Month: March 2023

It isn’t always easy admitting when your heart is broken, but looking back, I know that’s exactly what was happening to me two years ago around this same time, when I decided to start Our Dancefloor.

And I suppose I shouldn’t say broken, as much as it was shattered. Just destroyed. Damaged in a way I don’t feel it had ever been before.

I wish I could say that was the end of my heartbreak, but as I’ve learned in the two years since that moment; when a heart is broken, I mean truly broken, it doesn’t ever heal, does it?

Even if you fix up that entire heart of yours, and glue it together, and do it just right, you know deep down, there’s always gonna be that one little broken part that can just ruin it all over again.

A hit in the perfect spot, and boom, shattered just like before.

But this story isn’t about my broken heart, but rather what I did with it.

And what I did with it, is I used it to drive me and my writing in a way I had never done before; which can always be viewed in the pages that consume this website.

To you, they are words on a culture and the people who make it. To me they are an attempt to run from the sleepless nights spent alone wondering how it all went wrong.

Every moment where I felt broken and alone, I guess I just kept writing, and this time it was to share how I felt about the people I met in this life. At least the ones who made a mark.

That’s why I’m writing these words today. I wanna talk to you about a moment that made a mark. A big fucking mark.

It was right before the quarantine, and the world shutting down. Which for those of us here in the 505, will always be a period associated with a magical place known only as Meow Wolf.

These days, Meow Wolf is considered an amazing multidimensional wonderland that the whole world wants to see. But back then it was different. Especially when it first opened.

Even we didn’t know what we had at first, at least before we all went and saw it for ourselves.

And then we did. Each of us one by one, and then after that, everything changed. Everything.

And I’m not even sure how to describe it. I’m not even sure if I should.

Some things are better left in the unknown mysteries and memories of the past.

My first show at Meow Wolf was for Mark Farina’s 25th Anniversary of Mushroom Jazz and it is a night I will never forget.

We wandered that place, discovering it for the first time. Laughing, and running around like children, and dancing with our eyes closed, and loving every single minute of it.

For those few years before things changed we had something more than special, we had a moment people spend their entire lives dreaming about.

We had the music, and the magical place, and the strong drinks, and the good drugs, and hotel rooms filled with laughter, but most of all, what we had that made it special, is that we had each other.

Which is how I come around to talking about Justin Martin, the DJ that to me, will always be connected to that moment and that time the most.

And not just because he’s a good dj, but it’s also something more than that. Something much harder to explain.

It hit its peak, I suppose, with his announcement that he’d do a four part residency over the course of a year at Meow wolf, playing all night long, every time.

Looking back, I don’t even think it was about one night or even one song, but rather a bunch of them.

Even as I close my eyes now, I can see so many of them flash before me again.

Being on the dancefloor as he dropped my favorite song, and then singing that song with my friends as we all walked back to our hotel after the show was over.

Standing up in the house, overlooking the small crowd, and how it always overlapped behind, and sometimes right up and around the DJ and the stage.

There wasn’t any barrier at Meow Wolf.

I’ve stood on the dancefloor next to world famous DJ’s who marveled at what we experienced every week.

We had a secret, and even if the entire world never found out about that place, we knew we had it.

There was even that one in December, when he brought his brother, and we even met his parents.

I can still remember greeting them out in the lobby, and shaking their hands while we welcomed them to New Mexico. Although, looking back, I’m sure they had been here before.

I can also remember both brothers wore funny Christmas Sweaters and they played this insanely good Drum and Bass that everybody just went mad for, just like everybody did at my first rave, which was almost twenty years ago, nearly to the day, from that night at Meow Wolf.

And where was my first rave all those years ago?

Why it was in Santa Fe, of course. And they played Drum n Bass all night long. I was fifteen back then. I’m much older now, but some things never change.

I can even remember the third one, and how we didn’t go because we agreed to be with a friend in California, but when we got there it was just drama and nonsense we never should have experienced. With my partner and I both saying the same thing.

We shoulda stayed home. We shoulda went to Meow Wolf. We shoulda saw Justin Martin.

