Month: November 2022

There was once this place on San Francisco Street, named the Skylight, that is still possibly one of the best clubs I’ve ever been to.

Right place, right time, right music, right DJ’s, the right chance to see them the way I wanted. Just felt right.

We were a bit towards the beginning of our traveling years where we’d spend the majority of a decade seeing everything and everywhere we could.

I’ve seen some amazing things. But still, even with saying that, I know the trip I always seem to enjoy the most, is the one I always take up north. To Santa Fe. Which is where Skylight was located.

The Club was on the Plaza, and very much like the Plaza, it had layers to it. Like a story. The more you visited it, the more you walked around it, the more you studied it, the more you found its secrets, and the more you loved the place just a little bit. . . more.

It was two stories and it had a high roof that would allow the Moon to shine down on the dancefloor at the bottom, with the second floor wrapping around with tables and chairs allowing for a perfect view of both the DJ, and everything around them.

The layout and design of it were outstanding, which allowed for amazing sound that carried all throughout the expanding club.

My favorite detail was always the fact that when you went outside to get fresh air they’d have a speaker set up so you could still hear the music, allowing everybody everywhere to be following the same groove all night long.

I think realistically I may have personally only been to the Skylight four times, and they were all in a one year stretch that included four of the best DJ’s in the world, in a setting I always dreamt of seeing them in.

Intimate, aware, powerful, deep.

That’s probably how I’d describe that stretch. I was in my second prime, and I could feel the DJ’s catching the same rhythm as well. They knew the road just like I did. In fact, these four DJ’s were a huge reason why I started out on the highway in the first place.

The first time I went was for Dave Seaman, who I had been a fan of for nearly a decade and a half by the time I finally got to see him live for the first time. Something I couldn’t believe had taken so long.

I had tried to see him in multiple cities at different stages of my life, and still never got the chance until he finally came to us, with this one night still being the one and only time I’ve seen him to this day.

Dave Seaman belongs to what I like to call, the Global Underground generation.

If you don’t know what Global Underground is, it’s a CD mix series that follows DJ’s around the world, and gives the person at home a chance not just to hear how those outrageous nights went, but also to see them.

The CD booklet would be filled with pictures and stories from the road of how crazy things really got, and the CDs were filled with music you couldn’t hear anywhere else.

The words I read in those pages inspired me to go have some Global Underground moments of my own, and still to this day, Dave Seaman has among the most releases of any DJ.

Seeing him that night felt like I was completing a journey that didn’t just start with getting in the car.

It felt like a journey I started the minute I heard his first track from his first global underground years ago as a lonely teenager who was just discovering the rave and the culture it belonged to.

It was his Melbourne mix I heard first, I think.

The night itself, was a bit of a blur. The lights, the sound system, and the dancefloor, were all exactly how you’d want them to be for DJ’s like these.

Dark enough to get lost, but lit enough to know this isn’t a dream. That first night, I can remember so clearly, Dave playing as one of his final tracks, a song many of us know so well from those desert nights we spent during our rebellious days of adolescence, lost amongst the stars.

‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ by the Orb echoed out into the night and just like that, he captured what it meant to be one with both the DJ and the dancefloor.

Deep in the heart of a plaza that stood for hundreds of years a DJ from the other side of the world played a song he heard so long ago about Our side of the world, and he played It for us.

The connection was deep, the emotion was high, and we were left only to wander the night with stars in our eyes and a subtle reminder that this life is absolutely worth it.

Skylight felt like a dream.

After that we returned a few months later to see a DJ that I never thought would come to New Mexico, and still looking back, it’s kind of crazy they pulled it off. If only just once.

Another part of the Global Underground generation, and still a world traveling master DJ, the next to play Skylight was the one and only Nick Warren, who has been perhaps one of my personal favorites for nearly twenty years.

Nick, like Dave Seaman, released multiple Global Underground compilations, and he is still known as a true master of his craft.

I have traveled all around this country just to see Nick Warren, and still, it never felt quite like it did that night at the Skylight.

I liked that it was dark and moody, but intimate, with the mood of the night starting with Nick just hanging out in the back, having a drink, enjoying the moment.

