy.

The look on the DJ’s face as he unleashed a soundwave of power is something that I have never forgotten, and we were still left recovering well into the next day.

Combine that with the fact that we woke up to a Giant Snow storm, and our plans to leave that very morning were quickly changed. I can still recall the conversation we had over continental breakfast about whether we should stay or not.

Our friends who had originally wanted to leave were now considering staying since I had reminded them that I had already reserved us tickets for proper Sunday in the lounge, with Carlo Lio himself playing for nearly four hours on the always legendary soundsystem you’d only hear at Beta.

It was an amazing night of music up on the second floor of that club that I will never forget, and not just because I loved the DJ and the music he was playing, but it was also the one and only chance I’d get to spend time with this exact group of people.

Raving as an adult is different than when you were younger. You get maybe one chance to have fun together, and for that reason, you go for it. No matter the cost, or the distance, or the inconvenience it causes back home, we may never have this moment again. That’s what that night listening to Carlo Lio will always remind me of, and I feel that same idea applies when he plays the rooftop next month.

I don’t know when Carlo Lio is gonna come back to New Mexico, and I don’t know when I’ll see him again, just like I don’t know who will be there when I see him. Things change. Life changes. We change, but the music somehow remains the same, and for that, I feel it should be celebrated once again.

If there was any DJ in any city I’d want you to see, it might possibly be Carlo Lio, and for one night only he’s coming to us, here in New Mexico. Please go and show some love to a great DJ and a great moment made possible, again by Mr. Afterhours Presents.

I’m grateful that this night is happening, and along with Gene Farris playing the week before, what we are being given is two nights in August that we may never forget.

Please go early to both shows. Opening for Farris are two New Mexico legends in DJ Eldon and Reverend Mitton, with the Rev opening the night with a very special tribute set to the late great DJ OHM. A New Mexico favorite who was set to originally play the show himself, but passed away, and will be missed immensely both on August 5th, and also looking forward.

Playing alongside Carlo Lio are two other solid New Mexico DJ’s that are sure to welcome him here properly in Polyglot and Vettaluv.

Also, remember for both shows there are no presales, and the only way to get in is actually getting in, so please, go early, stay late, and enjoy this one.

There aren’t very many shows that give me that itch to return to the New Mexico dancefloor again, but I must admit I feel it now more than ever with these two nights coming up next month. I’m happy they are happening, and I’m happy for this culture, but most of all, I’m happy for the moments we are still meant to have, together.

Have fun at these two, and if you happen to look over, and see a short, blue haired freak with a heart on his face, dancing with delight, let him be. It took a long time to get back to this one.

See you on the dancefloor.

House music, like life, is as much about intent and purpose as it is about fate and destiny. If you believe in that kind of stuff, at least.

I do, and I suppose that’s what converged one day in the year 2000, when a young raver who had the idea to be a DJ walked into Lesmen’s Music here in Albuquerque, to buy her first turntables.

We’ve all had that dream, I suppose. Of being a DJ. If only for an instant. I was having a similar moment around that very same time when I walked into Grandma’s music and bought my first turntables, but that’s where intent and destiny start to come into play.

As I tried and tried and tried, I found I wasn’t a very good DJ. I just didn’t have it. And trust me, I tried. I really did. It just wasn’t for me. But as soon as I accepted that I started on my path towards being a writer. The one I’m on now.

But see while I went down that path, this other DJ was off somewhere practicing too, but unlike with me, this DJ had the sound, and the ability, and the drive, and that’s always going to be where destiny takes over. With the help of intent, of course.

That’s how I feel when l listen to two very different and unique mixes by one DJ known as Vettaluv. I hear many of the same inspirations and influences that I have also grown up with, and yet I admire her ability to show such distinct sides to House Music as a DJ.

First, is a deep house mix that catches me immediately, named Sweater Weather. I suppose it caught my eye with the memory of cooler times now that we are deep into the heat of the New Mexico desert summer, and yet that’s perhaps also why this mix affects me as well.

I have spent years and years and years lost in the wasteland oasis that is Albuquerque, and yet always with house music. Always with this subtle, jazzy, deliberate bounce that I know so well as home.

