Who are some of your favorite NYC DJs right now and why?

Spiritus Crew (Deephealer, Spine, Perfect Circle): Call me uninformed if you want, but honestly, I think in the realm of techno in NYC, it’s really hard to break out of the box and do something different just on the basis of how over-saturated it is. Spiritus really does something unique, a crunchy, dissonant, and volatile demonstration of the flexibility of techno in its many forms, with a powerful curation of tracks 100% on wax only.

Helltekk (Dakota Velasquez, Fortified Structures, FUCKTHEPSYCHS): I mean, come on, it would be stupid of me to not shout it again and again. I’ve DJ’d alongside Helltekk from the moment I stepped foot into a venue. They are an embodiment of what it means to be underground. Dakota and F.S have both set their own sounds in the realm of free tekno and jungle/breakbeat, both rinsing both genres with completely unique approaches and IDs I’m sure no other DJ is gonna find unless they’re taking pictures of the decks while these two are spinning. I will never be told otherwise: there is no better hardcore DJ in the underground of NYC than FUCKTHEPSYCHS. Not one, 100% Gabber and hardcore, homie can play tracks from any era of the genre, and cut like a fucking demon. These three continue to show you that they will push the true undergound of NYC by any means necessary, and nobody gets in the way.

Pfil Zone, BBBitcrusher, Alien Baltan: Newer introductions into the rave scene within the last year or two, Pfil Zone and BBBitcrusher are proof of the newly developed sound that can be directly tethered to NYCs current rave scene. Pfil Zone delivers deep, heady, unique selections of free tekno and tribe, exclusively on vinyl. BBBitcrusher delivers mind-altering fusions of

darker breakcore, jungle, acid, and tekno sounds. Alien Baltan being the singlehanded force of US newstyle on the East Coast. All three of ‘em started out as heads coming to the raves, growing into some insane force on the decks. It’s a big inspiration.

Ki Hole (L4RV4 and Selene): Aside from being constant and active members within the community on all ends, L4RV4 and Selene’s selections as DJs incorporate several influences from the “club” and the “rave” in a dynamic execution of the current NYC sound. I’ve seen both of them cut through deconstructed club, dub techno, raptor/hard house, and get all the way into 180-200 BPM hardcore and tekno by the end of the same hour-long set.

What was the state of the American underground rave scene in 2025? Where do you see it going in 2026?

I think right now the rave scene is in the beginning of a transitionary stage. A lot of the DIY crews you see around the country that started out at the beginning of the post-Covid era have grown into some HUGE positions. There is an avid demand for the rave to keep going, however, institutional/economic circumstances prove to be a pretty big challenge: More and more venues continue to phase out 18+ and all ages shows, drive higher fees and ticket prices, and make it harder for there to be shows that everyone can access and afford to come to. As a result, it becomes more of a risk for organizers and promoters from a cost perspective as well.

I’m kinda seeing the rave scene enter this place where the new heads are scared to take the risk of running shows because of these circumstances, and seasoned show runners are starting to feel the pressure to uphold what they’ve built and to be able to afford it continuing, and so there’s this growing consistency that is driven by a fear to take that risk. A lot of crews are booking the same people over and over because they know those people are committed to the game regardless of its scale, or being pushed into smaller venues to avoid large costs.

In NYC there is a major decline in the fight to maintain DIY spaces, leading to more of these “free nights” where DJs and performers basically go unpaid, venues make all the money. In places like LA, you basically can’t get an indoor space without paying several thousands of dollars, needing to provide your own staffing, security, speakers, etc.—and even then it can still

get shut down by police at any moment’s notice. Even if you’re trying to throw a free party, there’s still a lot of moving parts, and cost-heavy resources, and you need a crew.

Shows become very insular and redundant because there’s not enough resources for people to be willing to take the risk to do something bigger, and rely on things they have found to be consistent instead. I think in a lot of ways this becomes a major problem because of the current state of a DJ or performer as a face and a personality beyond music—people want to see a face all the time, but then when it’s the same face over and over, and there’s nothing new alongside that, they don’t care anymore.

I’m going to speak hopefully in regards to the future, and say that I think there will be a point where these circumstances create so much pressure on the vitality of the underground that there will be a big change in the nature of the game altogether: Shows focused on speakers, not on who’s playing behind them, shows where everyone knows they gotta be there, and either put in work or pay the bread to come inside. Pushing kids who got tracks or mix recordings stuck in demo hell to finally start dropping shit, so other people will start trying too, and we know who is really here to contribute. In a way, it’ll kinda be like we gotta start over from how it was before with a real involved DIY effort, but maintain the same scale that everything has grown into.

There are so many different pieces of America that constantly work to destabilize communities like that of the underground rave, yet it has never died, never. That’s because there were always people so committed to help lifting some speakers or playing some shows for the love of the game, not always a check, it can’t just be about one person’s show or one person’s song doing well, but making sure there’s enough vitality to where everyone can continue to contribute, access, and show/receive love from the culture.

Photo Credit: Turner West

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