With a deafening bass and hues of neon colors dancing across the walls, Gainesville locals celebrated the end of syllabus week with a bang.
Over 100 fans of house and electronic-dance music crowded into Vivid Music Hall for Party U, a live music event hosted by Party Starter Radio.
Although the event began at 8 p.m., most people arrived fashionably late at 11 p.m. United by movement and individualized by style, fans covered the entire area of the large venue, located in downtown Gainesville.
Vincent Smith, a 32-year-old music entrepreneur, DJ and event promoter for Party Starter Radio, greeted fans as they checked in through the front door. Since founding Party U in May 2024, Smith said he took the initiative to create an inclusive space for everyone to enjoy themselves despite the pressures of the outside world.
“Everybody has their stuff that they go through, too,” he said. “My goal is, for a couple of minutes or a couple hours, you forget about it and come here and have a good time. That’s the biggest thing. I think that’s what music has the power to do. [House music] is like the biggest escape.”
For Smith, he said events like these aren’t even work — it’s his dream. Looking back at when he began DJing 18 years ago, he said he can still feel an undeniable passion for creating music that motivates people to have a good time.
While preparing for the event, Smith worked alongside Maximo Toledo, a 19-year-old DJ and UF accounting sophomore, and Joseph Nardello, a 31-year-old event photographer and videographer for Party Starter Radio. Despite juggling artist bookings, sponsorships, marketing and social media leading up to the event, Smith felt excited to be hosting an event that deepens Gainesville’s house music community.
In addition to these connections, according to Toledo, there has also been a gradual transformation in which house music has become a more common genre that anyone can listen to, at any time.
“Five years ago, it was just rap or Spanish music,” Toledo said. “But to see that now every single bar that you go to is playing house music, it’s been a huge cultural shift.”
EDM DJ duo Ship Wrek end Party U with a newly finished track at Vivid Music Hall on Friday, January 17, 2025.
From the way it has inspired new waves of self-expression through fashion to how it allows fans to regulate their emotions after a stressful day, the rise of house music has reached people from all walks of life throughout Gainesville, he said. Reflecting on his past experiences as a DJ, Smith said he has seen the active evolution of house music styles. Not conforming, he said, is a large aspect of attending these events.
“When I first got into this, every DJ just wore a black t-shirt, black pants, black Nikes. Now, it’s very, very different,” Smith said. “Now, it’s like, instead of blending in, stand out. Be yourself. Be authentic.”
Toledo said he sees the ‘house style’ as eclectic, with many people taking pride in themselves and their clothing because of the feeling they get when they listen to house music.
House music can not only influence the way people dress, but Toledo said he also believes the music style can affect their bodies. The typical tempo of house music is 128 BPM, the same as the body’s natural rhythm, he said.
While artists like BAUM and VERSUS took the stage, Kaitlyn Depani, a 20-year-old UF communication sciences and disorders student, took the time to catch up with her friends who she hadn’t seen since before the winter break. Depani said she attended Party U because her close friend and DJ, Clara Keyvani, was performing. While here, she said she felt free of stress from school.
Even though she’s primarily a fan of indie rock music and used to attending these types of events, Depani found that when attending house music performances, there’s no set rules for how you should dress.
“I think there’s so much diversity and individuality that comes along with [house music],” she said.
Dressed in a sparkly sequined shirt converted from a Target dress and an array of frosted gold bracelets, she said felt proud to be showcasing her clothing as if they were a piece of her very personality.
At 11:45 p.m., Ship Wrek, a Los Angeles-based duo consisting of Tripp Churchill and Collin Maguire, took the stage. Almost immediately, the crowd roared with excitement before the artists even touched the DJ mixer. With unique transitions and deep-voice distortions building up to a bass-drop louder than any other DJs that performed that night, the energy emanating from the duo motivated the crowd to let all their worries slip away.
“Being back in my hometown, it feels great to play a show like this,” Churchill said. “This is where everything started, and I remember all the hard work I put into this city.”
Autumn Johnstone is a staff writer at The Independent Florida Alligator. Follow them on X @AutumnJ922
