My EDM journey began at Decadence 2023 at the Phoenix Raceway. At the time, I was broke and working at a kava bar. The only way I was able to go was by asking my parents for the ticket for Christmas and they agreed it could be my present. I went to Decadence with no knowledge of a single artist on the lineup. I couldn’t have told you the difference between house, techno, or bass. I was fresh and open to new experiences. To this day, I can’t tell you the sets I saw that I liked. The only 2 names I remember without cheating and looking back at the lineup are Chris Lake because I thought he was boring… (sorry Chris Lake) and Slander who played the ball drop set and had me in my feels. There are 3 key moments I remember from Decadence 2023.
A tall man in a mask and top hat gave me an envelope and told me to open it after midnight. I later found out it was a tarot reading. SO COOL!
I really liked that everyone was wearing pashminas and I wanted one but couldn’t afford to buy one at the time. At 12:04am in 2024, I looked on the ground and found a pashmina. I asked everyone around me if it was theirs and they all said the rave gods had gifted it to me.
At midnight, I was single, so I kissed my first random wook, his friend, and my 2 girlfriends I was with. Solid haul.
After my incredible experience at Decadence, I set the intention to “do raves” in 2024. I went into the year with a complete open mind. I started going to every show I could afford in every genre. Most times, I would just show up and vibe. My first local festival was Full Moon Fest in February of 2024. That was the first time I was introduced to the local scene and quickly fell in love with the culture. Meanwhile, working at the kava bar, we had DJ’s every Friday and Saturday night. Friday’s were house and Saturday’s were bass. Daniel Ether (then Burnout) was the first DJ to introduce me to experimental bass and deep wubz. He put me onto Ahee and Tipper. S/O Daniel Ether!
My first time at Walter Where?House was in March 2024. It was Ivy Lab with idgaFNK. Once I discovered Walter’s it was game over. I went every single weekend that season into the next. One show that is a highlight for me was the first time I went solo raving to Walter Where?House for John Digweed. I was nervous but when I arrived I quickly realized the entire crowd were gay men with the best vibes! They immediately embraced me and I danced the night away. It was incredible. I had the best time and no one was hitting on me. It was lovely!
By October, I had acquired an extensive knowledge base. A friend of mine throws a big Halloween party every year. He asked me if I would make a playlist. I carefully curated an 8hr playlist that started with house and weaved it’s way through a ton of genres, building tension and release along with the flow of the party. Everyone loved it and started asking me when I was going to start DJ’ing. I had no arguments. A few weeks later in November, my friend Squid invited me over to his house to show me how to use the decks. 2 weeks later I played my first show at Lacuna and haven’t stopped grinding ever since.
Honorable mention shows 2024: Nico Moreno at Walter Where?House, Shaq Bass All-Stars at Warehouse 215, M3F, Coachella, Sun Sequence, The Sponges at Walter Where?House, Obsidian, Foreplay at the Techno Snobs Warehouse, Workals at Walter Studios. Mary Droppinz at Walter Where?House.