I try to tell my friends in other cities that DJ’s like New Mexico because they’re just a part of it here. They’re not superstars, they’re just lovers of music again, and we want them to know that. We want them to know they can come get lost too. But only if they want to.

From there he went on and just like with Dave it was kind of just a blur you will always remember, but can never explain. It was beautiful, and groovy, and amazingly subtle.

He wasn’t just dropping a beat or playing a song; he was painting a picture, and using the movements of the crowd as much as he was using the music. Again, we were all one.

By the end of the night I can still remember the head of security dancing along next to Nick as he smiled back at her with joy. I’d later find her name was Taz, and she was such a wonderful part of those nights. Making us all feel safe but welcomed.

Even making a world famous Dj feel connected to the Skylight.

The night ended with him playing a sample from Bladerunner, one of my favorite movies, and a huge reason why electronic music became such a huge part of my life.

The words rang true as we exited the club, and out onto the street, where on that night, as the clock struck two, and the bell from the church rang twice, a thick fog carried down from the mountains and out into the street.

A fog so thick you could only see the person by your side. San Francisco had come to Santa Fe, and all we could do was remember the words.

“I’ve seen things. . .”

After that was something special. A secret date with a DJ we love so much, Danny Howells, who also released a few Global Undergrounds of his own.

For Danny it was different, though. It was in the back, I forget what they called that little room. Maybe the Skylab? I’m not sure.

It was small and only lit by neon lights behind him and out onto the middle of the dancefloor. I suppose you could fit maybe 50 people if you had to.

He was playing a secret show just to try some stuff out and to play for a bit without the madness of the bigger crowds or the flashing lights. Just him, us, and the music.

As I’ve said many times before, Will we ever need anything more?

The first time I discovered Danny Howells was not in Global Underground, but rather as part of a common thing that used to happen back when I was a teenager.

The magazines we’d buy would also come with mix Cd’s from DJ’s they’d hire for the month. A sort of resident for the magazine that you’d get as a way of continuing the connection between words and music.

It was such a strange time and yet one where you’d pay $8 to be introduced to someone playing crazy music on the other side of the world that you’d spend your entire life trying to find, only to one day discover, that the music would come to you.

That was Danny Howells to me.

Still to this day, I have no idea how I ended up being cool enough to get into that little room listening to this DJ I loved so much in such a unique way. In a way the world would never know happened.

A moment just for us.

The final time I went to Skylight and the DJ I saw that night, are actually the reason I’m writing this today.

Jody Wisternoff, the second half of the amazing group Way Out West, that he started with the previously mentioned Nick Warren, would be the last DJ I’d ever see at that exact club because just a while after that last night, the club closed its doors for good.

Causing that final moment on the dancefloor to matter just a little bit more than I originally believed it to be when it happened. But what a moment it was.

After playing for around three hours Jody himself came down from the decks to dance with the people in the crowd, celebrating and enjoying the night in a way only Santa Fe knows how.

What was it about that place that brought such emotion and joy out of these four world traveling DJ’s? Why are we the only ones who know it happened? Will we ever have that feeling again? Do we even want to?

I suppose that’s the beauty of the most amazing moments in our lives. They sometimes leave us with more questions than answers and yet all we can do is smile and be grateful they happened.

I’m sad I’ll never get to take that drive again, and I’m sad I’ll never get back to that dancefloor, but then again, I don’t have to.

The beat carries on. The DJ’s keep going so we should too. On December 3rd, 2022 Jody Wisternoff makes his return to New Mexico, but this time to the Electric Playhouse here in Albuquerque.

I’m not saying it’s going to be like the Skylight, but that’s because it doesn’t have to be. That was my moment. My story. My prime. Now it’s time for others to have theirs.

You’ve got to be willing to go get your story before it ever happens. But I promise you, when you finally do get to it, you’ll be glad you’re the one allowed to tell it.

So go, dance, be happy, and enjoy this music that carries us everywhere. Acknowledge the DJ’s who inspired you, and remember the moments you’ll never have back.

Thanks to those four DJ’s, and to Santa Fe, but most of all, thanks to the Skylight. Thanks for being real, and better than a dream, but most of all, always worth that drive. And as I say often about the city up north.

