If you’re spending the summer in Philly and you’re tired of your night ending when clubs close at 2 a.m., there’s another option:
Raves.
The city’s scene is back with a vengeance after the pandemic slowdown — and maybe even better, with more people paying attention to safety and a wider range of music. It’s not only techno you’ll find. There’s a whole world ready for exploring.
How to find your way? One good place to start is by following the mixmasters who bring the parties to life.
Here are five DJs to look for this summer in the Philly rave scene. They make it easy to dance until the sun comes up.
Low Iron
Low Iron plays dance/electronic but with a Philly club music twist, throwing in dance classics that city natives such as herself would have heard at block parties. Think Baby Qay Anthem or Peanut Live 215’s party song.
After getting into DJing during the pandemic, she started booking raves in 2021. Her main priority when overseeing the flow is not only to make people dance, but make sure they’re comfortable.
“If you’re coming to see me,” Low Iron said, “I’m technically responsible for your safety.” If her name is on a flier, she said, it means she’s vetted out the space and the hosts so her audience can have a fun, stress-free, and safe experience.
Oneeleven
Also known as Mars or @donotperceivethee, Oneeleven is a resident DJ with Sub Zero Philly, a collective centered around Black and queer nightlife.
They consider themself a pioneer of the current Philly scene, having started DJing before the pandemic, when they were in the frat Gamma Sigma at Rutgers New Brunswick. They started booking parties and raves while in a Black queer DJing collective known as Nu Mafia, with a focus on spinning in spaces for people like themselves.
Back then, their sound was mostly techno, but it’s expanded to include almost all genres, with special attention to Black house and drum and bass music .
“I can’t pinpoint one genre or style of music,” Oneeleven said. They’re inspired by everything.
DJ Love
DJ Love is best known from their club event Cunty PHL, which takes place regularly at Underground Arts, as well as their appearances on Soundgasm with Great Circles Radio Station.
Love started DJing through word of mouth and open deck nights, and found it brought them both “community and family” — it was friends who inspired them and made them aware it could be “an outlet for healing.” They work to bring that to their sets so the audience can receive that as well.
The base of their sound is Philly club music, but the history of Black queer house music comes through, with catchy quotes spaced out across his sets.
Disautomatic
Disautomatic also started out in Nu Mafia, booking shows alongside Mars. But recently, they’ve truly started to carve out a lane of their own.
They’ve created a unique style by taking ethereal sounding music — songs few other rave DJs would think to touch — and mixing it to sound like something that belongs in a club setting. Playing in this city makes Philly club music a must, they realize, and they don’t shy away from heavy beats.
Jewelssea
Jewelssea plays a wide range of styles, from drum and base to Philly/Baltimore club and house music. She said she isn’t afraid to change her sound to fit the crowd.
She’s made a name for herself not only in Philly, but across the country. Last year, Jewelssea played at the Adult Swim Festival Block Party, and she frequently plays in LA. Her song, “Won’t Ever Know” got a raving review in the Fader magazine.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the type of music Jewelssea plays.
