Victoria, BC Canada. Queer. House. Techno. Dancers only.
Hey, I’m Josh and I run Rhythm You Should Hear.
Asking my very simple yet so helpful question, “who would you like to play with?”
Nitro (Jude) and Dual Citizen (Nick) both said, each other when I’d asked them separately.
The bill was made, the date was secured.
Nitro and Dual Citizen were to play with one another.
They had both been enjoying each other's sets from past parties and wanted to combine their sounds. This was an easy one for me to say yes to and it was brilliant.
House Pioneer, Theo Parish, recently said in a lecture that he used to think the sound system was the most important aspect in a party.
He’s changed his mind and now thinks the order of importance is:
1. People
2. Sound system
3. Music selection
People who come with right intentions and open minds allow for the DJ to perfect their craft and guide the night.
Then again, is it the DJ that guides the night, or the response from the dancers?
We are still trying to figure this out and we’re in no RUSH.
A few thoughts from me, Josh:
Nitro hit us with the surprise handoff to Dual Citizen.
A complete, clean cut, hand off.
Fader all the way down, mid track climax.
The dancers erupted with thanks and appreciation for his set.
We didn’t expect that type of hand off and it was awesome.
I loved how this fell far from the normal formula of a handoff.
It took us all off guard and worked wonderfully, A cheeky smile from Nitro, he knew what he was doing.
With RUSH, I am pushing House and Techno coming off of the back of Club Loading which was Disco and House.
I like harder and faster but I am always surprised when a DJ does this, which doesn't make sense, I'm aware.
Dual Citizen did just that, the last 30 mins of his set he hit that 130+ BPM and had us all pounding our bodies.
It felt good.
It felt cathartic.
It felt exactly how I wanted to feel.
Maybe it was exactly how you wanted to feel?
A few thoughts from Nitro:
Coming into my fifth night playing at RUSH, I could anticipate the few details that were to come: red, hot, sexy, fun.
What couldn’t I predict?
The reciprocal energy.
That is what the crowd brings.
As both an opener and closer, I know there is a different appeal to the open and close to a night.
There is nothing like hopping on the decks at 12 o’clock when the floor is bumping.
That energy flows right through you and picks you up as you throw the beat down.
However, an open slot holds a beautiful humility.
Beginning with a clear floor, my heart never fails to skip a beat: the nerves are always there.
Though as seconds pass, the bodies begin to multiply and the floor heats up.
I glance down at the decks momentarily, and the next thing I know, the few bodies in unison grow into a crowd.
The beat of the music begins to match my heart rate, and I start to lose myself.
Where do I go?
Witnessing a party grow its own limbs never gets old.
All it takes is one person to come to the front, and the next thing you know you’re surrounded, people are sweating - I’m sweating.
I look into the eyes of a stranger and we see each other.
We’re together in this fleeting moment.
Perhaps we will never meet again.
That night, the crowd brought the energy.
They always do, who am I to have any doubts…
In two hours, boy did we get jumping.
I never know how hard and fast I’ll go as it’s truly up to the moment.
But, BOY does the RUSH crowd know how to shake some ass.
I began at 120 bpm and ended at 150.
I recall looking out at the crowd and seeing the unanimous smiles, the exchanges of compassion, of joy, of love, of relation - it is a blessing to witness.
I hope I can continue to provide to this scene as I know there is a starvation for queer artists, representation, and spaces.
I am honoured to play for Josh, and alongside so many other talented artists.
There is a hunger I feel festering in the scene of so-called “Victoria, BC.”
As of now, RUSH is serving the platter.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I leave you with one note:
We deserve consistency.
Despite the beautiful impermanence to the conversation with the dance floor, we must work together to demand for the livelihood of our queer spaces.
Use your voice, share the word, share the RHYTHM YOU SHOULD HEAR.
A few thoughts from Dual Citizen:
Sometimes there’s a track that you listen to once in a record shop, once more at home, then never play out.
Probably because a different track on the record hit a bit harder in the moment, and whenever you look at the sleeve going forward you think of “that one song”, completely ignoring the other side of the record with a sneaky slammer on it.
Putting these tracks on that were once relegated to never being played is one of the best joys of DJ’ing (IMO!).
I was packing my record bag for the party and came across Un:Plug - Time Unlimited (A.T.T. Mix) on my shelf and I hadn’t heard it since I bought it.
Threw it on during the RUSH party when I wanted to push the sub a bit, and POW!
What a tune.
Can’t believe it feels like I’ve only just discovered it.
Always a joy when a couple of the homies text me voice memos the next morning asking for the track ID. Ha.
Anyways, Rush is great and always fun, both as a dancer and as a DJ.
Every time I hop off the decks there I wish I pushed the energy even further.
Maybe it’s the giant subwoofer, maybe it's the crowd, or maybe it’s just me.
Run it back!
C U on the DF soon,
Josh Franklin
Rhythm You Should Hear
RUSH loves House and Techno as both sound and culture, offering a home for dancers and the queer community. Based in a once-abandoned nightclub, it trades its past pop-up mobility for mastery, shaping its identity through refined sound, dance, and dark ambiance.
