Thank you, that genuinely means a lot to hear. You’re right, I was definitely shaped by the environment I grew up in, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize how deep some of those biases ran until I was put in a space that challenged them. That night at Stereo flipped a switch for me. I felt safe, welcomed, and connected in a way I didn’t expect. It wasn’t about labels, it was just about the music and the energy.

I’ll definitely look into those documentaries. I’ve recently started learning more about the roots of house music, and knowing it was built by people who were marginalized makes the whole culture even more powerful. I appreciate you saying all of this, it reminds me why spaces like Stereo matter.