Located in a broken-down stretch of Newark, New Jersey, Zanzibar was the spot where famed spinner Tony Humphries rose to fame. Some may be aware that the club – along with the Movin’ Records shop and label – helped spawn the sometimes raw but always soulful, gospel-infused subgenre of house known as the Jersey [...]
Described as a music-centric bar night for “hot dykes* to meet, mingle, and make out”, (lip) service has found its calling in Berlin, hosting hundreds-strong events with an emphasis on community and inclusivity Functions is our interview series profiling parties from across the world. This month we meet: (lip) service. Berlin is famous for [...]
Get ready to immerse yourself in the ultimate celebration of rhythm, love, and community at Fairyland, Puerto Vallarta’s first-ever queer house music festival, organized by Mantamar Events in association with Brian Kent Productions. From March 13-16, 2025, this four-day extravaganza will transform the city into a pulsating hub of sound and energy, featuring more than 23 world-class [...]
Published from 1989-1993, the LGBTQIA+ magazine THING platformed artists like Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard and Deee-Lite. A new anthology will celebrate the late, great THING, an LGBTQIA+ magazine that operated at the heart of Chicago's house scene in the early '90s. The new, 460-page book compiles all ten issues of THING for [...]
The run of four podcast celebrates Welsh LGBTQ+ venues Memories From The Dancefloor, a podcast that explores and LGBTQ+ clubbing scenes and history, is returning for a second season. The relaunch of the podcast this month coincides with this year's Pride Month, and the second run features four episodes. Over the course of this latest [...]
With his new podcast, Queerly Beloved, Northern Irish DJ Cormac explores what it means to be a queer artist in dance music today. Interviewing contemporary figures about their histories of queer discovery, the Panorama Bar and fabric regular continues an intergenerational conversation surrounding the life-affirming moments, communal experiences and enduring challenges of LGBTQ+ expression. Alongside [...]
Released on 25th May 1984, ‘Smalltown Boy’ launched the gay synth-pop band Bronski Beat into the charts and onto dancefloors with its glorious synths, hi-NRG production and Jimmy Somerville’s soaring falsetto, which sang a story of rejection, pain and escape. Here, with the help of musicians, its iconic video's director and others, Bailey Slater [...]
Kevin Aviance's life story unfolds as a vibrant symphony of resilience and artistry, deeply resonating within the black queer community and leaving an indelible mark on society's cultural tapestry. By Kevin Aviance Growing up in a bustling household set the stage for my life's symphony—a blend of chaos, harmony, and relentless drive. My [...]
Horse Meat Disco held their first party at what would become known as The Eagle pub in Vauxhall, London on New Year’s Day 2004. As their weekly Sunday night queer party grew, so did their international reputation, and they haven't stopped since. Here, Andy Thomas charts the soaraway success of the disco house collective over [...]
In South Africa's burgeoning ballroom scene, pioneering figures and DJs are finding their own ‘Ha’ in the country's past, and in the contemporary sounds of gqom, amapiano, and Afrobeats. Tazmé Pillay learns more “DJ, cut the beat.” The room falls silent — an unforgivable sin anywhere else, but this is no nightclub. This is a [...]