It’s all downhill from there.

Come find me on the dancefloor sometime.

Maybe the Skylight again, but only in my dreams.

It’s an odd relationship, the one between the Techno Crowd and the Dirtybirds. We always end up in the same places at the same time, and yet we never want to admit it. Techno heads act like we’re a little too cool sometimes, like the snobs we are, and Dirtybirds act like they don’t wanna wear black, even though they know they do.

Yet, even with saying that, there can never be any denying that some of the best nights of our lives have been had with the Dirtybird crowd, and I sincerely hope they feel the same about us.

We are two sides to the same dancefloor. Dirtybirds on the left and Techno fam on the right. Or maybe the other way around?

In fact, I’m sure if you really questioned the most hardcore of Techno Lovers, they’d probably have to admit they had at least a little period where they loved Dirtybird. Even for just a bit. That is if they still don’t love them now. Like I do.

I don’t feel I can ever let the Dirtybirds go, and I suppose I’m okay with that.

I have had some amazing moments surrounded by the music of the Dirtybird players, and I’m forever grateful not just for the fun times I had, but also for the people I met through those times.

I could probably go on and on about the wild moments had between I, New Mexico and Dirtybird, and still I am happy to know there still may be more to come. Starting with this next weekend.

First, with a show I’d like to talk about taking place on Saturday November 19th at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, as the creator of Sloth Acid Sacha Robotti will be playing for one night only.

Meow Wolf is perhaps one of the most magical places in the world, and Sacha follows a long list of amazing Dj’s that have brought their music to that dancefloor.

I have personally only seen Sacha Robotti once in my life, and it was the first time I went to Chicago, a story I feel helps support my belief that techno heads and Dirtybirds just find each other.

We were going to a House and Techno Festival at Union Park on Saturday and Sunday, but found ourselves with tickets to Friday night of another festival on the other side of the city that showcased a different side to electronic music.

We were definitely a bit out of our element both with the lineup and the style, and if I’m being honest I felt a little old, but there were enough acts on there to be interested, and we had nothing better to do, so why not?

Plus, there was one stage on the lineup we knew we could count on. Friday night, had Dirtybird. It was a great lineup too.

Claude Von Stroke, Nala, VNSSA b2b J.Worra, and of course Sacha himself, who I believe was playing right when we got there. A major moment for any festival experience, especially for us and our first time in Chicago.

It felt poetic in a way. All these years we had dreamt of going to Chicago, seeing the birthplace of House Music, hearing the sound they made, and then finding ourselves starting the weekend just like we spent so many weekends in New Mexico.

Dancing with the Dirtybirds, having the most wonderful time.

And sure, we’d go on to the other festival and we’d have our House and Techno weekend, but only after we had our fun with the Dirtybirds. Our fam. No matter where we are.

The same way it went the first time we went to Detroit, the same way we’ve spent so many nights here at home, and the same way you’ll get the chance to do it yourself with Sacha bringing a piece of that energy with his own hybrid, unique, bassy sound, that bounces between house and techno so effortlessly that all you can do is call it something original all on its own.

That’s Slothacid, and that’s what you’ll get this upcoming Saturday as Sacha plays alongside two DJ’s I know will help create the vibe right for the night.

First, with Joey Fettucinni, someone who not only shows his ability with every chance he gets to play, but also a person who is supportive, and understanding as well. Not something you normally say when promoting a show, but also something I’ve experienced firsthand when interacting with Fettucinni.

After that is Davy Jones, who I first I met when we were both still working at a call center together, where we’d talk about our dreams, and the hope of one day living them like we are now.

I can remember how committed Davy was to this idea even then, and I’m very proud to see how far he has come, not just in following his dreams, but also in how he attempts to support the dreams of others.

I’m happy for both Dj’s playing alongside Mr. Robotti as it will be a wonderful and full night of quality music in the way only the Dirtybirds and Meow Wolf know how.

Link to Event Page

But if you can’t wait for this one, don’t worry, because in Albuquerque the night before, on Friday, November 18th, We House Fridays, and Mr. Afterhours Presents is bringing the one and only Mz. Worthy to the effex rooftop to continue a string of shows that are unheard of in a place like New Mexico.