I just don’t know how to tell the world that the sound I hear in New Mexico, is one you can only hear here, and part of that is because this is still a place filled with people that have experience from all over the world, and they choose to be here.

They all contribute based on where they’ve been and where they’re from, and this first mix shows that with Vettaluv. This ability to catch that rhythm, and to keep it is not something to be taken for granted. This DJ has that.

It definitely reminds me of some of my Chicago House Music all-time favorites, Mark Farina and DJ Heather, who are both long time favorites of New Mexico, and the world.

I spent my teenage years listening to Chicago Deep House, and somehow, by listening to this one hour mix, I know DJ Vettaluv absolutely did the same. I love how soulful this one is.

The second mix is a bit of up-tempo jacking house, and it reminds me a lot of another DJ from my teenage years that still rocks the dancefloor, DJ Dan, who is a legend of California House Music. It also kind of reminds me of Gorgon city too. The sound and the bounce. I love Gorgon City, and I think maybe this DJ does too.

This one is called Late Night Sessions 002 and It shows this DJs uptempo and higer energy side. More like peak hour house music, but also still soulful again, and keeping that rhythm so well.

A sound I have no doubt she picked up from her time in San Diego, which is always a great place to hear all types of good house music in a beautiful environment. I love the beautiful vocals layered all throughout the mix.

DJ Vettaluv is playing two shows coming up that I am just so excited to write about it. First, is a collaboration she has been doing with the Rev, called House Proud.

With the next installment happening on Saturday August 27th, at Insideout with a full lineup of some great House DJs, including The Rev himself, Chris Losak, Aimie Jane, and Ali Romero.

The best part about this is that there is no cover, so all you have to do is show up and enjoy the music, which is meant to be a showcase of nothing but great New Mexico local DJs.

The idea of hearing locals is something I find myself supporting more and more as time goes on as I see so clearly they are the DJ’s keeping the music and our culture going.

That always necessary lifeline not just to where it began, but also to where we can still find it. House is our home because we chose for it to be, but also because we know deep down, it also chooses us. Isn’t that what love is? Choosing each other?

Before the House Proud show, though, Vettaluv is playing the Effex rooftop on August 12th with one of my absolute favorite DJ’s in the whole world, known as Carlo Lio, and I am very excited that this DJ was picked to represent New Mexico on such a night.

I will have more to say about that one, I’m sure, but after hearing both these mixes I am even more excited to see Vettaluv welcome him under the beautiful stars we always seem to take so for granted.

From there this DJ is just gonna keep going, as she has bookings all summer long. But that’s House Music isn’t it? No matter where we go, what we do, or who we meet, House Music carries us there, and I’m grateful that it brought me to this DJ and her music, which I enjoyed so much on this hot July afternoon, as I typed quickly at my computer.

I’m excited to see and hear where Vettaluv goes from here, and I ask you the same I always do. Don’t just read these words. Play this music, and most of all, go to the show.

Support the culture and be thankful intent got us through this life, but fate was what led us to this music, and to each other. That’s what happened for Vettaluv that day at Lesmen’s Music. Her purpose led her there, but she knew exactly what to do after that.

See you on the dancefloor.

When I was younger, and full of life and love, I’d dream of Chicago. And I’m not sure what I’d actually dream of, because I had no way of knowing what the windy city actually looked like, but I guess I used it as something to hang on to.

Something to work and try and struggle for. All the other stuff would be worth it, because one day I’d finally get to go to Chicago.

Looking back now, I laugh a bit, and I see how naïve and full of youth I really was, but I’m glad I had that to hang on to. How, could I tell myself, though, that yes, you’re going to get to Chicago, but you’re gonna have to take the long way, and it’s just not gonna be the city you thought it was going to be. It’s going to be something so much more real. Something you never had the heart to dream about.

I say all this because in just under two months I will return once again to the city, and I will go again for House music. Arc Music festival is nearly upon us and with it a long list of amazingly unique DJ’s playing in the city that made this sound we love so much.

Last year was as emotional and life changing a trip I’ve ever had in my life. It tested me in ways I didn’t expect, and yet at the same time, I know even with my failures, it was what I needed it to be. But now that we’re a year later, I’ll admit I wasn’t at full capacity.

