Throughout this process, I took time to look back and connect the dots of my musical evolution, which I discovered I hadn’t really done in earnest. Because when I did, it brought such clarity. I can pinpoint five influential chapters that have led me to where I am now. It all makes so much sense.
College + Peak “EDM”
My love for dance music solidified in Texas during college in the early 2010s, what many see as the height of modern EDM. Calvin Harris, Major Lazer, David Guetta, Tiesto, etc. I, and the flame, was lit at my first festival experience at UME in South Padre Island on Spring Break. It was everything you’d imagine and more. I left walking out of that weekend moving at a different BPM than I walked in. Entering the venue and at once seeing Chris Lake go off and then transitioning into NERVO, at some point playing “Reload” by Sebastian Ingrosso….🤌 . That image, the lights, lasers, smoke machines, and most of all, the energy, is etched in my memory — a hot start!
Spring Break 2013, thankfully out of focus.
Daft Punk + Bob.FM
As fate would have it, that festival was in March 2013, and in May 2013, Daft Punk released their final album: Random Access Memories. Monumental. Hands down the most influential album in my transformation into a House head. It was the first album I bought myself on vinyl. Simply Immaculate. While we’ll save a deep dive on that record for another day, it just goes to show that Spring-Summer 2013 was fundamental for me. I was hooked.
Back then, if you had HD radio in your car, 103.5 Bob.fm in Austin had a 2nd channel that exclusively played dance music. Thankfully my gem of a craigslist find, my black 2011 Ford Escape had the best sound system I had access to. Nothing terribly fancy, just the upgraded dealership package. Once I discovered this station, I drove everywhere bumpin’ to the beat of four on the floor. I’ve called it “dance music” thus far because at the time I didn’t know what House was, nor much about the intricacy and variety of subgenres and sounds. I just knew I liked the music.
4th Street
By the time my gallivanting around Austin was ending, my friends and I were regulars on 6th street where I fell in love with the dance floor. Shakespeare’s, SOHO, and Barbarella, will always have a special place in my heart, although the most memorable nights happened on 4th street at places like Rain, Y (RIP) and Highland — the gay clubs always had the best music. At the time I was unaware of the significance the queer community had in the origins of House. Now looking back, it all makes sense. I felt it then, I just didn’t know to call it House.
The dance floor of Rain in Austin, TX in the daylight.
ARC Year 1
The second seismic shuffle was during the weeks surrounding the first year of ARC in 2021. It was the first festival in the city coming out of covid lockdowns, and it was the catalyst of my transition from passive partier to active enthusiast. In fact, I remember the date and setting. September 9th, 2021, the Thursday after ARC at Cerise Rooftop at the Virgin Hotels. After years in the making, it was that night where I decided, “you know what… I think I am going all in on House.” It’s like my House coming out, I finally accepted what everyone around me already knew.
Reflections from inside the rooftop at Cerise, a cherry on top of the evening
This transformation occurred as my friend and I were sitting on the rooftop looking out across the Loop. We had just ran into a long lost club friend and our favorite bartender in the bathrooms, and were reminiscing on old times at The MID. We were also talking about the newest songs we Shazam’d at the fest. I used to have this slight guilt and frustration that I was familiar with so many songs, but could never recall artist names and track IDs without scrolling until I saw the album art. Was I a poser? It was at that moment I decided enough of that! I chose to commit and make a concerted effort to pay attention to who, what, where, and when, why and how the pieces fit together.
Club friends at Celeste later that week.
That same night, that same old friend introduced us to her old friends, a collection of local DJs, producers, creators, promoters, and all-around partiers. Turns out they all knew each other. Unbeknownst to us, we had just stumbled into the center of the underground, the tight community that powers the local scene every day. From then on I was off to the races.