Mz. Worthy, I’ll admit to you now, gave me one of the best moments I’ve ever had on a dancefloor, and it happened strangely enough, on my birthday.

I’m not always a huge birthday guy, and I hardly ever celebrate my birthday the way others do.

In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying I’m kind of a grouch when it comes to my birthday, and my wife will tell you all about it.

But then there are times in your life where you just have to ignore all the stuff you learned and were told and you have to follow your heart, and that’s how I ended up in a warehouse on the night of my birthday ready to see the legendary electronic act known as Rabbit in the Moon.

If you don’t know who Rabbit in the Moon is, look them up, and if you do, you know this was one of those things you don’t pass up, regardless of date or time, and yet somehow the universe gave me this as a birthday present.

It’s still kind of crazy to think of now, especially because of how amazing it really was.

The show Rabbit in the Moon put on exceeded all expectations and the night proved to be a part of a bigger story I’m still living.

But as I look back, I try to think, what was the moment that kicked the night off with its epicness? When did it all start to become a blur? Who is responsible for that?

And on that first night, just like now, years later, I know without thinking twice, the moment it happened.

It was just before Rabbit in the Moon came on. We were on the dancefloor somewhere hidden amongst the crowd, and there were decorations everywhere, and these giant rabbit in the moon totems scattered throughout the small sea of people, which is not the norm for a warehouse, but it gave a feeling that night that something big was building and everything around you supported that.

And then this moment happened, where it got dark, and silent, and the warehouse was filled to the max with both anticipation and actual people.

And in that moment the DJ dropped the sickest Drum and Bass track I may have ever heard. It just dropped. Out of nowhere. Like, it was one thing, and then another. And as this new thing, the music was destroying the dancefloor.

In one instant the entire crowd jumped and cheered in unison and joy, as the music felt so fucking good. It was just real, and honest, and right. Bumping this drum and bass in a warehouse in the middle of the night right before Rabbit in the Moon went on. It just felt like we went into a time machine. It makes me feel the way I always feel in Denver.

Denver makes me feel like I’m back in 99’.

I couldn’t believe how good that felt, and yet when it was all over, that’s the one moment that perhaps stood out the most. The moment we let go. The moment it went off the deep end. The moment we went back in time.

I’ll be forever grateful to Mz. Worthy for giving me that moment, because I suppose looking back it was about more than just music. It was about believing in something, and going and getting it, and following your heart. Being who you truly are.

What I am is a crazy little techno panda who would go anywhere at any time for the right fuckin beat, and that night with Mz. Worthy on that dancefloor, was amongst the best I’ve ever had, and I am so grateful that she is coming to Albuquerque to share that magic with the people I know here.

She taught me to follow my true self just by following the music, and I’m so happy that Mz. Worthy will be showing her true self here on Friday, November 18th, on the effex rooftop under the stars.

Playing alongside Mz. Worthy are two of my absolute favorite Dj’s in New Mexico, not just for their skills and versatility, but also for their commitment to the music and what it stands for.

First is a DJ I feel is meant to take over for years to come in New Mexico, with femme.antics. Both as a DJ and as a promoter.

What I like about femme.antics is her ability to play any style, while still staying connected to her own vibe. I believe she’s playing house for this one, but also don’t underestimate her present and future as a proper Drum and Bass DJ.

Second, is the one and only Badcat, who is not just a first class Vibe Engineer, but also a true advocate for our entire culture. When Badcat plays it’s as If she’s playing for something more, and I suppose I feel that because I do the same.

With every word I write and every moment I have, I know it belongs and comes from so much more than just myself, and what I like so much about Badcat as a DJ is that she respects that balance. She wants you to feel something as well as learn it. I cherish that so much.

Link to Event Page

So, in closing, this upcoming weekend is special not just because of the music being played, but also because of the moments had with the people making the music. We zone in on the culture so much sometimes that we don’t stop to notice all the other people that are a part of it. The ones living it everyday, trying to make it better, trying to be better. Trying to help us catch that beat.

As always, for both shows, go early, stay late, support this culture and the beauty in its future.

Come find me on the dancefloor.