Sometimes you regret the ones you didn’t go to as much as you cherish the ones you did.

So, with that in mind, I’d like to tell you, that this Friday, March 24th, Justin Martin is returning to the 505, but this time to the Electric Playhouse.

And I know it won’t be the same, but then again it doesn’t have to be.

What I love so much about looking back at that period in my life, is that it was my moment, with my friends, and my love.

And it didn’t have to be perfect, it just had to be ours. Which is what I hope for you now wherever you may be.

I hope you have a moment of love, and friendship, and music, and life that you wish you will always have back. A moment that seems impossible to believe if it wasn’t so real.

But, if you do ever get there, to that moment in your dreams, my best advice, is that no matter where you are, or what you like, just for a moment; whether it be on the dancefloor, or in the DJ booth, or even just some place somewhere in between.

Stop, and look around you. Look at the people you are with. The people you value. The people you love. They are what you’re going to miss when this moment is over.

The music always comes back, and the DJ will always be on the road.

But the people we find through this culture along the path that is our life, they are the ones we want to one day say to us the words every person wants to hear at least once in their lives.

The words I hope my friends will say if I ever see them again. The words I sang on that dancefloor, and walking through that parking lot, and even as I laid in bed of some random hotel room as the party continued around me.

The only words that will always remind me of that moment and this life.

The words that remind me that it’s time for Justin Martin again.

So if you find yourself with nothing to do, and nowhere to go on Friday, go on down to the playhouse. Pay for a ticket, strap on your seatbelt, and enjoy the ride.

And as we all like to say from time to time.

Go early, stay late, support the fucking culture.

Come find me on the dancefloor sometime. I’ll be the one waiting for you to say,

Both now, always and forever. . .

Don’t go.

Event Page

It has been argued that when given the option between luck and skill, it is best to choose luck, since that is something given to you by the gods; whereas skill is something you gain and strengthen over time with work.

Serendipity or Substance? Which would you pick?

In my experiences traveling this crazy planet, I have learned it is best to have a little bit of both, and this weekend coming up for the 505, is a perfect example of that.

In nearly every corner of this city electronic music will be blasting into the desert night sky, and I’m so happy to report that it’s not just one place or sound that’s doing it, but rather all of them, everywhere.

Something I never thought possible, but again, that’s where luck and skill come in.

In fact, I find this weekend so stacked that I struggle with just picking one or two to write about and instead have decided to talk about all of them. At least the one’s I have the space and words for.

Each one seems to represent the balance of luck and skill so important in this life, while still striving to represent what this culture truly stands for, whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day or not.

First, I’d like to start by mentioning the Drum and Bass crew known as The 505 Junglists and their show at the Moonlight Lounge on Friday, March 17th.

For this one comes DJ Nightstalker, joining local members of the crew Markhyphen, Philos, and Moadmoune.

Recently, the 505 Junglists had to do what many of us have had to do from time to time over the course of our lives.

They started over, which isn’t always easy, but absolutely something we here in New Mexico have learned to use as a skill.

They are trying again, giving it another shot, and they’re doing that by working as hard as anybody in this local scene to do so, while still trying to stay true to the roots of where they came from.

Honoring where they’ve been while still remaining focused on where they’re going. I commend that and can only wish them the best, as I believe this is their first headliner, and the price of $10 all night long cannot be beat.

The enthusiasm of the jungle crew can never be matched, but I’d also love to give credit to Unity Sound Co., as this will be their last show doing sound for a bit.

I have been an admirer of Pax, the man behind Unity Sound, and his professionalism while still providing quality sound ever since I got to witness it first hand, and I know this isn’t the end for his sound system, but rather just a new beginning, and I encourage everybody to go and praise him for his help.

The job of a sound guy is often overlooked and tedious, and yet their contribution can never be ignored. This night is as much a celebration of this sound system, as it is this crew.

Enjoy it one more time as it connects to the power the 505 Junglists always bring to their parties.

Another show happening on Friday, is a birthday party for non-other than one of the best in this city, DJ Ana M.

