OK freaks, I did something kinda crazy during my last weekend in New York City that I’m dying to tell you about—in the safe sanctum behind the protected paywall, of course. It involves injecting vitamins in the back room of a techno club and a late-night ride with a hot yellow cab driver… and that’s all I’m going to say for now :p
I’m also finally finishing my essay on why THE VIBES ARE OFF in New York nightlife this summer, and it’s kind of an opus—I haven’t worked this hard on a piece of rave reporting in a long ass time. The story turned out to be quite different from what I anticipated: I was going to write about nightlife re-entry as a process of reunification, but the truth turned out to be much bleaker and confusing—so I guess this my reckoning with the limits of nightlife, at least in its current (hyper-capitalist, neoliberal) paradigm.
I really want you to read it, which is why I’m putting annual subscriptions to Rave New World on sale for 40% off—which means it costs the same as the standard ticket to a rave in NYC right now lol. I’m going to keep putting the best shit behind the paywall, because I recently had an epiphany about the value of underground media: instead of chasing readership numbers, writers derive more joy—and safety—from a smaller circle of engaged supporters.
That said, a lot of cool kids that I really admire read this newsletter and I’m going to bless ya’ll with free subscriptions—a VIP guestlist of sorts! Also, if you’re a super Lhooq stan and can’t afford a subscription right now, hit me up and we can work it out.
QUEERING GABBER WITH KILBOURNE & EVAR RECORDS
I recently hosted a cute IG Live with one of my favorite artists, Kilbourne—an NYC-based DJ and producer at the forefront of the queer gabber scene. We chatted about the politics of gabber—a balls-to-the-walls subgenre of hardcore dance music born in the Netherlands, as well as her latest EP Seismic, which just dropped last week (in fact, her release party was where I had been partying before that steamy cab ride home from lol). Aura T-09, co-founder of new LA record label Evar Records, also joined our qt interview from the back of an Uber, and you can watch the full stream here:
‘Seismic’ is streaming below—and you can buy it here on Bandcamp!
RAVE ALERTS
VERTEXX CLOSING PARTY (LA)
Vertexx is downtown LA is an underground scene staple—it’s the kind of DIY venue where you could walk in on any weekend and find all kinds of experimental weirdness, but only if you knew which deserted alleyway it was hiding on. When I threw my first Weed Rave here back in 2019, the owner loaned me his bedroom to convert into the ambient room—and the flowers that we strung up on the ceiling became a permanent installation. The closing of this spot feels like the end of an era, and tonight’s last hurrah featuring local heroes like Aura T-09, Baseck, Mithril, and Minty Boy will be one for the books.
IMMOL88 (NYC)
Bitchhh I am so sad to be missing the return this Saturday of Immol88, a party where you’ll find music on the noisier and more demonic end of the spectrum. Hardcore legends like Swan Meat, Deli Girls, Violence, Hatechild, and Chai-T are about to tear everyone a new asshole lmao—RSVP 1mm0l8888@gmail.com for tix!
WARP MODE (LA)
My rave mom Star Eyes moved back to LA and immediately launched a sick new party called Warp Mode!!! The music is gonna span UK bass, underground club and the hardcore continuum—and this weekend’s edition is gonna be in a proper warehouse with scene staples Bianca Oblivion and AK Sports. Very exciting new NRG, this is exactly what LA’s underground scene needs.
CLUB RENEGADE (NYC)
Big homie Sam Black has been throwing some of the wildest renegade parties in NYC—he was the loco behind the infamous pandemic bridge rave that got blasted in the New York Times lmao. This weekend he’s throwing a function in an indoor skate park (wtf!) and the lineup is stacked with Debit (a bonfide rollerskating queen), Pictureplane, Jasmine Infiniti, and Mazurbate.
On a more serious note, the Delta variant is spreading like wildfire right now, so vaccine cards or negative PCR tests are required for entry to this party—and I’m hoping this becomes the standard everywhere in the underground. Masks on, babes!
That’s it—thank you for reading, and please subscribe to support & receive steamy exxxxclusive content: