CATEGORY Vol. 004
New Year's Eve
Queer house & techno · Downtown LA · 21+
Vol. 004 On the decks
Nita Aviance and Will Automagic are a New York DJ and production duo woven into the city's queer nightlife history, from House of Aviance and The Loft to their own monthly party, The Carry Nation, at Brooklyn's Good Room. Known for epic extended B2B sets, they've played Berghain/Panorama Bar and Glastonbury's Block 9.
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You know it when you hear him play: a chugging, infectious groove from queer dance-floor royalty. The founder of LA's legendary queer party-turned-record label Spotlight and Club Toilet in Detroit, Chris is a regular at Panorama Bar (Berghain), Basement, Power Dance Club, and Block9 at Glastonbury. His sets celebrate the queer roots of house, techno, and underground dance music.
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A lifer of London's club and early rave scene since her teens, Heidi Lawden named and founded Rulin at Ministry of Sound before making LA her base. Her sets fold house, techno, wonky basslines, and synth-laden disco oddities into a world of her own, and she has clocked solo sets of 10+ hours. She's played Panorama Bar, Basement NYC, Glastonbury, Horse Meat Disco, Glitterbox, and Bears in Space, hosts the monthly Extra Sensory show on dublab, and co-runs Take It Outside with Masha Mar. Through every booking, she champions female, queer, and gender fluid artists.
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Masha Mar is a Serbian-born, Los Angeles-based DJ and producer whose musical vision spans Chicago and New York house, cosmic disco, and left-field rarities. Equally at home on festival stages and in the sweat of an intimate club, she moves between worlds effortlessly. Each set feels like its own journey, never the same trip twice.
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Afro-Latina LA native artist, dancer, DJ, and heartbeat of the underground house music scene, Juliet Mendoza fuses her love of dance with soul-stirring music to create immersive experiences on and off the dance floor. Previously a regular at famed houses like the Arena and Carnival, Juliet's practice broadened beyond performance into a holistic expression of house culture, melding dance, DJ craft, and promotion to shape clubs, festivals, and community spaces.
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An LA-based DJ and producer who lives by one rule: only play the good stuff. Stacy cut her teeth in 2012 under the mentorship of Joshua James, before a chance meeting with Bears in Space's Chris Bowen pulled her deeper into the underground. She's opened for DJ Harvey, Moodymann, Honey Dijon, and Hercules and Love Affair, and played rooms from Knockdown Center in New York to Love International and Battle Hymn.
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An architect of LA's underground, Kerry has built her name behind the decks at The Basement, Dublab, and as one half of Still Rollin' alongside Stacy Christine. Her sets move across eras and genres without losing the thread, blending the anthemic and familiar with the obscure and otherworldly into one continuous rush. Kerry has shaped some of the city's most iconic nights, including Rice & Beats, Hang Together, and Nitty Gritty. She doesn't just play a set, she builds a world, and CATEGORY is next on the map.
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A dance floor shapeshifter and trusted steward of the LA underground and festival circuit. His sets are a joyride through disco decadence, '90s house, minimal, techno, hard groove, ravey breaks, pop vocals, and the frequent left-field oddity that combines for a sound that's both tender and relentless.
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LA's own Filipino-born Club Kid turned DJ, Naté (say it Nawwwtaaay) brings a ferociously femme, eclectically extravagant touch to the city's nightlife and underground. A cadet of the Bears in Space orbit, he's played DayTrip Festival, HARD Summer, Horse Meat Disco, Por Detroit, Take It Outside, and The Basement LA, with guest spots on dublab and KCHUNG. Classically trained in music, he weaves disco, femme house, breakbeat, and progressive techno with ambient Balearic samples into his signature Naughty sound. Off the decks, he helps produce events that celebrate the complexities of the queer experience.
Full profileWhat is CATEGORY
Something new every time. A fresh theme. An opportunity each month to be someone new.
Representation is our guiding principle. Our lineups consist entirely of femme, BIPOC, gender expansive, and/or queer-identifying talent: local artists making the most noise in LA, and international headliners you've been dying to see.
We craft experiences designed not just to entertain you, but to look like you, move like you, and feel like you.
The archive
003Vol. 003 Fri, Oct 23
Bears in Space · Stacy Christine · DJ Kerry
002Vol. 002 Fri, Sep 18
Kim Anh · Masha Mar · Soul Purpose b2b Flabbergast
001Vol. 001 Sat, Aug 22
Chris Cruse · Juliet Mendoza · Soul Purpose
Vol. 003 Sapphire
Photos by Drake Hackney (@drakehackney) · Follow @categoryparty
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The insider list
Themes, lineups, early access to tickets before they go public, photo drops. Text is fastest.
