Since 2012, we've created a monthly outlet for queer people to dance, perform, and express themselves at our party, as well as being a part of the larger Hot Mass community. Hot Mass is weekly, and we work closely with the other resident crews (DETOUR, Humanaut, gFx, and Cold Cuts) to foster a sense of community in Pittsburgh’s dance scene. A big part of that comes from showcasing younger local & regional talent on the same pedestal as a larger headlining DJ that would come through.

Well, in the before times, you could expect heavy crowd energy levels, an extremely sweaty small room, and a great sound system. Crowds are musically adventurous and give constant vocal feedback. The crowd was also always changing. Even though Hot Mass is tiny, there were new faces on a weekly basis mixing with the regular core crowd, which gave it a special energy.

Clark Price - Peach has been a favorite mine for a while now. Lakuti and Tama Sumo are also really inspiring as well. They’re really amazing people and DJs.

George d'Adhemar - Loving new stuff from Kush Jones (Future Times), Nikki Nair (Muy Muy Limited), and Shawn Rudiman’s latest LP (In The Machine Age) amongst others. For a proper escape, I’ve been turning to mixes from Ron like Hell, Ceri, and Tama & Lakuti.

Aaron Clark - My listening habits have shifted quite a bit through all of this, reaching towards dub and ambient stuff frequently. My favorite album I’ve heard during the pandemic is the ambient “Northwest Passage” by Merrin Karras. Sounds like a one-way trip out of our solar system. Some favorite mixes: Takuya Nakamura’s set for The Lot Radio...a wild ride from jazz to techno, and it’s super weird, cohesive, and positive vibes: Tabasheer’s DIESELcast and Joey Anderson’s USBmix-4.

In the US, this is all going to restart small, with just our core local crowds and artists.

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Hot Mass is streaming weekly on Twitch, every Thursday at 7pm eastern. twitch.tv/hotmasspgh

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