At Effex, Ana will be playing alongside DJ Codes, who is making his New Mexico debut, I believe, and of course, another one of New Mexico’s best, DJ Thumper.

From the minute I heard DJ Thumper play I’ve loved her sound, spontaneity, and taste in music, which is something I know you can say about Ana M as well.

I am very happy to see that Rave Cenit, perhaps my favorite group in this entire state, has slowly been connecting with Mr. Afterhours Presents, who continues the string of great shows one after the other for the night we all now will always know as WE HOUSE FRIDAYS.

I can’t say enough how special it is that these two DJ’s will be sharing a stage under the spring skies this weekend, as I believe the only way the New Mexico rave scene survives is by sticking together.

We have Peace, we have Love, we are working on Respect, but now we need Unity.

With the drive and commitment of people like Mr. Afterhours presents and the creativity and unity that Rave Cenit shows, I know this is only the beginning of something wonderful.

Plus, if you don’t get enough from either show that night, don’t worry, cause at the Hall, from 1am-4am, we have a very special edition of Ana M’s Mixxd series, with an afterparty showcasing Xkota, Chiddy, femme.antics, and the one and only The Rev keeping the party going.

What I like so much about this one is not just that it’s at one of my favorite spots in the city, or even that it’s my favorite kind of party – an afterparty- but also because I know the DJ’s playing represent more than just the sounds coming out of the speakers.

Every single one of these artists have given more to this culture than just their music, and I’m so happy that in this moment and at this time they all have found each other.

What this night becomes is not just a chance to dance into the cold dark night under the cool mountain moonlight, but it’s also something so much more. The sounds coming out of the hall will be the sounds of people who have earned this moment, with drive, devotion, and support for our culture.

If there were one show I’d want you to go to this weekend, it would be this one. As each DJ belongs in this moment and this time. You have no idea how long an artist must go in order to say that, and still here we are.

Be happy for them. I know I am.

Both shows require you to pay at the door, so please, don’t miss out on these ones.

If Friday isn’t enough fun for you, don’t worry, there’s still one more show I’d like to squeeze in, that will end the weekend right for you, as Sister bar is getting taken over again by the group simply and proudly known as Adobe Disco.

Hot off of what I’m told was an outrageously amazing anniversary party with New York Legend Eli Escobar, the Adobe Disco crew return to the hot, funky, sweaty, and drunken filled mess that can only be called Sister bar.

In the heart of Downtown here in the 505, Sister bar will not only be serving some bomb as hell tacos, but they will also be providing the setting for the never ending b2b that is Adobe Disco.

Each DJ represents their own sound and background, and yet each also has found a way to their story through house. When merging that with the skills of the others in the group what you have now is a bit of a Voltron of Disco Music.

They play funky, they play real, they play solid all night long, and they are only growing both in their community, and also in their ability.

Combine that with the décor and lighting of the very creative and very original On-Syt and you get a one of a kind, unique experience every time you’re on the dancefloor at an Adobe Disco show.

Price at the door is only $5 but I caution you to please plan to arrive early, as I’ve experienced myself once, that this is the kind of party you might be left out in the cold from if you don’t make it in time.

In closing, I know these aren’t the only shows this weekend, and I also know St. Patrick’s day isn’t the only reason to go party either, but that is what’s so special about life sometimes, and I suppose about people.

We will work and work and work and work, and then just like that, we’ll look for any reason to just stop and enjoy ourselves.

That’s what this weekend really is, a chance to stop, and enjoy where our community is right now.

We’ve been through so much, both together, and alone in our own struggles, and as we carry forward all I can say is simply to keep going. If you’ve made it this far, and you’ve read my words, I wish to use them to tell you there’s still more to do.

Still more to see, still more to experience. New friends to make. New loves to be made. New Music to be heard. Now moments to have.

So, no matter what show you pick, just make sure it’s where your heart belongs.

And as they say around here from time to time, go early, stay late, support the fuckin culture.

Luck and skill may have gotten us here, but so did something else.
Love.

We’re here because of love. So, please, get out on that dancefloor, and show it this weekend.

We all need it every now and then.