Counter-Archives from the Dancefloor
A Scorpio's diary of sound, performance, and rebellion.
We always talk about East versus West in hip hop 90s rivalry but the South was building something parallel (bass-heavy, regional, club-oriented, and deeply communal) without needing coastal validation. What is striking is that decades later, house DJs frequently sample 1990s Southern rap, yet this influence is rarely named as a Southern lineage; the South... Continue Reading →
Coming to Miami for the second time this year for Art Basel 2025 rejuvenates my spirit. I feel more alive there, held by a kind of “main character” energy that I do not always feel in Southern California. Traveling during week ten of the quarter and the beginning of finals made something click for me:... Continue Reading →
Frankie Knuckles People love to say "not everything is political." But life itself is political. From the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the spaces where we gather. Music has always been part of that fight, whether on a sweaty dancefloor in Chicago, a warehouse in LA, a drag performance in Puerto Rico,... Continue Reading →
Annonimouz Flyer from July 25, 1997 When my mom talks about her party crew in South Central, she does not list off DJ names or venues. She remembers the feeling: 30 people deep, cars lined outside the house, waiting for her to come out. Her strict parents did not know what went down after she... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by Rave Son 4Loko In the backdrop of intensifying ICE raids across Southern California in cities like San Diego, the Inland Empire, and Los Angeles, fear pulses through our communities. Peaceful protests are routinely met with police violence, and new legislation continues to make undocumented life more precarious. People are being detained, kidnapped,... Continue Reading →
EDC 2009 (Saturday) Left to Right: J, Pinkwhore, Gynawho, Alehzay & La Lucha Sucia. “We wore flufflies, Hello Kitty backpacks, kandi, glitter and danced all night until the sun rose before anyone called it a bender.” said Molly Margarita, Mama K and La Lucha Sucia in a Story Circle interview. Rave culture in Southern California... Continue Reading →
For my HoneyLuvers, this one’s for us. The ones who feel the bass in our chest like a heartbeat, who find home on the dancefloor, who know sound is a form of resistance. Photo via @honeyluv Instagram April 24, 2025 This blog centers on Taylor Character, known as HoneyLuv, a Black woman house DJ from... Continue Reading →
Personal Archive: Front Right at Sound Nightclub Los Angeles nightlife is constantly shifting, but some things remain true: the most powerful dancefloors are not always glamorous; they are where people come for the music, the community, and the feeling. This past weekend reminded me of that. Across three nights from Hollywood to the underground afters... Continue Reading →
Personal Archives: Scorpio, Molly, and Yapdos at Afternoon Umbrella This weekend felt like a love letter to the kind of joy you cannot buy a ticket for. My friend Molly drove all the way from Ventura county to spend the weekend with me and Chuy. No big plans, just vibes. But also me and my... Continue Reading →
Personal Archive leaving Club Space at 11:30am Before I begin my first blog, I like to take a moment to describe what counter-archives mean to me. So counter-archives are a type of archival practice that challenges dominant, colonial, elite, and state-sanctioned ways of documenting history. Unlike traditional and colonial archives that are found in libraries,... Continue Reading →
Counter-Archives from the Dancefloor 