Our first festival since the end of the quarantine, it was challenging in only a way Chicago can be, but then again I didn’t know that until I got there.

With other cities it’s not the same. Say, New York, it’s so big you just feel like an ant, and you just go about your business.

Detroit’s the kind of place that you just get lost in. Everybody forgets it’s there, and yet when you’re there you can’t let it go. Then when you’re flying back, you think, how am I gonna ever convince the rest of the world, that the best city on the planet, is Detroit. It’s so insane that you accept the outrageousness of it immediately, and you move on.

But with Chicago it’s different. With Chicago there’s the reputation of a Metropolitan, and yet a cultural history unmatched by nearly every city in America, outside of New York. But New York, it affects everything and everybody. Chicago speaks to the house in you.

You can feel it in its walls when you walk the streets. Or the people sleeping on the sidewalk as these giant buildings tower over them all. How can there be such a distance between the two? Such poor surrounded by such wealth? How did we become this?

Chicago forced me to see that as much as any city I’ve ever been to. You can feel the gap between the rich man and the poor more than anywhere I had been before. I went for the music and I was given a lesson on society. At least in this country.

I’m not sure what I’ll find this time, and yet I know I must go again. The plane tickets are bought, the hotel is reserved, and we have no reason to turn back. Again, Chicago. Again, for House music.

When looking at this lineup I can think of one set that cannot be missed, and of course it’s the b2b of Mark Farina and Derrick Carter. There are no two DJ’s that have introduced House Music to me more, and being able to see them together, in the city that made this sound, is more than a dream come true.

It’s a chance at hearing it exactly the way it was meant in exactly the place it was made. Any chance you have at seeing each DJ, you can’t overlook, but now to see them together is something that I’ll say again, just can’t be missed.

Another dope name on the lineup is the one and only Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim. I cannot believe, after all these years, I am finally going to see Fatboy live, and it’s gonna be in Chicago. How does life turn out like this? How are the planets lined up to create such a moment?

I can remember being a teenage boy, and hearing ‘Praise You’ for the first time, having no real idea what it was, and yet knowing, it was something good. Something I still cherish now. I have never seen Fatboy Slim in my life, and yet that will change in September. And what if he plays the Elrow Stage?

From there the list goes on, with Honey Dijon at the top of it, another Chicago Legend, the mega duo that is Get Real, Ricardo freakin’ Villalobos, Carl Cox, and Paco Osuna. Along with some great British house DJ’s in Gorgon City, Skream and Chris Lake.

I LOVE CHRIS LAKE!

Don’t think Chicago can’t do Techno either, because included in this lineup are some techno titans in the legend Richie Hawtin, Brazilian powerhouse Anna, and two Italian maestros in Enrico Sangiuliano and Joseph Capriati. Also, don’t forget the great German duo, Pan Pot.

Last year’s Expansions stage was heavy on the techno and I expect it to go even further with these amazing DJ’s all agreeing to meet in Chicago. I’m beyond excited to see how the Techno goes.

If you have the chance to go to Chicago, go, and don’t just go for the music, go for the culture, and the life that goes on within it. Such an epicenter. Each building so unique.

And the Riverwalk. Or the House of Blues. Or maybe go get some spaghetti at Portillos. If they’re open.

Finally making it to a Cubs game even though deep down all I want is a black white sox hat. Feeling alive just one more time. Chicago, again. Chicago. Just like I dreamed of.

Maybe I’ll see you there?

There are very few things you can absolutely count on when the summer starts here in New Mexico. First, it’s gonna be hot. Really hot. We are, after all, in the desert. Second, there’s gonna be house music everywhere. I mean, everywhere.

It’s like when we harvest Chile in the fall and it has that same smell no matter where you go. We’re just a part of it. House music in the summer, Chile in the fall. It’s a New Mexico thing.

Nobody understands that more than Timm Reynolds aka the Rev. I’ve written about the Rev multiple times, and I don’t feel any shame in admitting that because he’s as much a part of New Mexico House music as anyone.

As a DJ for nearly three decades he has managed to bridge the gap between the crews, and cliques, and companies that populate our culture in a way that always puts House Music first. Because of that, he has inspired the work of other artists, so consistently, that I feel it’s fair I should share some words on his art.

