Without the LGBT+ community, house music wouldn’t be as prominent as it is today. With roots in the scene that stem back into the beginnings of disco, house music began as a solace for the queer outsiders looking for refuge from judgment, cultural “normality,” and hate. Therefore, it comes to no surprise that PRIDE events often showcase the very best and brightest that the house and disco communities have to offer.
In D.C. alone, we are going to have Kim Ann Foxman at a Paradise Garage inspired party and the Honey Soundsystem collective from San Francisco for an after-hours rave at Flash. But you should also mark a spot on your calendar for Babe Rainbow: a party at the Black Cat with some of D.C.’s most remarkable underground house and disco DJs like Keenan Orr, Tom From Prague, Alex DB, and Dean Douglas Sullivan.
In preparation for the Babe Rainbow party, Sullivan, who is one of the Babe Rainbow founders, has teased the D.C. community with a taste as to what we can expect at the Black Cat this Saturday with a mix simply titled “I’m In Love.” Featuring a vast pool of deep disco cuts that would make Patrick Cowley grin like the Cheshire Cat, Sullivan delivers an eclectic, genuine mix that draws heavy inspiration from the DJs of dance music past. Hazy. Sweaty. Sexy. All the while comforting and cajoling us into a state of trance that lifts us up like a Sunday mass at a southern Baptist church. This is what the foundation of dance music sounded like and Sullivan wants us to remember that.
You can listen to the mix below and be sure to check out Babe Rainbow this upcoming Saturday.
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