Hello fellow DMIers, Happy SpoOktober! This month has been action-packed! Dive into the details about our upcoming Carousel event. And be sure to keep scrolling for our recap of the Wub Wednesdays and Rave from the Grave SCIFIGHTER events. We’re also pleased to feature Justin Choe a.k.a. Gerbs, who happens to be the 19th DMI graduate.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, October 24
We’ve got a hometown heroes event coming up soon at Kitsch Bar in Costa Mesa, CA. This lineup is stacked with DMI DJs including graduate Red Five who is spinning a birthday set, as well as Thornley & Nimrod, the illustrious folks behind the Bank Bashes where DMI students are always welcome to spin during their open deck slots. It’s a free party so there’s no excuse to miss this one, especially after all these generous folks have done for the community.
Saturday, October 26
M.A.Y DAY Events, our Los Angeles sister crew, is hosting “The Nite Kids” featuring DMI DJs DOOM_INC (one of our weekly DJ instructors) at 9:50pm and DJ Feels Goodman (one of our Board of Directors) at 1:10am. It’s gonna be a Techno/Trance/Eurodance party all night so buckle up kids. Tickets for this warehouse underground based in Baldwin Park can be secured here.
Sunday November 3
Stay tuned for the next Carousel event! We are super grateful that Steve Whelan (former Monday night DJ Lessons instructor) volunteered to host this event. Carousels are meant for our DMI community to come together, share the music we love, and learn from each other. These are a great opportunity for everyone to connect so don’t be shy and come on out!
Here’s some pictures of previous Carousels…
Event Recap – Rave from the Grave
Earlier this month Rave from the Grave was held at a secret location in the Mojave Desert with multiple stages run by SCIFIGHTER, INNER OBSERVERS, UNDERLAND RADIO, and BUMP TRAIN. Shoutouts to Omran Bahia (Omrán) and Justin Choe (Gerbs), recent DMI graduates and first-timers at Rave from the Grave! Support from BChang, Qolaj, Hutch, Holliday, GMan, Backwards K, Tabu, Madd Hadder, R3L3NTL3SS, Azlan, Elijah, Chief Mapache, among others! Keep an eye out for future SCIFIGHTER events. They often have opportunities for DMI community members to spin.
Event Recap – Wub Wednesdays
Our extended SCIFIGHTER family hosted a Wub Wednesday takeover event at the Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa. It was an energetic evening filled with pumpin’ Drum & Bass all night long with dancers prancing and lights captivating the open space. Dancers and DJs alike were flanked by flow artists spinning fire and LED orbs. Our events are flow friendly so bring your toys and join in the fun!
Fresh off the Beat
Graduate #19: Gerbs!
Congratulations to Justin Choe a.k.a. Gerbs, our most recent DMI graduate! A little bit about Justin, he dabbled with DJing during the pandemic and joined our community about a year and a half ago. His journey began after being inspired by how DJ Hank Korsan mixed diverse genres of music. Justin’s music preferences gravitate towards soulful and funky house. His current influence is Air2Earth (a.k.a. Porter Robinson). Robinson’s Second Skyfest set beautifully blended disco with euphoric tracks, a style that resonates with Justin and fuels his dream of performing a B2B set with Air2Earth. Justin appreciates DMI’s DJing fundamentals program, which helped refine his skills as he evolves as an artist.
About the Author
My name is Annie and I’ve volunteered to bring you the latest news and events in our DMI community! Here’s a little bit about me and what I’m into. I’m very passionate about dance music (as I’m sure many of you are as well).
In 2007, I was exposed to dance music for the first time. I can remember it clearly—the day a friend played ATB’s ‘Ecstasy’ on their PC—and I was like, “Whoa, this is different… and I kind of like it.” That was also the year I attended my first rave, EDC Los Angeles, which felt like something out of this world and magical to me. A few DJs I enjoy listening to include Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, and Cosmic Gate just to name a few. It’s clear that I love trance and you cannot take the trance out of Annie. =) Other things I enjoy doing in my free time include sipping coffee at a cafe with a terrace, catching sunsets at the beach, discovering new dance music releases, and traveling to faraway lands.
One evening last summer, I was invited by a lovely friend to come enjoy some live music at Rosie’s Dog Beach, Long Beach. Not knowing what to expect, I showed up and connected with some folks from the DMI community. I thought what DMI was doing was incredibly awesome, a nonprofit organization of like-minded music lovers, teaching people how to pursue what they love. When I heard about the free DJ lessons on Mondays, there was no question about whether or not to attend. I had always wanted to learn how to DJ. I am a current student, continuously learning, and I love it.
Annie’s Select
Here’s a groovy and ghostly, melodic techno track that I recently discovered and would like to share. It seems to awaken the creatures of the night, nudging us that it’s safe to come out and play.
Adios!
October has got to be one of my favorite months of the year because things start getting festive. It’s the beginning of the end of the year with the leaves changing to harvest tones, the crisp morning air, and of course all the fantastic spook-tacular celebrations.
Now that you know a little more about our community, don’t be a stranger! DMI is a friendly, growing family and it’s nice to connect with one another in-person at our community events such as the approaching Carousel. Hope to see y’all there!
As always, make sure you’re a member of our Facebook group to get more frequent updates on events and discussions.
♫ Annie, Dance Music Initiative volunteer and music aficionado.
Dance Music Initiative 