Specifically, his latest release ‘Stay Hot’, out now on Traxsource, and all platforms in the near future. Here’s a link.

New Track! Stay Hot! Out Now!

The song is listed as Jackin House, and although I hear that jackin bounce to it, what I like about this one is that in the 4 minutes and 45 seconds of its duration, I hear at least three different styles converged into one song.

It has that pop and shuffle to it that all jackin house has, very similar to another track the Rev released called ‘Oasis’. Sort of like futuristic funk, but mellow and groovy. Letting you ease into the beat instead of throwing you in.

House music is different than the other styles in one specific light, and that is the fact that when you hear it live you don’t build and build and build, say like with techno, or something.

You just catch it. And ride it wherever it takes you, and you can’t go back once it starts, because that’s just not how House Music is. It’s always looking forward, while still carrying the weight of what was left behind.

Then about a minute and a half in there’s a switch up I just didn’t see coming. A futuristic synth drop layered in with sounds that frankly, I didn’t even know the Rev had in him, and I freakin love it. I am a huge fan of music with synths in them thanks to the work of bands like Depeche Mode and Dystopian Cinema like Bladerunner.

Putting that style right in the middle of a house song, while still maintaining that house groove is not so easy to do, and yet the Rev does it here with ease. A true sign of how far he has grown as an artist.

I don’t think the Rev in the past would have done this, and yet that’s what’s so good about it. Who the artist is now is not who the artist was when they began. Isn’t that true for us all, though?

There’s also another style in this track, and it’s very much a tribute to that original house sound, in that there’s this sample of a track, and I just can’t put my finger on it. I know it will come to me one day, probably when I’m on the dancefloor, lost in the beat, but not today.

I can’t recall it today, and that’s the nature of house music, I suppose. It’s going to always keep you moving and reminding you of something you’ve seen or heard or felt before, and yet when the time comes to remember, you just can’t. It’s a melancholy reminder that not all memories last forever.

It’s very much reminiscent of an earlier track the Rev did in the past that was a sample of an Isley brother’s song I love so much, called ‘Jackin For Sheets’. A balance between old school sounds and new school styles.

I don’t feel my point is just about Nostalgia, though, as you can feel his efforts to bridge the sounds, and perhaps the people that represent them.

It wants to be played in the warehouse, like it wants to be played in the mountains, like it even wants it be played in the nightclub. I expect you’ll hear this track a lot this summer and rightfully so.

I also feel a direct connection between this and another recent release of the Rev’s called ‘Rainbow Sherbet’. This eternal optimism that house gives us, and yet still providing a subtle rhythmic bounce to it at the same time. House music wants you to keep going. It wants you to endure.

It’s definitely my wish for the Rev to read these words and to see them as a sign to continue on with the art he’s making now. I can sense him telling an overall story, and I feel this track is connected to something bigger than just a release. My hope is that we can hear the entirety of the Rev’s original work in a live setting one day, or at the least a DJ set of only his original music.

Moving forward there are many chances to see the Rev in person all summer long as he is playing a special tribute set to the late great DJ Ohm alongside two House legends in DJ Eldon and Gene Farris on August 5th, and he’s also playing a great local house music show on July 23rd called House Proud, with two other great DJ’s I’d love to write about soon.

All summer long the desert skies of New Mexico will be filled with beautiful stars and the sounds of House Music. House Music that has been kept going by the efforts of DJ’s like The Rev. But now its time to grow and be something better. Something with a bigger story to tell. Something we can always go back to.

Please, buy this track, bump it at home, play it at shows, but most of all, support the culture. Much love to the Rev on this one, and I’ve only got one question left.

What’s next?

See you guys in that summer heat.

When I was a teenage raver growing up in the warehouses and deserts of New Mexico, there was always an agreement that no matter the style, no matter the crew, and especially no matter the genre, you all had to share the stage.

House had to be willing to mix into drum and bass, then drum and bass had to be willing to mix into techno, and if this guy wanted to end with a trance set, then just deal with it, because everybody was included. Everybody.

Having all the genres play together on one stage with one crowd and one experience was kind of the whole point for a while there. It was a chance for the crews to come together, to dance together, to celebrate the moment. To rave without shame.