I have a pretty good idea of where I’ll be.

Getting crazy with the Dirtybirds.

As usual.

I don’t believe I ever met Wake Self, but as I’ve said in the past, when you live in a place like New Mexico, you just kind of see each other around all the time.

In fact, as I get older I realize it’s so much deeper than that. We grow up, we change, we fail, we succeed, and most of all, we live together. Apart of each other’s lives both through the good and the bad; even if we don’t even notice it.

That’s just how this goes.

I honestly never thought much of that fact, or all the times I saw Wake Self around, until the morning I woke up and heard the news he was killed by a drunk driver on November 5, 2019.

It’s a day and a feeling I’ll never forget, although, again I never knew him personally, no matter how many mutual friends we appeared to have, or how many times we ended up in the same place.

He was a hip hop head and I was a raver, which to the outside world seemed nothing alike, but to anybody belonging to one crowd or the other, you know they will both always go together.

You’ll even find many ravers started down this path by first connecting to hip hop and the lifestyle surrounding it. A connection we never let go. Myself included.

Hip hop spoke to many of us when nothing else did. It still does. It’s the voice of a living breathing, thriving, always evolving culture.

But I suppose I could say that for House Music as well. Which is why a person like Wake Self was so well known and respected on our side of the musical aisle.

And how could you not know who Wake Self was? He was intelligent, passionate, immensely talented, unique, and most of all, committed to New Mexico, which is something I strive for myself even to this day.

He loved this place, and you could feel that in everything he did.

Hell, he even shot a music video inside Meow Wolf, one of my favorite places in the world, which, like him, is a true representation of the creative power of this land.

But that’s part of why I decided to get out of bed and write about this person today.

He inspired me. He inspires me still.

How bright he did shine. How poetic he really was. When you lose someone so powerful, you feel their spirit leaving this earth. I could feel it that morning as I sat in the same chair I’m sitting in now.

So many people I care for, so many people I believe in, believed in Wake Self, and he represented us all so well. I don’t think there was ever a question he was going to do great things.

We knew what we had. We still know that.

He encouraged self-care, respect for women, and the expansion of your intellect as a way of freeing your mind. He embraced the past while still looking towards the future.

He wanted to show how special and unique New Mexico was, and he was on a path to do that with his words.

We had a shining star. You could feel it. He was on the cusp, and yet still he never lost that side that kept him humble, the side that people so clearly loved.

And when I’d see him out in the city, hanging with his people, the same way I did with mine, you could feel how connected we all really were. How alive and never-ending it all really did feel. If only just for a bit.

And now, three years later, as Wake Self Day arrives again, I can feel his star still shining down on us all. In fact, how can I tell him, would he even believe, that his star shines brighter now more than ever?

It shines in the people he left behind, the people who cry for him still, the ones who are now meant to keep his spirit alive.

It shines in murals I see everywhere, dedicated not just to him, but to all the artists we’ve lost along the way.

It shines in the words that he left behind for us with his music and his rhymes. Words, I don’t feel, will ever fade.

But most of all, his light shines in the young artists whose own future his art has inspired. They follow his path while still finding a way to make their own and it’s a reminder that we don’t ever truly die if we lived a life worth living.

And Wake Self wasn’t the first we lost, or the last, but he left so much behind that I don’t think it will be the end for him. I think this is still just a beginning.

So if you’re reading these words, and whether you loved Wake Self, or you’re just discovering him now, all I can say is keep going. Keep creating. Keep learning. Keep trying. And even if you fail, both at life and with each other. Say you’re sorry. And let’s try again. Let’s be better for each other, and for the ones that don’t have a say anymore.

We have to live for the ones who inspire us, and we have to show that every day.

I wish to say thank you to Wake Self for opening my eyes at a time when I didn’t even know they were closed. His loss and the hole his spirt left in this place I love so much, inspired me to use my own words as support and inspiration to others.

And lastly, please don’t drink and drive. Call a taxi, or a ride share, or even just a friend to come pick you up. We have lost too many good people to the bad decisions of others.

Rest In Power to Wake Self.

May your light shine so bright that your spirit never dims.

Come find me on the dancefloor sometime.

You know who I’ll be listening to.