The variety was a huge part of the fun, and yet even with saying that, I have to admit, there was one genre that was always given a bit more respect. In fact, especially in the warehouses, it went even further. No matter who threw the function, there always, I mean, always, had to be a jungle room.

Had to be. No question. Now, granted some people went with a chill room, and some trip hop, but for the most part, it was always the same. Jungle Room. Always the jungle room.

It was a simple set up too. DJ grooving and vibing, jungle crew all bouncing and moving to their own rhythm, the rest of the world completely unaware of what was happening in this dark, hidden room off in the back of the warehouse.

It was as much a religious experience as anything I’ve ever come across. You were in that jungle room because that’s where you belonged, and yet you didn’t know that until you got there.

The reason I say all this is because that’s the feeling I get when I listen to this mix that femme.antics did for subsequence radio. It feels like I’m back in the jungle room. Back when it was still natural. And true. And real. But that’s the beauty of music. It has a way of coming back to you.

This mix and this DJ represent a new horizon for Jungle music in New Mexico, but also a return to the beginning. In one hour it says more than my words ever could.

Soulful, Rhythmic, Jazzy, Organic, and with that subtle bounce. The one you catch and you seem to just keep grooving with. Over and over. Even when the music stops. This is the kind of Jungle you go outside and can still hear in the life all around you. It’s not just a representation of our culture, but a part of it as well.

Saying I am impressed by this DJ is an understatement. I started this wanting to write about a genre I love dearly, but have disconnected from, and yet I found so much more. A DJ with an understanding of how to play it right in a way you just can’t be taught. I am very excited to see where this DJ goes from here with some really unique shows coming up.

To start, femme.antics will be playing twice this upcoming weekend, and each time will be unique to that setting and that crowd, which is something I am noticing, is the standard these days. You have to have your own style, and play it well, but you also have to be diverse in your sound and crowd. Don’t settle for just one, and that shows not just in what femme.antics plays, but also in who she plays with.

On July 8th she’s playing the Effex rooftop with Mary Droppinz, who recently played the Desert Hearts Festival, and also with New Mexico house ambassador Ana M, as a part of a very solid run of shows of We house Fridays from Mr. Afterhours presents.

Then she and Ana M are both switching up their styles again for the MIXXD show at Insideout on July 10th. Where Madam X will also be playing, and I can’t state enough how excited I am for such an eclectic DJ to be stopping by here.

Two nights in one weekend to hear quality sound by top level DJ’s, and both are set under the desert sky we love so much. I even heard that at the MIXXD show every single DJ will pay a different genre, and if you aren’t paying attention, I kinda dig that.

From there femme.antics has perhaps her biggest show to date, as she is playing at the very well-known and very well respected Denver Club simply known as the Black Box. She will be opening up the lounge as British drum and bass legend Fabio headlines the main room.

A major night to remember for everybody involved. Sharing the bill with such a respected DJ shows that femme.antics is getting the attention of those who know what proper jungle is, and I’m happy to be able to witness it.

As the mix itself progresses it stays at a very top level and tempo, reminding me of perhaps my favorite Jungle DJ, Shy Fx, both in its ability to signal back to sounds I heard from the past, and yet still representing so much more.

You could hear her saying something here, and after talking to femme.antics I learned that this mix itself is a tribute to the late Patrick Uno, a longtime member of this New Mexico Rave scene, and someone I met as a teenager long ago when we were both still young and carefree.

Patrick Uno wasn’t just a part of the Jungle and Drum and Bass scene in New Mexico, he was very much the heart of it, and his loss has left a hole I don’t feel we are meant to ever have replaced. But part of why I say this is because you can absolutely hear his spirit and influence in the next generation of the Jungle Crew, and I know that is shown most with femme.antics aka LJ Enriquez.

I’m thankful to LJ not just for carrying this feeling forward for the rest of us, but also for being an honest person during a time when we’re all trying to hang on to what’s true. And as with this mix, some things will never be truer than some solid Jungle bouncing out of the speakers surrounded by the people who love it.

I feel very confident you will have many chances to see femme.antics all summer long, but until then, bump this mix, show some love, and keep it going for the ones who just can’t go to the show anymore.

And as always,

See you in the Jungle Room.